Blazers take Dante #33

Dante Cunningham was drafted with the third pick in the second round (33rd overall) by the Portland Trailblazers. This is a great fit for Dante; Portland is a very good young team with a core of Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden. Congratulations and good luck to Dante in the League.

You're a Wizard, Randy

Randy Foye has been traded to the Washington Wizards along with Mike Miller for the #5 pick in the upcoming draft, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, and (pauses for spell check) Oleksiy Pecherov. All four Wildcats currently in the NBA have been traded over the past two years: Malik Allen from New Jersey to Dallas, Tim Thomas from LAC to NY and NY to Chicago, Kyle Lowry from Memphis to Houston, and Randy Foye from Minnesota to Washington. I'm surprised Minnesota is giving up on Randy Foye so soon, especially since his is coming off his best year as a pro (16.3 ppg, 4.3 apg). Minnesota has a new GM in David Kahn, who has no history with Foye and must really like a guard in this year's draft.

Trades are always difficult to handle as a player, but Randy must be happy to be heading back to the east coast. Washington was one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but they were crippled by injuries. With a core of Caron Butler, Antwan Jamison, and a healthy Gilbert Arenas, Foye and Miller can help make the Wizards a playoff team again.

Scottie Doesn't Go (and neither does Jay)

Scottie Reynolds withdrew from the 2009 NBA Draft and will return for his senior season. He may have had a chance to get drafted in the second round, but you have to respect him for coming back. He now has a chance to break some school records and go down as one of the best Villanova players ever.

This news comes on the heels of a recent report that Jay Wright interviewed for the head coaching job with the Philadelphia 76ers, but quickly removed himself from consideration. This is great news for Wildcat fans. If he passed up the chance to coach his hometown NBA team, I don't see him leaving Villanova for any other position in the country, college or NBA. Maybe he'll change his mind if he wins a National Championship, but if that ever happens Jay will have my blessing to leave.

Lowry's Season Ends

The Houston Rockets took the #1 seed in the West, the L.A. Lakers, to seven games in the second round, despite losing Yao Ming after game 3 and despite not having Tracy McGrady at all. Kyle Lowry played a big part in keeping the Rockets alive. Watching him in these 2009 playoffs reminded me how much I loved watching him play at Villanova. He plays much bigger than his 6-foot stature and isn't afraid of anyone, even the great Kobe Bryant.

Lowry must lead the league in number of charges drawn per minute. And when one of his teammates draws a charge, he's the first one to sprint over and help them up.


Rockets GM Daryl Morey is lauded as a new-wave GM, a stats-guru who finds more value in the Shane Battier defensive-types. Kyle Lowry fits that mold, and he has helped make Morey look like a genius with his strong play since he joined the team at the trade deadline. After suffering in Memphis for his first two and a half years, Lowry proved how valuable he can be to a contender. Lowry must be loving life with his new teammates in Texas. Let's just hope Ron Artest's craziness isn't contagious.

Lowry, Rockets Advance to Second Round

Kyle Lowry has already done what Tracy McGrady couldn't in seven tries. The Houston Rockets defeated the Portland Trailblazers 4-2 to advance to the second round of the playoffs where they will meet Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Lowry averaged 4.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.2 steals in 19.3 minutes per game in the first round series. His best game was game 2 at Portland when he score 10 points.

Jay Wright Grabs Another 2010 Recruit

6'9, 225-pound power forward Markus Kennedy has committed to Villanova. He is from Living Faith Christian Academy in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He joins 6'4 shooting guard James Bell as the second commitment for the class of 2010. Villanova is kind of thin up front, so Kennedy should be a nice addition. Dante Cunningham's success last season (and hopefully continued success next year in the NBA) will help Jay Wright in recruiting top big men, not to mention he already has 5-star recruit Mouph Yarou coming in next year.

Scottie Declares for Draft

Scottie Reynolds has officially declared for the NBA draft, but he has not hired an agent and may still return to school. I can't say I'm not surprised. After the March 5th game against Providence I said this:

With all the hype surrounding the seniors, appreciating their achievements and bidding them farewell, kind of lost in the shuffle is Scottie Reynolds. For all we know the junior standout may have played his last game in the Pavilion. Right now I don't think his NBA draft stock is high enough to leave early, but if he leads Villanova to the Final Four averaging something like 20 points and 5 assists, he could propel himself into a first round pick.

Little did I know that he actually would lead his team to the Final Four, although he averaged just 13.4 points and 2 assists in the Tournament. With experts predicting this to be one of the weaker drafts in recent years, this might be Scottie's best opportunity to get drafted. Reynolds is what he is. I don't think he would improve his draft stock much with another year in school. Scottie's game reminds me of Mike Bibby. I don't know if he will be as successful in the league as Bibby, but he can be a solid back-up point guard (like Kyle Lowry) and bring some 3-point shooting off the bench. I fully support Scottie's decision to test the waters and I hope he does get drafted. He's done wonders for the program over the past three years, culminating in the school's first Final Four since 1985. Finally, with Corey Fisher ready to run the show and Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek coming to town, Scottie wouldn't exactly be leaving the team in shambles.

Lowry Prepares for Playoffs

Kyle Lowry ended the regular season on a high note with his best game as a Rocket: 15 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists. Kyle will get his first taste of the NBA playoffs this weekend when Houston plays Portland in the first round. Lowry has played well for the Rockets off the bench, sharing point guard duties with Aaron Brooks. He finished the season with averages of 7.6 points, 3.6 assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 steals.

Randy Foye had a great third season, but ran into a few injuries and the Timberwolves decided to shut him down for the final nine games. He averaged career highs in points (16.3) and assists (4.3). Foye scored a career-high 36 points on February 20 and dished a career-high 14 assists on November 23. He was averaging about 20 points per game over the last couple months of the season before the injuries. Randy has gotten better each year in the league, and that should continue next season when he gets back to full health.

UNC Ends Nova's Run

Final Score: #1 North Carolina 83, #3 Villanova 69

Player of the Game: Ty Lawson - 22 pts, 8 ast, 7 reb, 2 stl

Recap: Well, it was fun while it lasted, but much like 2006's team against Florida, Villanova ran into the one team in the country that they cannot beat. This team just doesn't match up well with the Tar Heels. UNC's size, quickness, and depth were too much to overcome. Plus they have a perfect inside/outside combination. When Nova tried to double Tyler Hansborough inside, he'd kick it out to Wayne Ellington or Danny Green for an open three, and they were making their shots. But when we stuck to them on the perimeter, Ty Lawson penetrated to the rim and Hansborough attacked the basket, both drawing a combined 29 free throw attempts.


Despite UNC's many strengths, they are still beatable... if you make your shots, which Villanova didn't. The Wildcats shot 32.9% from the field and just about everyone had their worst shooting nights of the season, spelling certain doom for Nova. Scottie Reynolds had 17 points, but was 6-18 from the field and only 3-11 from three. Dante Cunningham had 12 points, but was 5-13 from the field. Corey Fisher (13 points) was 5-19, and 0-4 from downtown. Dwayne Anderson never got it going either (2-12 FG, 0-6 3PT). Stokes and Pena both went oh-for from the floor. The only players to have good shooting nights were Reggie Redding (15 points, 5-9, 2-3, 3-3) and Shane Clark (6 points, 3-4).

I don't want to spend too much time focusing on the bad because the fact is these guys played their hearts out all season long and exceeded everybody's expectations by taking Villanova to the Final Four for the first time since 1985. Of course two more wins would have been nice, but this season was a wild success and Jay Wright and his players deserve a ton of credit. A special thanks go out to Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank Tchuisi: best of luck to them in the future.

Other notes from the game:

• At least Jay Wright didn't embarrass himself by doing a Guitar Hero commercial in his underwear...

• Corey Fisher had the sickest move of the season when he dribbled the ball behind his back, then spun it around his back, but, typical of Nova's night, just barely missed the lay-up. Still, with skills like that it's easy to see why they call him Fisher Price.

• It's not a North Carolina game unless Hansborough gets to the line 10+ times. What happened to no blood, no foul...... oh, yeah.
• Unbelievably, at one point in the game, Hansborough flopped blatantly and the refs actually held their whistles... that's a first.
  

That's it for now, but there will be plenty more to come over the offseason including reflections on this season and previews of next season, which should be a lot of fun.

Round 5: North Carolina

Foe: #1 North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels (32-4)

Recent History: North Carolina leads the all-time series 9-4, with four of those games having come in the NCAA Tournament. Villanova toppled UNC in the 1985 Elite Eight en route to a National Championship. The most recent meeting came in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen when Tom O'Neill made the "travel call that wasn't" against Allan Ray. That North Carolina team was absolutely loaded with NBA talent: Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams, and Sean May. On one hand I was happy that Nova played so well against that heavily favored team, the eventual National Champions. However, that travel call left me bitter for months afterwards, and I was constantly dreaming of what could have happened if A-Ray tied that game up with the and-1.

This year's Tar Heels squad is similar to 2005's. It is a dominant team full of talent and depth at every position. I mean at the start of the season, it wasn't inconceivable to think that this team could go undefeated. Obviously it didn't happen; they lost to BC, Wake Forest, Maryland, and Florida St. (all NCAA Tournament teams by the way). They are led by a starting five that all score in double figures. Ty Lawson might be the best point guard in the country: 16.3 ppg, 6.5 apg, 2 spg, 48.5% 3PT. Tyler Hansborough is the reigning National Player of the year: 20.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg. Wayne Ellington is one of the best shooters in the nation: 15.6 ppg, 39.7% 3PT. Danny Green is a versatile Dwayne Anderson-type: 13.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 41.5% 3PT. Deon Thompson (10.7 pts, 5.8 reb, 1.1 blk) would be the #1 big man on most teams in the country, but he stays under the radar playing second fiddle to Hansborough. On top of that, the Tar Heels have the best bench in the country, full of players that could start on any other team. 6'10 freshman Ed Davis (6.6 pts, 6.6 reb, 1.8 blk) might be the best NBA prospect of UNC's big men and he only plays 18.9 minutes off the bench. Booby Frasor (2.7 ppg) and Will Graves (4 ppg) are solid options off the bench. Finally, freshmen Tyler Zeller (3.5 ppg) and Larry Drew II (1.5 ppg) are two former McDonalds All-Americans that can barely even crack the rotation.

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Larry Brown, Vince Carter, Billy Cunningham, Hubert Davis, Brad Daugherty, Raymond Felton, Phil Ford, Rick Fox, Brendan Haywood, Antwan Jamison, Michael Jordan, George Karl, Mitch Kupchak, Sean May, Bob McAdoo, Rashad McCants, Sam Perkins, Kenny Smith, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Donnie Walsh, Marvin Williams, James Worthy, Brandan Wright
Other: Peter Gammons, Lewis Black, Billy Crudup, Andy Griffith, Stuart Scott, John Edwards, Moonlight Graham, Mia Hamm, Chris Iannetta, Marion Jones, Davis Love III, Eddie Pope, Lawrence Taylor


Fun Facts:

• UNC is the oldest public university in the United States.

• The nickname "Tar Heels" is a reference to North Carolina's tar production during the 18th century.

• Final Fours: UNC - 18, Nova - 4

• NCAA Championships: UNC - 4, Nova - 1

Complimentary Youtube Video: Time for revenge...


Final Verdict: North Carolina is the favorite, but these two teams have arguably been the two most dominant in the Tournament so far. UNC likes to run and score; they average 90 points per game and give up just 72. Villanova doesn't have the depth to run with them, so they will need to try to slow the game down by containing Ty Lawson because he is the engine that makes them go. This same North Carolina team made the Final Four last year, so they are definitely not content just to be there. But I get the feeling our guys are looking for a little something more as well. Can Villanova beat the mighty Tar Heels? Yes, but it will take a near perfect game to pull the upset, and luckily Villanova has some experience in doing that.

TV: 8:47 PM on CBS and NCAA.com

Links: Villanova.com, VUH, IBBW, VBTN, VV, VSB, LGN, Wiki, ESPN

Final Four is... Final

The 2009 NCAA Tournament is down to a Final Four:
#2 Michigan State Spartans
#1 Connecticut Huskies
#3 Villanova Wildcats
#1 North Carolina Tar Heels

Villanova will play UNC on Saturday at 8:47 PM. Despite some slip-ups in the ACC, I think the Tar Heels have been the best team in college basketball all season, and they've been playing like it in the Tournament so far. It will be a tall order to beat them, but no one gave Nova much of a chance in the 2005 Sweet Sixteen, yet they came within one bad call of pulling the upset.

Nova Marches on to FINAL FOUR!!!

Final Score: #3 Villanova 78, #1 Pitt 76

Player of the Game: Scottie Reynolds - 15 points, game winner

Recap: Villanova pretty much had the game in the bag, then committed one of the most boneheaded passes ever, and it seemed like we were heading for overtime. Then with 5 seconds left, Scottie Reynolds made one of the greatest plays in school (and NCAA Tournament) history. He just said, "Pack your bags fellas, we're going to Detroit now!" and drove the ball straight to the rim, took contact, and still made the shot. Just an unbelievable play to cap off an epic game. I was one of the most most optimistic Villanova fans at the start of the season, but even I did not anticipate this team making the Final Four. But here we are... and we're not done yet!

Jay Wright: Great Coach, or Greatest Coach?Myself and others were critical of Jay Wright throughout the season for him favoring his upperclassmen over the more talented sophomores. Jay stuck to his guns however, opting for the more experienced group. And it was experience that enabled the players to keep their composure after the bad pass and run the same play that they've ran hundreds of times in practice to win the game. There isn't another coach in the entire country I'd rather have leading this team and representing the university than Jerold Taylor Wright Jr.

One word to describe Jay Wright's defense: pesky. All of Nova's defenders are in their man's face, constantly slapping at the ball, trying to force turnovers. It is visibly irritating to their opponents. Also to make up for their lack of size, Jay has them playing excellent help defense, always switching, double-teaming, and recovering. Jay may not be the best coach in America at drawing up in bounds plays, but the man can sure run a defense. And as the saying goes: "Defense wins Championships".

God I Love Dwayne AndersonDwayne is not the best shooter or ball handler, and at a skinny 6'6, he often times winds up playing against much bigger power forwards, but no one I know plays with more heart. He has that Kyle Lowry gene (or is it a sickness?). He might be that guy who took dodgeball in gym class way too seriously, or was a little too competitive when playing Scrabble with his family, but dag nabbit, there's not another guy in the world I'd rather have diving for loose balls on my basketball team. He saved the best scoring performances of his career for the NCAA Tournament (15 ppg), and he continues to make big play after big play. He knocked down a big 3-pointer, then came up with a crucial steal leading to the and-1. I don't know how we're going to replace him next year.

Big Shot ReynoldsScottie instantly altered his Villanova legacy in a mere five seconds with one spectacular shot. Sure he's had two 40-point games, but he has been underwhelming in his NCAA Tournament career. Now, no matter what happens from here on out, Scottie Reynolds will go down as one of the all-time Villanova greats.


Shane Clark!?!?!?!Where did this kid get the guts start jacking up threes all of a sudden, in the biggest game of his career? He hit three big 3-pointers early in the game to help Nova get off to a strong start. Also for once in his career he didn't lead the game in pump fakes; that feat belonged to Pitt's Sam Young.

Reggie's RedemptionI like how Jay Wright defended Reggie Redding in the postgame interview by saying it took guts to try that full-court pass, but yeah, it wasn't the smartest play. You have to give Reggie credit for keeping his cool and making a good inbounds pass to Cunningham on the next play. He stuffed the stat sheet as usual: 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 steals.

Fisher PriceCorey Fisher was at it again. The jumpers weren't falling for him in the first half, so he did what he does best and took it to the rack in the second half to score 9 points. He's made dramatic strides in his free throw shooting: he's 24/27 in the NCAA Tournament so far. Fisher was a perfect 7/7 shooting clutch free throws down the stretch against Pitt.

Corey "Strokes"Stokes brought that scoring punch off the bench, hitting some big shots. He sank a big 3-pointer, and also showed some versatility by driving to the basket to score.

Humble PenaAntonio Pena played some solid minutes in relief of Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark to eat some fouls in the post. Most young players would be sour about not just losing their spot in the starting five, but almost falling out of the rotation completely. However, when Jay Wright calls Pena's name he is ready to play. This is a testament to his class and the attitude Jay Wright instills in his players.

Valiant EffortI have to give credit to Pitt; after all it, takes two to play one of the best college basketball games ever. I have a ton of respect for DeJuan Blair; he plays tough and always has a smile on his face. We had no answer for Sam Young and his pump fakes as he dropped 28 points. Finally, Levance Fields is a fierce competitor; hitting two clutch free throws, then almost nailing the full-court heave.

Well I guess that's about it... What's that, I forgot somebody? Oh yeah, that guy.

Dante Cunningham has been so consistently great all season that it's almost boring. What can I say that hasn't already been said about DC. Four years, 4 NCAA Tournaments, 100+ victories, 1 Sweet 16, 1 Elite 8, 1 Final 4, and he's been a valuable player on every one of those teams. The dude is simply a winner. He had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and a block in this one to set his 2009 Tournament averages at 17.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. It's almost impossible to lead your team to the Final Four with numbers like those and not be drafted to the NBA.

Villanova is Elite

Final Score: #3 Villanova 77, #2 Duke 54

Player of the Game: Dante Cunningham - 14 pts, 11 reb, 1 stl, 1 blk

Recap: I was watching the start of the Missouri/Memphis game, getting ready for CBS to switch over to Duke/Nova at 10:08, and at about 10:07 PM eastern -- black. The power went out at my house. It was like a scene from a bad movie, or a Sopranos episode. I spent the next half hour frantically trying to find a place with power to watch the game. I thought it was a bad omen of things to come. However, when I finally found myself in front of a working television, Villanova was up by five midway through the first half. Unless you were even more unfortunate than me, you know what happened next. Nova took a three point lead into the locker room and never looked back. Nova was dominant on defense, holding Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer to 4-32 shooting and outscoring the Blue Devils by 20 points in the second half.

Photo Captions:
Unknown Blue Devil: "Thanks Greg, you have the magic touch."
Greg Paulus: "Forget basketball and football, my future is as a professional masseuse."
In his final collegiate game Greg Paulus had 3 points, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, and 4 personal fouls in 10 minutes.

Jon Scheyer: "I can't stop you with my defense, so maybe I can distract you with my jazz hands."
Reggie Redding: Scores, then shakes head in disgust.
Scheyer's offense wasn't much better than his Swiss cheese defense: 3-18 FG, 2-10 3PT.
Redding had a great game on both ends of the floor: 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks. He's really turning into a complete player, and he couldn't pick a better time to do it.

Dwayne Anderson: "No layups."
Elliot Williams: "Oh well, at least I'll be on Sportscenter."
I have to give Williams credit for that one dunk, it was sick. But that was Duke's only highlight of the game.
Dwayne had a great first half with 8 points and 5 rebounds, but he failed to score in the second. However, you can never fully measure Anderson's impact in the box score. There just isn't a stat for heart and toughness.

Shane Clark: "The road to the NBA goes through me, buddy."
Shane played some tough defense down low and didn't allow any easy baskets. As a result he fouled out in 22 minutes, but he contributed a solid 7 points and 5 rebounds.
Henderson, on the other hand, really hurt his draft stock in this game: 1-14 FG, 1-5 3PT, 7 points.

Dante Cunningham: "Sit down dude, you can't dance."
Dante grabbed another "Nova News Player of the Game Award", not that that means anything. He had his tenth double-double of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Singler, Thomas, and Zoubek were no match for Cunningham inside.

Scottie Reynolds: "This is basketball, not yoga."
Kyle Singler: "Scheyer told me to try jazz hands."
Scottie is starting to heat up. He had his best scoring game of the tournament so far with 16 points. It wasn't the most efficient 16 points (5-15 FG), but it's good to see him aggressive on offense, looking for his shot. A wrist injury may have been holding him back in the last two games because he was wearing a brace, but hopefully his shooting stroke is fine now.


I can't even attempt to figure out what's going on here.
Corey Stokes is in there, and although he had a quiet night offensively (7 points, 1-4 3PT), he grabbed 5 rebounds and played strong defense. His counterpart from the bench with the same first name also had a quiet night. Fisher had just 6 points and more turnovers than assists, but it didn't matter. This game wasn't about scoring, it was all about the tenacious Wildcat defense.


Coach K: "I wish I could go back to coaching Kobe, LeBron, and D-Wade..."

Next Game: Sat. 3/28, 7:05 PM vs. Pitt
Now Villanova plays a familiar foe for a trip to the Final Four: Pittsburgh. No one saw back to back blowouts coming against UCLA and Duke, but I don't think there will be any surprises in this one. Pitt and Nova know each other too well. Villanova can't overpower them with tough physical play because Pitt is even more tough and physical. Villanova already proved they can beat this team, and they know the key is to attack DeJuan Blair. The Final Four is within reach... they just need to play their hearts out and leave everything out on the floor.

• Pitt Preview

• 1/28 Recap

Links: Guy Fisher

With the big matchup against Duke tonight, Villanova has received a lot of media attention, both locally and nationally. VUhoops and I Bleed Blue and White have been posting links to these stories all week, and you should definitely check them out. But if you can only read one, make it this amazing story by Dana O'Neil at ESPN about Corey Fisher and his uncle Guy. Truly inspirational stuff.

Round 3: Duke

Foe: #2 Duke Blue Devils (30-6)

Recent History: Villanova and Duke have not met in almost a decade, when the Blue Devils won 98-85 in the 2000 preseason NIT. Villanova is 3-7 all-time against Duke, but their last win was way back in 1958. Duke has consistently been one of the top teams in the country this season, maintaining a spot in the top 10 and spending a week ranked #1. They won the ACC Tournament over Florida State, and had several quality wins during the regular season including: Michigan, Purdue, Xavier, Georgetown, and Wake Forest. Duke destroyed Binghamton by 20 in the first round, then escaped Texas by 5 points in the second round. They were powered by 24 points from Gerald Henderson, who has been the team's best player this season. The junior G/F is averaging 16.8 points per game, and is looking like a potential lottery pick in the NBA draft. Right behind him is 6'8 super-soph Kyle Singler, averaging 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Jon Scheyer is the third Dukie averaging double figures at 14.9 points per game, most of which come from behind the arc where he shoots 39.5%. Rounding out the starting five are forward Lance Thomas (5.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and freshman point guard Elliot Williams (4.2 ppg). Off the bench they have guard Nolan Smith (8.5 ppg), 7'1 center Brian Zoubek (4.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg), and David McClure (1.9 ppg). Last and least is the infamous Greg Paulus. The once starting point guard has had a significant drop off in every statistical category this season, most notably minutes. The former star high school quarterback has got to be second guessing his choice to play basketball.

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Tommy Amaker, Shane Battier, Jay Bilas, Carlos Boozer, Elton Brand, Johnny Dawkins, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Daniel Ewing, Danny Ferry, Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley, Dahntay Jones, Billy King, Christian Laettner, Corey Maggette, Shavlik Randolph, J.J. Redick, Jason Williams, Sheldon Williams
Other: Richard Nixon, Ron Paul, Paul Farmer, Michael Peterson, Jack Coleman, Tucker Max, Dave Brown


Fun Facts:

• University is named after tobacco industrialists James Buchanan Duke and his father Washington Duke.

• Duke has 3 National Championships, 14 Final Fours, 17 ACC Championships

• Duke has had a record 11 National Players of the Year

Complimentary Youtube Video:


Final Verdict: This game has the makings to be an instant classic. Duke and Nova are two big names in college basketball, and the teams play similar styles. If Nova can bring that same kind of physical play they used against UCLA, I don't think the Blue Devils will be able to handle it. Coach K is one of the best coaches in the game, but Villanova has an inside man (transer Taylor King) to share some of Coach K's secrets. I think it will be a close game, but if they play like they did against UCLA, Nova should win it.

TV: 9:57 PM, CBS and NCAA.com

Links: Villanova.com, VUH, IBBW, LGN, VBTN, VV, VSB, Duke, Wiki, AP

Nova Rolls Past UCLA to Sweet 16

Final Score: #3 Villanova 89, #6 UCLA 69

Player of the Game: Dante Cunningham - 18 pts, 10 rebounds, 2 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk

Recap: Now that's what I'm talking about! This is the team we were expecting to see show up to the NCAA Tournament. Villanova played it's most complete and balanced game of the season, dominating UCLA with its physical play from start to finish. This was definitely an award-worthy performance...

The John Wooden Award for Best CoachJay Wright and his squad put on a clinic today. Six Wildcat players scored in double figures, and a seventh, Shane Clark, had 8. UCLA, from the Panzy 10 Pac-10, was flabbergasted by Villanova's tough, physical style of play. Everybody on the team did what they're supposed to: Dante and Dwayne had double-doubles, Fisher was swishing and dishing, Stokes (12 pts) was draining threes (4-9), Scottie was scoring (11 pts), Redding did a little bit of everything (13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, 4 steals), and even Shane Clark was scoring in the post and rebounding.

The "I Love You Man" Award for Best BromanceAssociate head coach Pat Chambers kissed Dwayne Anderson on the head when returned to the bench. D-Train deserved some love for this performance: 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals. Anderson's highlight of the game was when he sprinted down the court, dove towards Darren Collison from behind, stole the ball, then slid across the floor on his stomach. That's just the kind of hustle Dwayne brings to the game, and it seems like he has at least one of those types of plays every game.

The Manu Ginobili "Sixth Man" Award

We all know Corey Fisher won Big East Sixth Man of the Year, but is there a better player coming off the bench in the entire nation? I submit that there is not. Fisher Price has accepted his role and excelled at it. He brings instant energy and scoring into the game, and has a knack for getting to and finishing around the basket that few in the college game can replicate. He had a pretty flawless game today: 13 points (4-7, 1-3, 4-4), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers.

The Pennsylvania Lottery Award for Person That's About to Become Very RichIf Dante Cunningham continues to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament, he could find himself on an NBA roster next year. NBAdraft.net has him going 37th overall right now. I thought he might have a little more trouble scoring today, but the Bruins had no answer for Dante's Inferno.

The Club Trillion Award

Walk-on Jason Colenda graduated from "Club Trillion" by hitting two free throws to score the first points of his collegiate career. Leave it to Colenda to do it in the NCAA Tournament, against the most prestigious program in all of college basketball, instead of an early December game against Houston Baptist.

The Austin Powers Award for Best Chest Hair

... Josh Shipp

Villanova will travel to Boston next week to play the winner of #2 Duke/#7 Texas. I am really looking forward to that game, no matter who we play. Duke is a team everybody loves to hate, and I'd love a rematch with Texas after that loss at the Garden back in December.

Round 2: UCLA

Foe: #6 University of California, Los Angeles Bruins (26-8)(13-5)

Recent History: Eric Maynor missed a shot at the buzzer, allowing UCLA to escape with a 65-64 win, setting up this second round matchup. UCLA is the most successful college basketball program of all time, and one of the best of the past few years. They have made 3-straight Final Fours, and like Villanova, this year's senior class its the winningest in school history. Villanova is 1-2 all-time against UCLA. Nova lost to the Bruins in the 1971 NCAA Championship game 68-62. The two schools later met for a home-and-home series in 2001 and 2002. UCLA won 93-65 at the Pauley Pavilion in '01. Then in '02, Jay Wright's first season, Nova upset the Jason Kapono led Bruins 58-57 at Villanova's Pavilion. UCLA lost a big chunk of last year's team to the NBA draft: Russell Westbrook (#4), Kevin Love (#5), and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (#37), and all three players have had impressive rookie seasons. Despite the losses, the Bruins return a good team led by a trio of seniors: shooting guard Josh Shipp (14.4 ppg), point gurad Darren Collison (14.4 ppg, 4.9 apg), and 6'9 F/C Alfred Aboya (9.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg). 6'9 forward Nikola Dragovic is a threat from the perimeter (9.4 ppg, 37.7% 3-PT). They also feature a talented freshman guard and future NBA prospect, Jrue Holiday (8.6 ppg), although his defense is probably better than his offense at this point. Ben Howland's teams always put defense first, and this team is no exception.

Best Win: 85-76 vs. then #19 Washington

Worst Loss: 82-81 vs. Washington State (only loss to a non-NCAA Tournament team)

Famous Alumni: Basketball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Arron Afflalo, Trevor Ariza, Matt Barnes, Baron Davis, Tyus Edney, Jordan Farmar, Dan Gadzuric, Gail Goodrich, Jason Kapono, Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Reggie Miller, Bill Walton, Earl Watson, Russell Westbrook
Other: Sean Astin, Elizabeth Berkley, Jack Black, Francis Ford Coppola, James Dean, James Franco, Heather Locklear, Marilyn Monroe, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, George Takei, Jim Morrison, John Williams, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Troy Aikman, Arthur Ashe, Jeff Conine, Troy Glaus, Jimmy Johnson, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Michelle Kwan, Jackie Robinson, Chase Utley


Fun Facts:

• UCLA has a record 11 National Championships: 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1995.

• UCLA won 88 consecutive games from 1971 to 1974.

• Overall, UCLA athletics have won 124 National Championships.

Complimentary Youtube Video:


Final Verdict: This UCLA team has seemingly flown under the radar this year, despite being ranked all season. A team with this much tournament experience should not be taken lightly. Villanova cannot afford to fall behind early to a team that is this good defensively. They need to play 40 minutes of Villanova Basketball to have any chance of winning. Most importantly, Scottie Reynolds needs to bring his 'A' game because Dante Cunningham will have a much tougher time scoring inside.

TV: 1:05 PM on CBS and NCAA.com

Links: Villanova.com, VUH, IBBW, LGN, VBTN, VSB, AP