Nova takes care of Rhode Island, wins Philly Classic

Final Score: #22 Villanova 78, Rhode Island 65

Player of the Game: Dante Cunningham: 19 pts, 12 reb, 3 blk

Recap: I was a little worried about how Villanova would respond to their first quality opponent of the season, but they were up to the challenge. Nova handled Rhode Island with ease. It wasn't a blowout, but Nova was in control for most of the game.

Both Dante Cunningham and Reggie Redding had to change jerseys after getting blood stains. Dante wore #44 and Reggie wore #31. Redding looked like a warrior out there, wearing a bandage over his forehead. The jersey change didn't bother either player. Both had double-doubles, which is consistent for Cunningham (19-12), but a bit of a surprise coming from Redding (11-12). Reggie was especially effective on the offensive boards where he grabbed 7 0f his 12 rebounds. Redding has done an excellent job filling the void of Dwayne Anderson so far this season.

Fisher Price
Corey Fisher was outstanding in the first half, where he scored all of his 14 points. He was toying with defenders on his drives to the basket, finishing and1's.

Sharp Shooters
Rhode Island's Jimmy Barron put on a show in the first half, scoring 16 points off of some deep jumpshots. Nova did a great job shutting him down in the second half, holding him to only 7 points. Corey Stokes, Nova's sharp shooter, was a little gun shy tonight. He had 3 points on 1-5 shooting and only attempted 2 threes, missing both. After missing a couple of shots tonight, he may have been hesitant to shoot after his poor performance last game.

Stokes' off-night didn't matter because of Nova's balance. They had five players in double figures for the third time this season. Dante had 19, Fisher had 14, Scottie had 13, Redding had 11, and Pena had 10. Shane Clark also chipped in 8 points off the bench. The balanced scoring has been a constant theme this season, and I'm loving it.

Wildcats Slay Tigers, Prepare for Rams

Final Score: #22 Villanova 64, Towson 47

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds: 14 pts, 6 reb, 6 ast

Recap: Villanova beat Towson, advancing in the Philly Hoop Group Classic to play Rhode Island Saturday night. It was a tale of two halves. The first half was ugly. Nova struggled beating Towson's press and scoring against their zone. The second half was all Nova, however. The Wildcats locked down on defense and scored more efficiently on offense. Nova led by only 5 at the half after a buzzer-beating three by Corey Fisher, but they pulled away early in the second half to beat Towson by 17.

Scottie "Scoot" Reynolds looked to be back in form. He had a great all-around game with 14 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, a steal, and a block.

Corey Stokes came back to earth shooting-wise after his ridiculous start to the season (.59 3PT% through first 4 games). He was 3-12 from the field and 2-10 from 3-point range. Even the best of shooters have off nights. Look for him to bounce back versus Rhode Island.

The big guys down low both played great. Dante and Pena had 12 points and 7 rebounds each. They both ran the floor well to finish in transition. Dante had a monster block on Junior Hairston as he went up for a dunk. Most importantly they played good defense while staying out of foul trouble.

Corey Fisher was the fourth Wildcat in double figures with 11 points. Villanova only got 7 bench points, with Reggie Redding having more turnovers (5) than points (2). Shane "Shizzy" Clark added a deuce and Frank Tchuisi had 3 points and 5 boards. Casiem Drummond was apparently available but did not play.

"We're Off on the Road to Rhode Island"
Nova now advances to play Rhode Island in the championship game of the Philly Classic. They will be Nova's first real test of the season. Rhode Island nearly upset #5 Duke at Duke, and although the Blue Devils are probably overrated at #5 in the nation, it was still an impressive performance by the Rams. This could be a dangerous game for the Wildcats because the schedule has been so easy thus far and they might be caught off guard. With that said, Villanova is a better team and should win, especially since they are playing close to home.

The Towson Tigers

Tonight Villanova will take on the Towson Tigers at the Palestra in Philadelphia as a part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. This is their first game of bracket play, meaning that if they win, Nova will play the winner of Penn St./Rhode Island tomorrow.

I'll be honest, I don't know anything about Towson's team or the university in general. Head over to Villanova by the Numbers for an in-depth preview. However, through my extensive online research I discovered that Towson's dance team has won nine consecutive national championships. So they got that going for them, which is nice.
Basically this should be another easy win for Villanova. The game is scheduled for 8:30 pm, but may start a little late because of the earlier games in the Palestra. There is no television coverage, but Nova Nation All-Access will have the radio broadcast.

Preview links: VBTN, IBBW, VUhoops, Let's Go Nova, ESPN, Villanova, Towson

Nova Owns Monmouth

Final Score: #22 Villanova 71, Monmouth 48

Player of the Game: Corey Stokes: 18 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast

Recap: This one was over before it started. Villanova completely dominated the first half, jumping out to a 32 point lead (45-13). Monmouth actually won the second half by 9 points, but that was a result of Jay Wright showing class by stopping the pressing and sitting Reynolds and Cunningham for most of the second half.

I'm Stoked

Every time Corey Stokes shoots a three, the entire building expects it to go in. That's because it usually does. Allan Ray was the same way, but the scary thing is that Stokes is an even better shooter. Corey was red-hot early, but cooled off later in the game. He hit five longballs tonight to finish with 18 points.

Livin' at the Line

All great players get the free throw line consistently, and that's exactly what Scottie Reynolds has been doing. Scottie's shot wasn't falling, but he was 7-8 from the line to finish with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. He has made an impressive 23 of 25 free throws through four games this season.

Five on One

Dante Cunningham might as well have been playing by himself because no one on Monmouth could stop him. He had 19 and 7, including 6 offensive boards. He scored inside and also hit a few mid-range jumpers.

Mr. Perfect

Shane Clark was perfect from the field (4-4 Fg, 2-2 3pt) to score 10 points. This is his first game of the season in double figure scoring.

Bringing the Pena

Antonio Pena fouled out for the second straight game, once again versus an undersized, less talented team. It was a non-factor in tonight's game, but his foul trouble could come back to haunt Nova later in the season.

You Lack Discipline

Casiem Drummond was suspended for the game because of a minor disciplinary issue, but he will be at practice on Wednesday. It shouldn't be anything to worry about.

Links: Box Score, ESPN

Monmouth vs. Villanova

Villanova (#22 Coaches, #20 AP) will play the Monmouth Hawks tonight at 7:30 in the Pavilion. This is Villanova's second game of the Philly Hoop Group Classic, and will most likely be their easiest. Monmouth is 0-4 to start the season. Nova last played Monmouth in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tounament. The game will not be televised, but Nova Nation All-Access will have the radio broadcast.

Links: VUhoops, VBTN, IBBW, Villanova, Monmouth, Let's Go Nova, ESPN

Niagara Falls to Nova (pun intended)

Final Score: #23 Villanova 77, Niagara 62

Player of the Game: Corey Fisher: 15 pts, 6 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl

Recap: The Purple Eagles were definitely the toughest opponent Villanova has faced so far this season, but the game was still a little too close for comfort. Nova was only up six at halftime and the lead was cut to two in the second half. Eventually Villanova was able to outlast Niagara and pull away late in the game.

Hack-a-Shaq

There were fouls, fouls, and more fouls. SIX players fouled out, including three Wildcats: Antonio Pena, Dante Cunningham, and Shane Clark. Those three were in foul trouble all of the second half, forcing Nova to play a four-guard lineup. This wasn't too bad because Niagara also played a four-guard lineup. However, Villanova's big men cannot afford to give up so many fouls, especially against an undersized team like Niagara. The foul trouble is an issue that needs to be addressed immediately if Villanova expects to contend in the Big East.

All Aboard the Redding Railroad

Corey Stokes sat to start the game with a sprained left thumb, and Reggie Redding stepped up in a big way. He always brings the defense, but last night he delivered on offense as well. He had 14 points, 3 assists, and knocked down two 3-pointers.

Balance the Force

Once again the scoring was balanced with four starters in double figures (Reynolds-19, Fisher-15, Redding-14, Cunningham-11). Pena had 8 points and 7 rebounds in basically half of a game and easily could have had a double double if his time wasn't limited by fouls. Stokes also had 8 points and surely would have had more if it wasn't for the sore thumb. Scottie Reynolds led the team with a season-high 19 points (4-14 FG, 9-10 FT), but he had 2 assists to 5 turnovers, a step backwards in that department after a strong first two games.

Return of the Prodigal Benn

Bilal Benn had a solid game (11 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals) in his return to Villanova. Best of luck to him for the rest of the season.

Links: Video Highlights, Box Score

Niagara vs. Villanova

Bilal Benn returns to the Pavilion tonight as his Niagara Purple Eagles (1-0) take on the #23 Villanova Wildcats (2-0).  This is Nova's first game as part of the Philly Hoop Group Classic. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Nova Nation All-Access will have the radio broadcast.

For in-depth previews of the game check out:

Villanova by the Numbers

Let's Go Nova

I Bleed Blue and White

VU Hoops

Villanova.com

Purple Eagles

ESPN