The Hawk, the Quaker, and the Explorer are Dead

Villanova finished up a three-game sweep against Big 5 schools, including St. Joe’s (71-60), Penn (65-53), and La Salle (84-81). All three opponents proved to be tougher adversaries than expected, especially the scrappy Explorers, who nearly pulled off the upset at the intimate Tom Gola Arena. The only Big 5 opponent remaining on the schedule is Temple, who beat the Wildcats for the city crown last season. The Owls already knocked off Georgetown this year (68-65), prompting a dubious court rushing by their fans.

Villanova’s talented back court is renowned around the country, but the new dynamic duo in the front court has been vital to the team’s recent success. Antonio Pena and Mouphtaou Yarou are like a modern version of San Antonio’s “Twin Towers”, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Neither Wildcat is a 7-footer, but fifth-year senior Pena is a wily veteran like the Admiral, while Yarou is a young big man oozing with potential, just like a young Duncan. Pena’s been dominant over his last four games, averaging 14 points and 9 rebounds. Mouph is already averaging close to a double-double on the season at 8.4 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and he will only get better from here. The Spurs’ Twin Towers won two championships together, which is impossible for Nova’s duo to duplicate since Pena is a senior, but I’d settle for “just one”.

Corey Stokes, coming off a career-high 34 points against Penn, is having an Allan Ray-esque offensive season. His numbers are up across the board, averaging 16 points per game, shooting 47% from the field, lighting it up from downtown at 41.8%, and Stokes is virtually automatic from the charity stripe at 95.7%. He can guard multiple positions at 6-foot-5, and Jay Wright has praised Stokes as one of his best defenders. The Bayonne Bomber has come a long way since arriving on campus as a one-trick pony 3-point specialist.

Dominic Cheek has turned into a real spark-plug off the bench for Villanova. Ironically, his worst game, when he scored just four points, came in his lone start of the season, versus Penn. Cheek dropped 14 points against both St. Joe’s and La Salle, and he’s turning into a legitimate threat from behind the arc. He sank four 3-pointers vs. the Explorers, which is valuable because as teams play more zone defense, Nova needs more reliable shooters to pair on the perimeter with Stokes.

Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns’ 3-point accuracy should improve, but thus far they’ve been dreadful at 22% and 14.7% respectively. Both seem to be trying to shoot their way out of their slumps, as Fisher is attempting 4.6 threes per game, and Wayns, 3.8. Fisher has proven he can consistently drain the collegiate 3-pointer, shooting 39.6% last season, so I encourage him to continue taking the open shots. Wayns, on the other hand, should stick to driving to the basket because he’s shooting a much better 63% on 2-pointers.

Other notes:

- There are seven Big East teams currently ranked in the top 25, and this was supposed to be a “down year” for the Big East. I know it’s early, but there are four teams still undefeated and four more with just one loss. They’ll start beating up on each other soon enough.

- JayVaughn Pinkston was suspended for the entire season. That seems fair; he made a mistake and is serving his punishment. Now, the rest of the team can focus on this season, and not have to worry about any distractions surrounding Pinkston’s situation.

- LeBron James’ return to Cleveland garnered a lot of national attention, and he answered with an impressive 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kyle Lowry’s return to Memphis wasn’t as ballyhooed, but he had an equally impressive 28 points, 3 rebounds, and 12 assists. (11-15 FG, 4-5 3PT, 2-2 FT) Lowry is flourishing while Aaron Brooks is sidelined with an injury, averaging about 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 8 assists as a starter for Houston. Brooks should be returning shortly, unless there's some kind of Tonya Harding incident.

- Randy Foye has played in just seven games this season for the LA Clippers. You can’t say I didn’t warn you. Then again, if his second year with the Clips is anything like Blake Griffin’s, Foye could be in store for big year in 2012… assuming the world doesn’t end.

- Dante Cunningham doesn’t wow you with his stats (4 pts, 3 reb, 0.5 blk), but he is quietly turning into a solid professional basketball player up in Portland. He is playing about 17 minutes every night, and Coach Nate McMillan gives him that time off the bench because he plays hard all the time.

- Scottie Reynolds is averaging 18 points and 4.6 assists for the Springfield Armor in the NBA D-League. Scottie has to be an upgrade over a some of the current back-up point guards in the NBA. Come on GM’s, what are you waiting for?

King Kills Hawk, Wins Holy War

Taylor King delivered the dagger to kill the Hawk with a deep 3-pointer at the 1:31 mark, to put Villanova up by seven.  The Wildcats hit their free throws (30 of 31 in the second half) to close out the game for a 97-89 victory over St. Joe's. 

You could tell from the start that despite St. Joe's under .500 record and Nova's #3 national ranking, it would be a close game.  The atmosphere in the Palestra was intense, as Phil Martelli, his players, and the St. Joe's fans treat the annual "Holy War" as their biggest game of the year.  As a member of the Big East, that is not quite the case for Villanova, but Jay Wright had his players prepared to match the intensity regardless.  

The game started out at a frenetic pace, with each team trading bucket for bucket.  The fast pace played right into Jay Wright's game plan because there was no way St. Joe's would be able to run with the ultra-deep Wildcats.  The Hawks were able to keep up with Nova in the first half, but at the start of the second half they looked as tired as the Hawks mascot after waving his arms the entire game.  Nova was able to build a semi-comfortable lead in the second half before St. Joe's final push at the end of the game. 

Scottie Reynolds had another fantastic game with a very efficient 22 points (4-5 fg, 2-3 3pt, 12-14 ft).  He added 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and a block.  His only problem was being a little too sloppy with the ball, turning it over six times.

Taylor King played his best game as a Wildcat with 20 points and 9 rebounds in his sixth man role.  King showed great perseverance in this game.  He missed all four of his 3-point attempts in the first half, yet remained confident in his lefty stroke and made all four of his shots from downtown in the second half.  King had an embarrassing moment on a break-away when he was rejected by the rim and missed the dunk.  However, he returned to the game aggressive, looking to make up for it, and he did.

Antonio Pena was having his way inside against the Hawks.  He was scoring in the post at will and grabbing every rebound in his vicinity.  The only one who held him back from a monster game was himself, as he was somewhat limited by foul troubles.  He finished with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, a block, and 4 personal fouls in 25 minutes.

Corey Fisher had some sweet dishes to lead the team with 6 assists.  He scored 13 points, and was a perfect 8 of 8 from the line.  Fisher is averaging over seven free throw attempts per game.

Corey Stokes had a quiet night with just 4 points and 4 rebounds.  He missed two threes early in the game, then he didn't look for his shot the rest of the game.  Perhaps he realized he just didn't have it that night and deferred to the hot hands (Reynolds and King).

Maurice Sutton was active on the boards; he collected 6 rebounds (3 offensive).  However, he missed some easy baskets inside.  Sutton needs to learn to go stronger to the hoop.  When you're almost seven feet tall you should be dunking the ball with authority, not laying it in softly.

Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek brought some energy and scoring off the bench, combining for 17 points and 4 rebounds.  Isaiah Armwood added 2 points in 5 minutes.  

With the win, Villanova moves to 3-0 in the Big 5 this season, and they will look to run the table this Sunday versus Temple.  

Nova Beats St. Joe's in Thriller

Final Score: #12 Villanova 59, St. Joe's 56

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds: 18 pts, 6 ast

Recap: Wow, what a game! St. Joe's dominated the first half, but Nova came back to win in the final seconds in a thriller at the Pavilion. Villanova looked tired in the first half; they were giving up easy backdoor layups and dunks and the offense looked very stagnant. They had no answer for Nivins (16 pts) inside and Govens (18 pts) outside. Nova really turned it up defensively in the second half. They did a good job forcing turnovers to get back into the game to set up for the wild finish.
Lucky 21

This was Villanova's 21st straight win in the Pavilion, and they had luck on their side tonight. After coming up empty on offense, Nova was forced to foul, down by one with the shot clock turned off. Luckily, St. Joe's missed the first free throw, and Nova got the rebound and called time out to set up a play.

Ice Man

Jay Wright put the ball in his star guard's hands to create something to win the game. Scottie Reynolds drove to the basket and got the foul call. Scottie had ice water in his veins, hitting two huge free throws to tie the game and take the lead by one. Scottie looked a lot better overall tonight, finishing with 18 points and 6 assists.

Unlikely Hero

Reggie Redding, known for his defense, surprisingly hit two key jumpers down the stretch. It was nice to see him confident on the offensive end. However, under a minute, down by one he forced up a shot and missed, when Scottie or Dante should have been taking the shot in that situation. He only had 6 points, but they were 6 big points that helped save the game.

Pocket Thief

St. Joe's still had a chance, down one with 2.5 seconds left. They tried a long inbounds pass, but Dante Cunningham came up with the steal to save the game. He then hit two free throws to go up by 3. Dante had another solid night with 14 points but was a little quiet on the glass with only 4 rebounds.

D-Train

Dwayne Anderson looks like he's just about back to 100%. He had a season-high 10 points, including a late 3-pointer to tie the game at 41 and a monster baseline dunk for an and-1. He looked like his old-self of last season; sacrificing his body, diving into the stands for loose balls.

Gone Fishin'

The two Coreys were no-shows tonight. Fisher was 0-3 from the field, with 2 points, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers. This is the second game in a row that he looked lost on offense; uncomfortable with the ball and hesitant to shoot outside. Stokes hit an early three, but couldn't get on the floor in the second half. I didn't notice anything specific, but Jay Wright must have been unhappy with his defense. It's a shame because even though they pulled out the victory, Villanova could have used his shooting.

Other Notes

After only playing 9 minutes against Texas, Antonio Pena played 30 tonight. His scoring was down (4 points), but he was strong on the boards with 8 rebounds. His size helped Cunningham in containing Nivins in the second half. Shane Clark had a quiet night: 2 points, 3 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Video Highlights

News Flash: Early reports have Dominic Cheek commmiting to Villanova. More here when it becomes official...

Holy War Tonight

Foe: St. Joseph's Hawks (4-4)

History: The annual Holy War between local schools Villanova and St. Joe's is an intense long-lasting rivalry. Nova is 41-24 all-time versus the Hawks. St. Joe's 77-55 win last year was Nova's low point of the season. St. Joe's went on to the NCAA Tournament as an 11-seed and lost to 6-seed Oklahoma in the first round. They lost star Pat Calathes to graduation and are led by senior forward Ahmad Nivins (19.1 ppg, 11.4 rpg) this year.

Notable Win: 80-54 at Indiana

Notable Loss: 68-50 vs. Texas

Famous Alumni: Jameer Nelson, Delonte West, Jamie Moyer

Fun Facts:

• The Hawk mascot continuously waves his arms the entire game.

• Went undefeated in the regular season (27-0) in 2003-04.

Complimentary Youtube Video: I was going to post the video of the Villanova fan who hit the half court shot at the Pavilion to win a car, then proceeded to taunt St. Joe's mascot, but it seems to have disappeared from Youtube. You'll have to settle for this.

Final Verdict: Coming off a tough loss to Texas, Villanova should come out strong tonight, looking to blowout the Hawks. Nova is back at home in the Pavilion, and although Holy War games are always tough, I expect a W.

TV: ESPN2 @ 8:00 PM

Links: Official, VUHoops, St. Joe's, AP

Villanova at St. Joe's

Final Score: St. Joseph's 77, Villanova 55

Player of the Game: Pat Calathes 20 pts, 9 reb

Villanova Player of the Game: None deserving


Recap: This was by far Villanova's most embarrassing loss of the season. They were outplayed in every facet of the game. They were outhustled, outworked, and outcoached. The Hawks played with more energy and enthusiasm and simply wanted it more. You can only blame youth and inexperience for so much. It doesn't explain the lack of heart and effort. The Wildcats had 17 turnovers and only 7 assists. Nova was down by as many as 31. Scottie Reynolds was a horrendous 3-12 from the field and had zero assists. Corey Stokes continued to missed open threes. Shane Clark continued to pump-fake and not even attempt open threes. Malcolm Grant saw a whopping one minute of action. I don't know what else to say. The bright side is that it can only get better from here because I don't think it's possible to play any worse than they did tonight.

Next Game: Seton Hall, Sat. Feb. 9, 6:00 p.m. at the Pavilion