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."

Temple Hands Nova First Loss

It's always a bittersweet moment when an opponent's fans rush the court on you. It's the utmost form of flattery in college basketball; a sign of respect. It means you were supposed to win because you are bigger, better, faster, etc... Unfortunately, it also means you did not win, and in Villanova's case, this was their first loss of the season.

Villanova got off to a bit of a slow start, but took control midway through the first half with a 14 point lead. Nova looked like they were on their way to another lopsided Big 5 win. However, they got sloppy, and Temple hit some shots to cut the lead to 6 at the half.

In the second half it was all Temple. The Owls simply outplayed us. They had the best shooter, Juan Fernandez (33 points, 7-9 3pt). If he was balding with a five o'clock shadow, I would have thought he was Manu Ginobili. They also had the best rebounder, Lavoy Allen, who out-boarded Antonio Pena 17-2! Ultimately it was Temple's hot outside shooting that did Villanova in.
They drained 7 of 11 from behind the arc in the second half, while Nova missed 10 of 12.

With all the recent winning, you may have forgot about the near upset against George Mason in Puerto Rico. What I said after that game still holds true.

"This is clearly not a top five team right now. They could be by the end of the season, and personally I think they will be right there among the nation's elite when everything's said and done. However, this team is still so young and inexperienced."

Carrying a #3 ranking everywhere you go brings on a lot of pressure, especially from opposing players and fans looking for the big upset. Villanova's 2005-06 senior-laden team with Foye and Ray could handle that pressure, but this team isn't as battle-tested yet. With Big East play right around the corner, they will have the opportunity to earn their stripes and win back that top-5 ranking, if and when they deserve it.

Other notes and stats:
* Scottie Reynolds had 23 points, his third straight game with 20+. He also had 4 turnovers, his third straight game with 4+.

* Antonio Pena scored 16 points and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the line, but his 2 rebounds were his lowest of the season. He had at least 7 boards in the team's previous 9 wins.

* Corey Fisher had 14 points and 7 assists, but he hurt his field goal percentage by jacking up some desperation threes at the end of the game.

* Looking at Corey Stokes' point totals this season, he appears to be feast or famine: 20, 14, 1, 3, 18, 9, 7, 18, 4, 5. At least his defense and rebounding have been consistently good.

* Taylor King was 2 of 3 from downtown in the first half, but he did not even attempt a shot in the second half.

* Maurice Sutton played just 6 minutes, despite averaging over 21 per game since Yarou went down.

* Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek were both held scoreless in the same game for the first time this season.

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.  

It's Raining Threes (And Beer)

Last night you saw how lethal Villanova's lineup can be with four quality 3-point shooters on the floor together. The Wildcats got hot from long-range early and never let up en route to a 95-86 win over the Maryland Terrapins. Nova attempted a school record 39 3-pointers and made 16 of them. Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher, Scottie Reynolds, and Taylor King all hit at least three longballs. Stokes led the way hitting 5 of 11 from downtown for his 18 points. Fisher was the most accurate from behind the arc, making 4 of 6 for 20 points. King shot a low percentage from the field (5-17, 3-8 3pt), but had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Scottie Reynolds had that look early in the game. The same look he had against UConn in 2007 and Seton Hall in 2009 when he dropped 40. He didn't score 40 against Maryland, but he was draining shots and finding open teammates all game long to finish with 25 points and 8 assists. Maryland's version of Scottie Reynolds, Greivis Vasquez, did not fare as well. He had 12 points, 7 turnovers, and fouled out.

When you shoot so many threes, you need someone down low to clean the glass, and Antonio Pena did just that. He had 6 offensive rebounds and 11 total, to go along with his 8 points. Maurice Sutton contributed 4 of the teams 20 offensive boards. Villanova as a team out-rebounded Maryland 42-30.

Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns combined for 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists off the bench. The more I see Cheek play, the more I realize he will be really really good. He can start for most teams in the country right now, but I think he will benefit from watching the upperclassmen and being brought along gradually.

Despite Nova's dominance on the boards and their prowess from behind the arc, Maryland was able to keep the game close, thanks to some hot shooting of their own. Sean Mosley was 11-14 from the field to score 26 points and Eric Hayes hit five 3-pointers for 20 points. Nova also had difficulty containing Mayland's big man Jordan Williams (19 points and 12 rebounds), sending him to the line 13 times.

The turning point in the game came on a controversial call in the second half when Corey Stokes drew a charge under the basket. The Maryland crowd was hoping for a blocking foul and-1 call, and upon hearing it was a charge, one fan threw a bottle of Miller Lite onto the floor. Luckily, it didn't hit anyone and it was only plastic, but they had to delay the game to clean up the floor. The beer-throwing fan was later caught and ejected. This begs the question: Who was that mysterious fan, and why does he hate Miller Lite so much? Nova News is on the case and has compiled a list of possible suspects.

Suspect A: Steve Blake - He has probably been exchanging trash talk with Blazers teammate Dante Cunningham all week in anticipation of this game. Perhaps they made some kind of wager, and upon realizing he was going to lose, Blake grew frustrated and threw his beer onto the court.
Verdict: Former players typically sit behind the team's bench, but the bottle came from higher up in the stands, so it couldn't have been Blake.

Suspect B: President Obama - He lives in D.C. We know he's a basketball fan. He has enjoyed an adult beverage at the Verizon Center before.
Verdict: The President would have been sitting courtside, and come on... you know he would be rooting for Nova.

Suspect C: Tiger Woods' Washington D.C. mistress - He seemingly has one in every major city, and I'm guessing his D.C. mistress is a former Terp cheerleader. All the recent press allegations, coupled with her Alma mater losing; she likely lost her cool and flung her beer onto the floor.
Verdict: Girls can't throw that far, especially cheerleaders.

Suspect D: Scott Van Pelt - This Sportscenter anchor graduated from Marlyland, and he isn't afraid to show bias towards his school.
Verdict: Van Pelt is too much of a company man to attend a game not being broadcast by ESPN.

Suspect E: Kasey Kahne - He is the driver of the Budweiser NASCAR team. It had nothing to do with the charge call. Upon taking a sip of Miller Lite, he simply threw the bottle onto the court in protest of the taste.
Verdict: Why would a NASCAR driver be at a college basketball game?

Suspect F: Raphael the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - He is a turtle, so naturally his allegiance lies with the Terrapins. He wears Maryland red. He is the most aggressive, rebellious, and emotional Ninja Turtle.
Verdict: I can't find any discrepancies, it all adds up. It had to be Raphael.

Well there you have it. Raphael the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle threw a Miller Lite bottle onto the floor in the middle of the Villanova-Maryland game. Touche sir, I hope it was worth it. At least Leonardo roots for Nova.

Nova Hexes Drexel With Defense

Villanova played what Jay Wright considered the team's "best defensive game of the year" in a 77-58 win over the Drexel Dragons at the Pavilion, the team's thirty-second consecutive victory at the on-campus arena. Drexel did not score until the 10:19 mark in the first half, and their top two scorers, Jamie Harris and Gerald Colds, were held scoreless.

Antonio Pena led the Wildcats with 19 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Drexel could not stop him inside and resorted to the hack-a-Pena strategy. It failed to work, as he made 11 of 16 from the stripe.

Scottie Reynolds had his most balanced game of the season with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal.

Taylor King had a big game off the bench with 16 points and 5 rebounds. He was feeling it from downtown, hitting 4 threes. He also had another Dwayne-Anderson-signature-dive-from-behind-steal, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Although, he made a curious statement after the game: "I heard the crowd a little bit and I like that. I don't feed off the crowd, though. I hear them but I am only playing for my coaches and teammates." I'd like to think he is playing for his fellow students and the fans as well.

Corey Fisher scored just 5 points, but he dished out 5 assists and had 4 steals.

Corey Stokes hit just 1 of 4 from behind the arc to score 7 points. He had another 5 rebounds, his season average, which is up from 3.4 last year.

Maurice Sutton did what he does best, blocking three more shots.

Maalik Wayns scored 7 points off the bench in 17 minutes.

Dominic Cheek had just 3 points in 20 minutes, but his defense has been very impressive. He had 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal, and with his long arms, he is a perfect fit at the top of Nova's full court press. High school stars usually step on campus ready to score, but they struggle to adjust to the college game defensively; however, Cheek has been an exception to that trend.

Isaiah Armwood and Russell Wooten chipped in 2 points each.

JayVaughn Pinkston has become the third 2010 recruit to commit to Villanova. He is a 6'6 forward from Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn. He joins James Bell and Marcus Kennedy.

The Curse of Jason Fraser Strikes Again

Moupthtaou Yarou has tested positive for Hepatitis B. There is no timetable set for his return yet. Here are some facts on Hepatitis B from WebMD:

"Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. Most adults who get hepatitis B have it for a short time and then get better. This is called acute hepatitis B. You can have hepatitis B and not know it. You may not have symptoms. If you do, they can make you feel like you have the flu. But as long as you have the virus, you can spread it to others. Sometimes the virus causes a long-term infection, called chronic hepatitis B. Over time, it can damage your liver. In most cases, hepatitis B goes away on its own. You can relieve your symptoms at home by resting, eating healthy foods, drinking plenty of water, and avoiding alcohol and drugs. Treatment for chronic hepatitis B depends on whether your infection is getting worse and whether you have liver damage. Most people with chronic hepatitis B can live active, full lives by taking good care of themselves and getting regular checkups. Sometimes chronic hepatitis B can lead to severe liver damage. If this happens, you may need a liver transplant."

It's unknown whether Yarou has acute or chronic Hepatitis B. He has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against Drexel, but depending on the severity of the virus he could conceivably be back as early as Sunday, or he could be out for the remainder of the season.

Yarou is the most highly touted big man Jay Wright has recruited to Villanova since Jason Fraser in 2002. Fraser was considered the top high school center in the country by many scouts, yes, over Amare Stoudemire. He was the prized recruit of the Foye, Ray, Sumpter class, and he looked like a can't miss prospect who could have went straight to the NBA if he desired. However, Fraser suffered from a long list of injuries since stepping on campus. From Villanova.com here's a quick rundown of Fraser's woes.

Freshman year: "Injuries and a suspension caused him to miss the last three weeks of the season ... Underwent surgery on both of his knees on April 9 to repair ligament damage ... Diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot on Feb. 24."
Sophomore year: "Played only 10 minutes prior to January after battling a stress fracture in his left heel."
Junior year: "Spent most of the season as a reserve in an effort to limit the stress on his knees... Following the season he underwent surgery on his right hand for the second time in four months after breaking the navicular bone in a game against Providence on Jan. 11 .. . Five days later, on May 11, he underwent microfracture surgery on both knees in a procedure designed to relieve the persistent swelling and tendonitis that has plagued him throughout his stint on the Main Line ... Now has undergone seven surgical procedures in less than 30 months ... Missed four games with a fractured bone in his right hand in January... Returned to action on Jan. 29 at Rutgers after missing four games with a fractured right hand... Underwent surgery to have a screw inserted into a fracture in the carpal navicular bone in his right hand on Jan. 14... Made his first appearance against UMBC since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Oct. 22."
Senior year: He appeared in every game, but was never fully recovered from his previous injuries.

In the meantime Villanova should be just fine without Yarou. Antonio Pena is having a breakout junior season, averaging a double-double. Taylor King will have to play undersized at the power forward position at times, but he has shown good rebounding ability so far, averaging almost seven boards per game. Finally, Maurice Sutton has been a pleasant surprise with his quality rebounding and shot-blocking. Let's hope Mouph recovers fully and quickly, and that he has a little more luck in the injury department than his predecessor.

The Recap About Nothing

Last Sunday was the season finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm, with the highly anticipated Seinfeld reunion. Very funny stuff. I love Larry David, but it was great to see Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer back together in Jerry's apartment and the coffee shop. "Having said that", I decided to pay tribute to "the show about nothing" by including some memorable Seinfeld quotes in the recap for the LaSalle game.

"See, the thing of it is, there's a lot of ugly people out there walking around but they don't know they're ugly because nobody actually tells them."
You might look at the final score, see Villanova won by 18, and think it was an easy win. However, it was an ugly game full of turnovers and poor shooting. Jay Wright even admitted after the game, "There's a good chance we won't be sending that one to Springfield."

"Yeah, well, Joe Pepitone or not, I own the inside of that plate! So I throw one inside, a little chin music... put him right on his pants, because I got to intimidate when I'm on the mound. Well, the next pitch, he's right back in the same place! So.... I had to plunk him."
LaSalle owned the inside of this game. They out-rebounded the Cats 46-27, including 26 offensive rebounds. Two Explorers had double-doubles: Aaric Murray (15 points and 14 rebounds, 9 offensive) and Jerrell Williams (15 points and 16 rebounds, 12 offensive). Villanova has a small team already, but with Yarou still out and King on the bench most of the game due to foul trouble, they had extra difficulty dealing with LaSalle's size inside.

"Did he just steal the raisins?"
One of the brightest spots of Nova's game were their 18 steals. The pressure defense forced 27 LaSalle tunovers. Corey Fisher led the way with 6 steals, and Taylor King had 4 steals in only 10 minutes of play (fouled out).

"I have to dribble. If I give it to you, you just shoot. You're a chucker."
"Oh, I'm a chucker?"
"That's right, everytime you get the ball you shoot."
"I can't believe you called me a chucker. No way I'm a chucker. I do not chuck, never chucked, never have chucked, never will chuck, no chuck!"
Just about everybody could have been accused of being a chucker in this game. The team made only 6 of 24 shots from 3-point range. The biggest chucker was Scottie Reynolds, who went 5-13 from the field and 2-8 from three for 14 points. Honorable mention: Corey Stokes was just 2-8 from the field and 1-6 from downtown.

"Nobody drives like me. Nobody. I'm doing things in this car, you have no idea they're going on."
Nobody drives to the basket like Fisher Price, who got the line 9 more times in this game to score 13 points, but Dominic Cheek had some pretty drives to the hoop too. He seemed to settle for too many outside jumpers earlier in the season, but he took the ball inside against LaSalle, attempting more 2-pointers than 3-pointers for the first time this season, and it paid off for a career-high 10 points.

"Do you know what happens to a butter-based frosting after six decades in a poorly-ventilated English basement?"
"Uhh, I guess I hadn't..."
"Well, I have a feeling what you are about to go through is punishment enough."
Antonio Pena must have been in Jay Wright's doghouse for some reason because he was held out of the starting lineup for the first time this season. That seemed to be punishment enough, as Pena came in quickly and continued to dominate with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and a block.

"She had man hands!"
Maurice Sutton has man hands... and arms... and legs. The near 7-footer had 5 blocks, and affected even more shots. It's nice to have a true shot-blocker down low, something Nova has been lacking for the past few years. I have to hand it to Mo; he has stepped up with Yarou out and has given Villanova a lot more than I ever expected.

It was an ugly win, but having said that, Nova looks pretty, pretty, pretty... pretty good.

Happy Festivus!

Thanksgiving Tweets

I searched across the far-reaches of the interweb and Twitterland to find out what everybody in the Nova basketball community is thankful for this Thanksgiving.*

Klow7: @ChrisWallaceGM Thanks for trading me to a real NBA team.
about 2 hours ago from web


randyfoye: Thankful that I'm not a part of that 13-game losing streak in Minnesota.
45 minutes ago from TweetDeck


Dante33: @Batum, @TOutlaw, Thanks for the extra playing time due to your injuries.
about 1 hour ago from web


TimThomas: @sportsguy33 Thanks for the kind words and support from your columns.
about 3 hours ago from web


Scottie1: @KSampson Thank you for leaving Oklahoma, and @JTIII Thanks for not having any scholarships available.
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck


MouphY: @FTchuisi Thanks for helping me acclimate to the United States.
about 1 hour ago from web


BringThePena: Thanks to Strength Coach Lon Record for helping to make me a beast this year.
about 11 hours ago from web


FisherPrice: Thanks to all the NYC streetballers who taught me my moves.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck


DomCheek: @BobHurley Thanks for helping me get to Villanova.
11 minutes ago from web


Stokes24: Thanks to my bro for making these songs.
30 minutes ago from web


MoSutton: Thanks to my family for giving me good basketball genes and a 6'11 frame.
about 2 hours ago from web


iArm34: Thank God that shot went in...
about 9 hours ago from web


JColenda: Thank you student section for going wild anytime I touch the ball.
about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck


5Wayns: @jameernelson, @Klow7 Thanks for showing me how to play like a Philly guard.
about 12 hours ago from web


WootenForNova: Thanks to the Penn defense for allowing me to score my first points.
about 1 hour ago from web


The_Real_Redding: Thanks to coach, my teammates, and all of Nova Nation for supporting me.
about 3 hours ago from web


JayWright: @RollieMassThank you for teaching me everything I know.
28 minutes ago from web


*By searching across the interweb, I meant completely make this up myself.

Nova: Champions of Puerto Rico

Villanova beat Ole Miss 79-67 to win the Puerto Rico Tip-off. Let's just get straight to the awards...

The '08-09 Dante Cunningham Award for Most Improved Player
Antonio Pena continues to impress me more and more each game. He was a beast against Ole Miss with 17 points and 16 rebounds, and won the Tournament MVP award averaging 13.3 points and 11.7 rebounds. This is similar to the massive improvement Dante made in his senior season, but the scary thing about Antonio is he's just a junior*.

*Although at 23 years old, Pena is already older than most seniors in the country.

The Mickey Rourke Award for Bounce-Back Performance
Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes both had huge bounce-back games. Reynolds took over the game offensively in the second half, scoring a season-high 21 points (6-16, 2-4, 7-10). Stokes had 18 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal. He hit two 3-pointers and also drove the ball inside, drawing fouls, which he should look to do more often because he is shooting over 92% from the line.

The God Shammgod Award for Coolest Name
Wow, do the Rebels have some sweet names on their team. Murphy Holloway... instant inductee into the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars. Terrico White... just terrific. Logan Nutt... and he's not even the winner. That honor goes to Eniel Polynice... thank you Mr. and Mrs. Polynice.

The Devin Hester De-Pantsing Award for Embarrassing Moment

Yes, Taylor King actually did airball a free throw. His 3-point shooting (0-4) was off also, but he brings a lot more to the game than just shooting. He had 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and he could have had a double-double if he made that free throw. He also showed off his hops with a nice one-handed slam.

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Award for Excessive Violence

Not that he was playing violently, but Corey Fisher's impact was severely limited because of foul trouble. Having a third point guard like Maalik Wayns really helps when Scottie or Fish get into foul trouble.

The Rick Pitino White Suit Award for Worst-Dressed Coach
Did you see those jeans Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was wearing? The Salvation Army has rejected better pants than those.

Nova Flys by Dayton

Villanova looked to be on their way to an easy victory over a good Dayton team, until the Flyers came storming back late in the second half. Nova led by 8 at the half and by as many as 18 points in the second half before Dayton cut it to a 2 point game with 2:23 left. Then Corey Fisher stepped up to ice the game from the free throw line for a 71-65 win. Now for the rest of the recap I'll be highlighting some famous "Flyers".

Superman: Corey Fisher saved the day with his clutch free throw shooting, sinking 10 of 12 to finish with 18 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals. Scottie Reynolds had been the "Superman" of the team for the past three years, but he has struggled so far in his senior season. He went just 3-12 from the field and 0-3 from behind the arc to score 8 points, although he did dish out 5 assists. I don't know if there's been a complete changing of the guard yet, but Corey Fisher has been the MVP of the early season, leading the team in points (15.3) and assists (4.5).

The Wright Bothers: Jay Wright's team is gaining valuable experience with these close games early in the season, first fighting back to win against George Mason, and now withstanding Dayton's comeback to hold on for the win. Obviously you'd prefer to win more convincingly, but these tough games will help the team prepare for Big East play. No relation to Jay, but Dayton's Chris Wright looked impressive with some high-flying dunks and scored 15 points.

Stealth Bombers: It seemed like Luke Fabrizius was invisible the way he kept getting wide-open threes. He made 5 from long-range to lead the Flyers with 16 points. Corey Stokes, aka the Bayonne Bomber, is normally Nova's top sharpshooter, but he had his second-straight off-night shooting the ball. Stokes went 1-9 from the field (1-3 from 3-pt), although those rims in Puerto Rico looked really tight, which may be affecting his shot.

Griffin: Antonio Pena has been playing like Blake Griffin this year. He had 13 and 7 with a block, and is basically averaging a double-double on the season with 11 points and 9.8 rebounds. He even sank two clutch free throws at the end of the game. He had big shoes to fill, but Pena is proving to be a capable replacement of Dante Cunningham.

Vulture: Maurice Sutton earned the start, and he has been vulturing the paint in Yarou's absence. Sutton isn't going to score a ton, but at 6'11 he can run the floor, rebound (8) and block shots (2). Jay must have liked what he saw from the young center as well, playing him for 30 minutes.


Balloon Boy: Alright, I can't figure out how to relate these psychos to anyone on Nova, but I'll use this space to mention how good Taylor King was. He got hot early, making 4 threes for 14 points, but he has impressed me the most with his rebounding, grabbing a team-high 9.


Sully Sullenberger: Sully became an American hero for landing a plane in the Hudson River, and Isaiah Armwood will be a Villanova hero for his game winning shot against George Mason. He scored 4 points off the bench.


Puff the Magic Dragon: Reggie Redding... I kid, I kid. Sorry Reggie, we still love ya.

Thunder in Paradise: Nova Narrowly Avoids Upset

He shouldn't even have been on the floor at the time, but an unlikely hero, Isaiah Armwood, came into the game with Villanova down by two with under thirty seconds left to hit the game-winning 3-pointer, his first three points of the season. Wait, hold on... I think the refs just called another foul. It was a brutally officiated game on both ends of the floor. The only reason Armwood was in the game was because Corey Stokes, Taylor King, Antonio Pena, AND Maurice Sutton ALL fouled out. George Mason also had two players foul out and another three had four fouls. It seemed like anytime two opposing players went near each other, the refs called a foul. George Mason led for most of the game, and it looked like the former Cinderella would pull another major upset. I've talked a lot about Villanova's depth this year, and in the end it paid off, as they needed every inch of it to win.

Villanova was already shorthanded before the game even started. Starting center Mouphtaou Yarou had to leave the team from Puerto Rico because of a viral infection. Taylor King started in his place, but at 6'6, he doesn't exactly bring the same kind of post presence. Because of Yarou's absence and the whistle-happy referees, Jay Wright was forced to play Maurice Sutton major minutes, who can do some nice things, but isn't ready to play 17 minutes a game yet.

One player managed to benefit from the barrage of foul calls. Corey Fisher got to the line 18 times and sank 14 of them, which helped make up for his poor 1-12 shooting effort from the field. To his credit, he kept driving to the basket, attacking George Mason defenders. Although he missed a lot of shots, I liked the fact that he was aggressive and drove to the basket, rather than just settling for jumpers. Fisher had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Scottie Reynolds led the team with 18 points, but he treated the ball like a hot potato, turning it over 8 times. Scottie seems to have poor games like this every so often (vs. Texas last year comes to mind), but I expect him to take much better care of the ball in the next game.

Antonio Pena picked up another double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds), but fouled out in 27 minutes. He struggled with fouls last season, but I'll excuse this game because of the erratic officiating.

Corey Stokes took a big step backwards this game. After leading the team in scoring through the first two games, he had just one point before fouling out in 22 minutes. Although, he did grab 5 rebounds, an area of his game that he seems to have improved in.

In his first start, Taylor King looked good while on the court (8 points, 4 rebounds). The only problem was he only played 17 minutes and fouled out.

Maalik Wayns played great off the bench again: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal.

Considering all the foul trouble the team got into, it was surprising that Dominic Cheek only played 11 minutes. He was held scoreless, and missed two free throws late in the game that could have been costly.

Yes, Villanova won, and yes, the officials may have made the game a little closer than it should have been, but this is clearly not a top five team right now. They could be by end of the season, and personally I think they will be right there among the nation's elite when everything's said and done. However, this team is still so young and inexperienced. Everybody saw the strong backcourt returning from last year's Final Four team and the amazing recruiting class and assumed it would translate into instant success. Jay's young Wildcat squad isn't quite there yet, and he knows that better than anyone. But just like his teams of the past, this one will continue to get better as the season progresses, and when tournament time comes rolling around, Jay Wright will have his team ready and playing its best basketball of the season.

With all that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the team used this near loss as a wake-up call and proceeded to win the Puerto Rico Tip-off by blowing out their next two opponents. Next up, tomorrow at 3:00 PM, are the #21 Dayton Flyers, who knocked off #19 Georgia Tech earlier today.

Malcolm Grant Gets Revenge Against Nova

The Nova Southeast Knights that is. The former Wildcat had 17 points and 4 assists in a 108-58 Miami win last night. It's good to see him playing well... I don't know where he would have fit in with this already stacked backcourt.

Nova Soaks Penn 103-65

Drop 100+ points - Check
Six players score in double figures - Check
Shoot over 58% from the field and 52% from three - Check
Walk-on scores a basket - Check
Make Penn look like 5th graders playing against 8th graders - Check
Dominate a game from start to finish and play like you deserve a top-5 ranking- Check and Check

Corey Fisher - Continued to look like the best player on the floor. He ran the point with ease scoring 13 points and dishing out 8 assists.

Maalik Wayns - Led the team in scoring with 16 points, and he showed his range by hitting three 3-pointers. He's easily been the most impressive freshmen through the first two games.

Scottie Reynolds - Got back on track with a very solid game: 14 points, 5 assists. Most of his scoring came in a spurt in the middle of the second half.

Taylor King - Plays like a madman... I love it. He grabbed three rebounds in less than a minute after entering the game, then drained a three. He also made the Dwayne Anderson signature dive from behind steal. 14 points and 7 rebounds in the game... you can can see he's already turning into a crowd favorite.

Corey Stokes - "Only" made two 3-pointers for 14 points.

Antonio Pena - Got a legit double-double this time (12 points, 10 rebounds). He also had 2 blocks and and just 2 personal fouls. He's looked great, but the competition has been lacking. The true test will come in Puerto Rico.

Mouph Yarou - Fouled out in just 17 minutes, finishing with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block. He will probably continue to struggle with foul trouble early in the season as he adjusts to the college game.

Dominic Cheek - Had 7 points off the bench. He hit a pretty fade-away jumper with the shot clock winding down towards the end of the game.

Mo Sutton - Had 7 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in just 14 minutes. He flashed some nice post moves as well.

Russel Wooten - Scored the first two points of his career, thanks to an assist* from Armwood.

Isaiah Armwood - Got a little more playing time in this game (13 minutes), but failed to score.
* He shot an airball, which Wooten caught and put in for a lay up.

Jason Colenda - Picked up a steal, but let down the student section enormously when he missed the front end of a one-and-one.

What We've Got

With game one in the books, we have a clearer picture of what we've got with this team. The first two words that come to mind after watching the win over Farliegh Dickinson are youth and depth. All five freshmen played in the game, with Mouph Yarou, Dom Cheek, and Maalik Wayns logging major minutes. The youth showed early as the Wildcats had a rough time in the first half, trailing at times and leading by only one at halftime. However, Nova's depth overpowered FDU in the second half en route to the 84-61 blowout everyone was expecting. With a team that goes ten-deep (and eleven-deep when Redding returns) Jay Wright tinkered with several different lineups, including one with all three point guards playing together, a bigger lineup with one point guard and four players 6'5+ in height, and an all-freshman lineup. It's clear at this point that even Jay isn't entirely sure what he has with this team yet, and the lineups will continue to shuffle with frequency until he figures it out. Another thing to keep in mind is that preseason ranks mean nothing. Yes, Villanova is ranked very high in the polls and they have a lot of expectations, but Notre Dame was ranked in the preseason top ten last year and failed to even make the NCAA Tournament.

Without further adieu let's take a look at a player-by-player assessment of the first game...

The Starting Five
PG - Corey Fisher - Picked up right where he left off last season, and looked like the best player on the floor with a balanced game of 13 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.
SG - Scottie Reynolds - Struggled mightily shooting the ball (2-10 fg, 0-4 3pt) and got himself into foul trouble. This is not the way he wanted to begin his senior campaign.
SF - Corey Stokes - Caught fire from downtown (5-10 3pt) in the second half to finish with a game-high 20 points.
PF - Antonio Pena - Had a near double-double (9 pts, 10 reb), dished out 3 assists, and picked up only one personal foul in 32 minutes. Pena's strong play might have been the most encouraging outcome of the game.
C - Mouphtaou Yarou - Looked like a man out there... wait, bad choice of words. 6 points, 3 rebounds and a block aren't the most overwhelming stats, but he showed a nice touch from the midrange. He's obviously still very raw, but with his size and athleticism his future looks promising.

First Subs
Taylor King - We knew he could shoot the ball, but King really impressed me with his rebounding (7) and tenacity. He actually reminded me of Dwayne Anderson, which is a pleasant surprise.
Dominic Cheek - He's certainly not shy to shoot. After missing the first shot of his college career, he came right back and made the next to lead the freshmen in scoring with 8.
Casiem Drummond - Looked like he lost a lot of weight this year-- what's that? Oh, right. That was Maalik Wayns sporting the #5 jersey. Wayns has that "Kyle Lowry-like" ability to drive to the basket. He had 6 points and a couple of assists.

Second Subs
Maurice Sutton - Looked better than I expected. He had a block and a monstrous put-back slam.
Isaiah Armwood - Was the odd man out of the rotation, only playing one minute.

A Look Into the Crystal Ball

With the season officially tipping off this Friday I thought I'd take a look into my crystal ball to set some odds and predictions for the 2009-10 Villanova basketball season.

Odds Villanova finishes first in Big East: 1.5/1
Odds Villanova wins Big East Tournament: 2/1
Odds Villanova returns to the Final Four: 5/1
Odds Villanova wins the National Championship: 12/1
Over/under clips of Scottie's game winning shot vs. Pitt shown during telecasts: 20.5

Over/under mentions of Redding's marijuana suspension during telecasts: 10.5
Over/under amount of times Mouphtaou Yarou's name is mispronounced during telecasts: 250.5
Over/under games until Jay Wright gets called for a technical foul: 5.5
Over/under number of different starting lineups used this season: 6.5
Odds leading average rebounder: Yarou 1.5/1, Pena 1.5/1, Redding 4/1, Sutton 7/1, Stokes 8/1, King 10/1
Over/under Scottie's season high points scored in a game: 39.5
Odds most 3-pointers made on team: Stokes 1/1, Reynolds 1.5/1, King 2/1, Sutton 10,000/1
Over/under Jason Colenda total points scored this season: 6.5
Odds leading freshmen scorer: Yarou 1/1, Wayns 1.5/1, Cheek 3/1, Armwood 10/1
Odds a UConn player gets arrested this year: 1/1
Over/under IQ of average St. Joe's fans: 65
Odds next Big East coach to be involved in a scandal: Rick Pitino 2/1, Bob Huggins 3/1, Jim Calhoun 5/1, Jay Wright 200/1
Over/under number of seasons Isiah Thomas lasts at FIU: 0.5
Over/under amount of money Jay Wright will spend on suits this season: $25,000



Now onto the schedule...
11/13 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson: Win (1-0)
11/16 vs. Penn: Win (2-0)
11/19 vs. George Mason (Puerto Rico Classic): Win (3-0)
11/20 vs. Dayton/Georgia Tech (PRC): Win (4-0) The first real test of the season. Both teams are in the preseason Top 25.
11/22 vs. Indiana/Mississippi/Kansas St./BU (PRC): Win (5-0) Indiana is still recovering from the Sampson debacle. Ole Miss and KSU should be solid, but I think Nova takes home the early season hardware.
11/28 vs. La Salle: Win (5-0)
12/2 vs. Drexel: Win (6-0)
12/6 vs. Maryland: Loss (6-1) The game is in DC. Greivis Vasquez is a stud. I think it's a close game, but the Terps hand Nova their first L.
12/9 @ St. Joe's: Win (7-1) The Hawk remains dead.
12/13 @ Temple: Win (8-1) Nova sweeps the Big 5 for another city title.
12/19 @ Fordham: Win (9-1)
12/23 vs. Delaware: Win (10-1)
1/2 @ Marquette: Win (11-1, 1-0) Marquette lost Dominic James, Wesley Matthews, and Jerel McNeal... long season ahead for the Golden Eagles.
1/6 vs. DePaul: Win (12-1, 2-0)
1/9 vs. Marquette: Win (13-1, 3-0)
1/11 @ Louisville: Loss (13-2, 3-1) Nova beats them at home, but at Freedom Hall I'll give Pitino's crew the edge.
1/17 vs. Georgetown: Win (14-2, 4-1) I think Georgetown will be a lot better than people expect, which is why they will split the season series later in February.
1/20 @ Rutgers: Win (15-2, 5-1)
1/23 @ St. John's: Win (16-2, 6-1)
1/27 vs. Notre Dame: Win (17-2, 7-1) Harangody will continue to put up monster stats (and look like a monster), but the team will continue to lose.
2/2 vs. Seton Hall: Win (18-2, 8-1)
2/6 @ Georgetown: Loss (18-3, 8-2)
2/8 @ West Virginia: Loss (18-4, 8-3) The showdown between the preseason consensus top two teams in the Big East. Nova always struggles in Morgantown...
2/13 vs. Providence: Win (19-4, 9-3)
2/15 vs. UConn: Win (20-4, 10-3) I'm not sure what to expect from this team. I think Kemba Walker will be great, Jerome Dyson and Stanley Robinson are back, but they lost Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien up front.
2/21 @ Pitt: Win (21-4, 11-3) Rebuilding year for the Panthers. BTW, San Antonio had the steal of the draft when DeJuan Blair fell to them in the second round.
2/24 vs. USF: Win (22-4, 12-3)
2/27 @ Syracuse: Win (23-4, 13-3) LE MOYNE! HA! The Orange will struggle to replace Johnny Flynn, Paul Harris, and... wait, did Eric Devendorf actually think he was going to make the NBA?
3/2 @ Cincinnati: Loss (23-5, 13-4) Deonta Vaughn, Yancy Gates, Cashmere Wright, and Lance Stephenson... The Bearcats are loaded with talent this year.
3/6 vs. West Virginia: Win (24-5, 14-4)

A 14-4 record should be good for a first or second place finish in the Big East and a 2 or 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. I hesitate to be so confident in a Wildcat team that will have to rely on several freshmen, but the rest of the Big East is relatively weak this year, plus Nova's backcourt may be one of the deepest and most talented in the country. This should be a fun team to watch... can't wait for the season to begin.