NNBEPP2: 2011 Movies

While watching last Sunday’s Super Bowl, I could hardly even focus on the game because of all the great new movie trailers that premiered. The Patriots won, right? Anyway, let’s take a look at the upcoming 2011 movies in the latest edition of the Nova News Big East Power Poll.

1. Pitt (22-2, 10-1) :: Captain America
The leader of the Avengers seems like a good representative for the leader of the conference, but can Pitt remain one of the top teams in America without their captain, Ashton Gibbs. The Wildcats will get their first look at the Panthers this Saturday, when Nova will put it’s 46-game Pavilion winning streak on the line.

2. Notre Dame (20-4, 9-3) :: The Green Lantern
Hopefully it will change this weekend, but the fact remains, the Fighting Irish are the only Big East team to beat Pitt this season. Ben Hansbrough is playing like he has a mystical green ring that gives him the college basketball superpowers of his brother Tyler.

3. Georgetown (19-5, 8-4) :: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son
Like his father, John Thompson III has Georgetown competing at an elite level every year, even after losing players to the NBA. The Hoyas are on a seven-game winning streak, but they’d be even better if Austin Freeman could dress up and play all five positions like Martin Lawrence.

4. UConn (18-4, 6-4) :: Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon
Michael Bay’s movies are known for their big explosions and action sequences, but they tend to lack in story and character. The 2010-11 Huskies are known for Kemba Walker’s big scoring and impressive stat lines, but the team is lacking in other areas. Not to mention Walker’s shooting percentage has plummeted over the past two months. However, the Transformers movies still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars, and UConn still wins games, and those are the only stats that really matter.

5. Villanova (19-5, 7-4) :: Just Go With It
Villanova was cruising along, up double-digits on Rutgers, and I kind of half-tuned out. The next thing I know, it’s a two-point game. I think Jay Wright and his team did they same as I, and started looking forward to this weekend’s big match-up against Pitt. The way Nova lost that game was rough, but like Adam Sandler, I’m going to say “just go with it”, forget it and move on. Games like this happen, where you think you’ve won and you mentally check out, and it’s better to happen now than in the NCAA Tournament. It sounds cliche, but that loss will be a learning experience, and I don’t think this team will ever let up in a game for the rest of the season. If they needed to lose a mid-season game to Rutgers to learn that lesson, so be it. Furthermore, this loss will only add fuel to the fire for Saturday’s game versus Pitt. Let’s just hope the critics’ reviews of Villanova come March are better than those of Just Go With It.

6. Syracuse (20-5, 7-5) :: Super 8
J.J. Abrams’ projects are always shrouded in mystery, almost as much mystery as this Syracuse team. I can’t figure them out. They start the season 18-0, but are 2-5 since. Why does Fab Melo continue to start every game when he only plays 3 minutes? Where is Carmelo going? What's on that train in the Super 8 trailer? What is the island on Lost? I need answers!

7. Louisville (18-6, 7-4) :: Hall Pass
"A married man is granted the opportunity to have an affair by his wife." Is that the plot to Hall Pass or Rick Pitino’s life?

8. Cincinnati (19-5, 6-5) :: Cowboys & Aliens
Okay, I give up. I can’t figure out any way that cowboys and aliens relate to the Cincinnati Bearcats… But, hey, doesn’t that movie look cool?

9. Marquette (15-9, 6-5) :: Thor
Thor was a warrior, and the Golden Eagles used to be Warriors. Despite wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse, Marquette might not even make the NCAA Tournament this year, which has more to say about the depth and quality of the Big East than Marquette’s shortcomings.

10. West Virginia (15-8, 6-5) :: The Hangover Part II
This season has been the hangover to last year’s Final Four for West Virginia. The second hangover is the one Bob Huggins has while he’s coaching.

11. St. John’s (13-9, 5-5) :: X-Men: First Class
Talk about first classes, Steve Lavin has the #2 recruiting class in the country, with 6 players in the ESPNU Top 100. As for their 15 point win over Duke? They must have turned into mutants for that game.

12. Providence (14-10, 3-8) :: Priest in 3D
What’s crazier, a vampire-killing priest or a donut-eating friar?

13. Rutgers (13-11, 4-8) :: Sucker Punch
Rutgers’ stunning comeback win over Villanova felt like a sucker punch. It was just one of those freaky Reggie Miller/Larry Johnson late-game performances. Sure, Villanova made their share of mistakes, but Rutgers hit some lucky shots that make you just shrug your shoulders and tip your cap.

14. Seton Hall (10-14, 4-8) :: Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides
Bullets are no match for pirates… Captain Jack Sparrow nor Jeremy Hazell.

15. South Florida (8-17, 2-10) :: Fast Five
It’s not good when the highlight of your season is “holding” Jimmer Fredette to 32 points in a double-overtime loss and “holding” Kemba Walker to 24 points in an overtime loss. Neither is it good when the highlight of your movie is the trio of Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, and Dwayne Johnson. I don’t know what’s more surprising, that they’ve made five Fast and the Furious movies or that South Florida has been in the Big East for five years already. Either way, it sure was a “fast five”.

16. DePaul (6-17, 0-11) :: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Never say never, unless the question is “When will DePaul win a Big East game?”

Jersey Boys Lead Nova Past Rutgers

Three former New Jersey high school stars led Villanova in a 94-68 rout over Rutgers at the RAC. Rutgers was never in this game, and at 0-6 in the Big East, they might pull a "Conan O'Brien" on Fred Hill before the season's over. The lone bright spot for the Scarlet Knights was freshman Dane Miller who had 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists.

Dominic Cheek - embarrassed former St. Anthony teammate Mike Rosario (1-8, 3 points) by scoring a career high 17 points. He showed his versatility by taking it strong to the basket and knocking down two 3-pointers.

Corey Stokes - was locked in from long range, knocking down four triples for 16 points. He seems to have broken out of whatever shooting slump he was in.

Corey Fisher - The former New Jersey High School Player of the Year had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. I think all six of his field goals were scored in the paint. In classic Fisher Price fashion, he used a fake pass to toy with defenders while he went up for a layup.

Scottie Reynolds - It's either a really good or really bad sign when Scottie Reynolds and Isaiah Armwood score the same amount of points (9). In this case it was good. Nova's scoring was balanced, and the game was out of hand so quickly that the Cats didn't even need Big Shot Scott in this one.

Isaiah Armwood - was impressive in the first half, where he scored all nine of his points. He threw down a thunderous dunk, and with Armwood's athleticism, Fisher and the guards should be looking his way for alley-oops at least twice a game.

Maalik Wayns - like Fisher, Wayns cut through Rutgers' defense like it wasn't even there. He also tied a season-high with 4 assists.

Mouph Yarou - had 9 rebounds, but he looked lost on the offensive end. Whenever he got the ball deep in the post, he either traveled, stepped out of bounds, or committed an offensive foul. He seems more comfortable pulling up for the mid-range jumper, than taking it strong to the basket, which is not what I want to see from my power forward/center. I'll cut him some slack though, since he is still recovering from Hepatitis.

Reggie Redding - had 5 points and 5 rebounds. Like Reynolds, he wasn't really needed as Jay gave the youngsters lots of run.

Antonio Pena - co-led with Yarou for a game-high 9 rebounds, but picked up 4 personal fouls in only 15 minutes. Hamady Ndiaye (say that name five times fast) seemed to be giving him and Yarou fits inside. Ndiaye is the other bright spot for Rutgers this season, as he's third in the nation in blocked shots, and he had 5 swats in this game.

Taylor King - like Pena, King ran into some foul trouble, picking up 4 in just 12 minutes, limiting him to 5 points.

Maurice Sutton - had a block and a couple of rebounds in six minutes.

Russell Wooten - had his name chanted from up in the rafters of the RAC as he got into the final minute of the game.

Around the Big East

1. Syracuse (10-0)
The Orange have made everyone forget about the preseason loss to LeMoyne with wins over Cal, North Carolina, and Florida. The junior transfer from Iowa State, Wesley Johnson, has been fantastic, averaging 16.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and shooting 54% from three. They also got a commitment from the #2 center prospect for 2010, Febricio Melo. With a last name like that, I doubt Boeheim had to do much recruiting.

2. West Virginia (7-0)
They haven't played anybody yet, but their defense looks scary-good. They held Duquesne to 39 points. Devin Ebanks has missed four games due to unknown personal reasons. Nova-killer Da'Sean Butler is off to a nice start, averaging nearly 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

3. Villanova (9-1)
All aboard the Redding Railroad! Reggie will return from suspension on Saturday at Fordham. His senior leadership and defense might be exactly what this team is lacking.

4. Georgetown (8-0)
Speaking of scary-good defenses, opponents are only averaging 56.2 points against the Hoyas. G'Town fans should be thankful Greg Monroe (15.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3 assists) didn't bolt for the NBA last year.

5. UConn (6-2)
Their only losses are to Duke and Kentucky. They have one of the best backcourt duos in the nation with Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker, both of whom are averaging over 5 assists per game.

6. Cincinnati (6-2)
Both of their losses came in overtime to good teams (Gonzaga and Xavier). Lance Stephenson has skillzzz...


7. Pitt (8-2)
Their only two losses are to Texas and Indiana. There's a lot of new faces on this Panthers team, but they look better than I expected.

8. Seton Hall (8-0)
Seton Hall is undefeated? And second in the country in scoring at 90.8 per game? What the what? A game against Virginia Military (134-107) will skew the numbers, but still. By the way, Jamel Jackson dropped 40 in that game... the game before? One point! Shiver me timbers, what is up with the Pirates this year?

9. Louisville (5-3)
The Cardinals have lost two in a row, but at least the latest was against Carolina. Wait, that was Western Carolina?! Well then, things aren't looking too good for Pitino's squad. He can't seem to settle on a rotation; 11 players are averaging over 11 minutes per game.

10. St. John's (8-1)
The Johnnies are off to a nice start; their lone loss came at Duke. Plus, they accomplished what Villanova could not: win at Temple and hold Juan Fernandez to 5 points.

11. Notre Dame (9-2)
I wish I could say something about the Fighting Irish basketball team, but every time I Google search Notre Dame all I get back are updates on the football coach carousel.

12. Marquette (7-3)
I enjoyed this: http://www.crackedsidewalks.com/2009/12/marquette-takes-on-greatest-team-ever.html

13. South Florida (7-2)
They're giving Ole Miss a run for their money for most exotic names: Augustus "Caesar" Gilchrist, Jarrid "Almost" Famous, Toarlyn "Reggie Cleveland All-Star" Fitzpatrick, Shaun "Manuel" Noriega.

14. Rutgers (7-2)
Could the Scarlet Knights' days in the Big East be numbered?
http://blog.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2009/12/big_ten_seeks_12th.html

15. Providence (7-4)
The Friars lead all of college basketball with an average of 45.8 rebounds per game. Take that stat with a grain of salt because it also means they're missing a ton of shots.

16. DePaul (6-3)
I guess the Blue Demon faithful is not thrilled with Jerry Wainwright's .436 winning percentage over his five seasons at DePaul... http://www.firejerrywainwright.com/ When you look at Isiah Thomas as a coaching upgrade, you know your program's in bad shape. My favorite "Wainwright'ism": "He plays with great enthusiasm, and what a physical specimen! If I looked like that, I'd spend all day walking around in a Speedo."

Nova Gets Past Rutgers

Final Score: #14 Villanova 82, Rutgers 72

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 21 pts, 6 ast, 2 stl

Recap: This was one of those sloppy games where you kept waiting for Villanova to pull away, but it didn’t happen until late in the second half. Now for a special NBA All Star Weekend edition of post-game awards.

The Michael Rapaport in the Celebrity Game Award for Excessive Fouling

Frank Tchuisi got the first start of his career on senior night and responded by committing 2 fouls in 40 seconds. It's understandable, he was probably a little nervous. But anyway, thanks to Frank for his four years committed to the program. He never played much, but from what I hear he always works hard in practice and his positive attitude helps his teammates.

P.S. Rapaport was whistled for 8 fouls in that game.

The Kobe and Shaq Award for Co-MVPs of the Game

... Goes to Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham. This inside/outside combo have been the MVPs all season long and this game was no different. Scottie had a game-high 21 points and 6 assists. He did most of his work at the free throw line where he was 10-11. Dante had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night (5-17 FG), but he still had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. You really can't say enough about the progess he's made during his career at Nova, and it was nice to honor him and his classmates' achievements on Senior Night.

The Kevin Durant Award for H-O-R-S-E Champion

If this team played H-O-R-S-E, I would put my money on Fisher Price. He's one of the most creative finishers around the basket I've ever seen, and he has a solid outside shot. Corey put all of his skills on display in this game to score 14 points, using teardrops, double-clutchers, and 3-pointers. He only missed one shot the entire night (4-5 fg, 2-3 3pt, 4-4 ft). His assist to turnover ratio has really improved the past few games; it was 3 ast/0 t.o. last night.

The Daequan Cook Award for 3-Point Shooting

Corey Stokes was in a groove hitting 5 of 7 shots from downtown to score 17 points. His five longballs were the most he's had in a game since December 4 vs. Houston Baptist. He added 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. His only other basket came on a breakaway dunk.

The KryptoNate Robinson Award for Slam Dunk Champion

Shane Clark had a sick left-handed put-back dunk early in the game. He surprised me with one of these a few games ago, but maybe I shouldn't be so surprised anymore. He seems to have regained his athleticism and is finally fully healthy. It's just a shame it had to come at the end of his career here. He had 6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist on Senior Night.

The Dwayne Anderson Award for Being Dwayne Anderson

I can't forget about our fourth and final senior, Dwayne Anderson, on senior night. He might have tried to do a little too much to make this night special by taking some extra shots (3-11 fg, 0-4 3pt), but that's okay, he desrves to be a little selfish. He's been the unheralded guy all four years at Villanova, willing to do all the little things to help the team win. He sacraficed his offense to focus on defense and rebounding, and last season, when Jay Wright called on him to be a starter, he delivered. Despite being a thin 6'6, he has battled in the post with power forwards and usually comes out with the rebound. His stats are rarley eye-popping (8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal last night), but attitude and toughness usually doesn't show up in a box score. Hopefully our younger players and recruits are watching and learning from Dwayne because there'e a lot more to being a great player than just scoring points.

Senior Night vs. Rutgers

Foe: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (10-15) (1-11)

Recent History: The all-time series has been a little lopsided; Nova leads 23-8. However, Rutgers is on a one game winning streak after their 80-68 win at the RAC last season. The Scarlet Knights were led by Anthony Farmer and Mike Coburn who had 23 points each. Villanova was led by Malcolm Grant who also had 23 points. The loss was the first of five in a row, representing the low-point of Villanova's season before they bounced back all the way to the Sweet 16. This year Rutgers is led by freshman Mike Rosario (17 ppg) from St. Anthony. He is the only player on the team averaging double digit scoring, but they have a few players, including Farmer and Coburn, who are capable of stepping up. Rutgers has two of the top shot blockers in the nation: Greg Echenique and Hamady N'Diaye, both averaging 2.5 blocks a game.

Best Win: 75-56 vs. DePaul

Worst Loss:64-63 vs. St. Bonaventure

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Quincy Douby, Eddie Jordan, David Stern, Jim Valvano
Other: Marc Ecko, Bill Bellamy, James Gandolfini, Joe Borowski, David DeJesus, Tom Emanski

Fun Facts:

• Rutgers made the 1976 Final Four.

• Rutgers was one of the first four schools (Yale, Columbia, Princeton) to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

• Last year 786 Rutgers students broke the Guinness World Record for "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Ninja Turtles".

Complimentary Youtube Video:

Final Verdict: Rutgers is 1-11 in the Big East, which means two things: 1) they are not very good, 2) they are hungry for a win. Villanova should take them seriously for that second part, and also keep in mind that they are a young team capable of getting better as the season progresses. With that said, it is senior night in the Pavilion, and I don't see any way Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank the Tank Tchuisi lose this one.

TV: ESPN2 9:00 PM

Links: VUHoops, IBBW, VBTN, Let's Go Nova, Villanova Viewpoint, Wiki, AP

NNBEPP1

Nova News Big East Power Poll 1st Edition

1. UConn - 8-0
Hasheem Thabeet has been a monster, even without the cornrows. The 7'3 center is averaging 14.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks. With wins over Miami and Wisconsin, this team is loaded and will get even better when Stanley Robinson returns from injury. I'll ignore the close call to Buffalo for now.


2. Pitt - 9-0
Pitt's teams are always boring and this one is no exception. Yet they're in the top 25 every year despite not having any top NBA talent.


3. Louisville - 4-1
Like Nova they've had an easy early season schedule, but unlike Nova they LOSE at HOME by DOUBLE DIGITS to WESTERN KENTUCKY without COURTNEY LEE. I CAN'T STOP USING CAPITALS!!! I don't know if they deserve this ranking, but they're just too deep and talented to drop any further.


4. Notre Dame - 6-2
Harangody has pneumonia, but the Irish might not need him with the way Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers are shooting the ball. McAlarney hit 26 threes in three consecutive games, including 10 against the ridiculously good Tar Heels, who might actually go undefeated this season.


5. Your Villanova Wildcats - 8-0
I can't wait for the showdown with Texas on Tuesday. Let's see what this team is made of.


7. Georgetown - 5-1
Greg Monroe seems poised to grab the torch from Roy Hibbert and continue in the tradition of great Hoya centers.


6. Syracuse - 8-0
The Orange had impressive wins over Florida and Kansas. Devendorf and Rautins are back, Johnny Flynn has been awesome, but it still feels like they're missing something...




8. Marquette - 7-1
Obviously Indiana is one of the premier coaching opportunities in the country, but don't you think Tom Crean wishes he had one more year with this team of James, Matthews, McNeal, and Hayward.


9. West Virginia - 6-1
Joe Alexander should have stayed in school another year, but I guess you can't blame him for leaving early... he's making $2.4 million more than me this year.




10. Seton Hall - 6-1
The Pirates had a nice win over the "post-Mayo" USC, and their only loss is to the "current-Tyreke Evans" Memphis.


11. Cincinnati - 6-1
The Bearcats on the right path back to national prominence with a great freshmen class, but Cashmere Wright's injury may have killed their season. This team could be very dangerous in the future though.

12. DePaul - 4-2
Dar Tucker is a stud (20+ ppg), but the Blue Demons were held to 36 points at Northwestern in an embarrassing loss.

13. St. John's - 6-1
They're only loss is to BC, but Anthony Mason Jr. is out for the season. At least they're still in the running for Lance Stevenson.




15. Providence - 6-3
Looks like it will be a long season at the Dunkin Donuts Center for new head coach Keno Davis.
14. Rutgers - 5-3
Former Nova assistant Fred Hill is nabbing some big time recruits (Mike Rosario, Greg Echenique), but the Scarlet Knights already have home losses to St. Bonaventure, Lehigh, and Binghamton.
16. South Florida - 3-3
Hey, at least they get to live in South Florida.

#18 Villanova at Rutgers

Final Score: Rutgers 80, Villanova 68

Player of the Game: Malcolm Grant 23 points (6-7 3-pt)


Recap:
I don't know why Jay Wright waited until the last 3 minutes of the game to put his three best players on the court at the same time: Scottie Reynolds, Malcolm Grant, and Corey Fisher. As soon as Grant re-entered the game he put on an amazing performance, reminiscent of the LSU game, scoring 17 points in about 2 minutes. But by that time it was too little, too late. Simply put, Grant and Fisher need more playing time. Jay Wright seems to want to go with a bigger and more experience lineup, but players like Shane Clark, Dwayne Anderson, and Reggie Redding are not getting it done, especially on the offensive end. Villanova went for a long stretch in the second half where they failed to even attempt a field goal due to turnovers and blocked shots. As a team you need to maximize your strengths, and Villanova's strengths are its quickness, depth, and offense. But Jay Wright is taking away those strengths with the lineups he is putting on the floor. In years past Wright has been a guy that put his best players on the floor, regardless of height or position, as evidenced by the 4-guard lineup in 2005-2006. I can't understand why he won't do that now. Sure these guards are freshmen and sophomores and have much less experience, but right now the experienced players aren't playing well anyway. This is a team that should be running up and down the floor and scoring in the 90s. A lineup of Reynolds, Fisher, Grant, Pena, and Cunningham may not be as good defensively, but it wouldn't matter how many points they give up if they outscore their opponents, which they should with all those offensive weapons.

The team as a whole only had 5 assists in the game, which is horrible for a team with 3 great point guards. Reynolds had a horrible shooting night going 5-19 from the field and 1-9 for three, and finished with 16 points. When he's having an off shooting night Reynolds needs to defer to his teammates and collect more than 2 assists. Reynolds has carried the team to victory several times, but when he's having a bad night, Jay Wright needs to give the ball to Grant or Fisher. Malcolm Grant got the start, but disappeared for most of the game until the final 3 minutes, when he was on fire. Dante Cunningham had a below-average game scoring 9 points and only grabbing 4 rebounds. Antonio Pena had a rough night scoring 0 points, although he did collect 8 rebounds. They went to Pena in the post early in the game and he made some good moves, but failed to make the baskets. Shane Clark's play lately is getting to the point where it's hurting the team. He only had 2 points and 2 rebounds in 24 minutes of play. I know he can play better because I've seen him do it in the past, but if he can't step it up, he needs a significant reduction in his minutes. Corey Fisher only played 15 minutes, and it seemed like even less than that. It's unacceptable to kept you're second leading scorer on the bench that long for no apparent reason. Corey Stokes seemed to be inspired by his return to his home state of New Jersey by breaking out of his shooting slump to make three 3-pointers. They were all in the first half however, and he failed to get any open looks in the second half. Anderson and Redding combined for 3 points and 26 minutes.

Villanova cannot continue to have lapses like this and expect to make the NCAA tournament. Big East road victories are hard to come by this season, and this game was perhaps Villanova's easiest opportunity against the previously 0-6 Scarlet Knights. Hopefully the Cats will rebound with a strong performance at home this weekend against Notre Dame.

Next Game: Sat. Jan. 26, 12:00 pm, vs. Notre Dame at the Wachovia Center