NCAA First Round - #3 Villanova, Anderson Ascend Beyond #14 American Eagles, 80-67- After Trailing by 14 in 2nd Half (Part 2 - The Box Score)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

#3 Villanova 80, #14 American 67 - NCAA First Round, The Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Part 2 - Looking At The Box Score

You can also read Part 1 of the #3 Villanova/#14 American recap...

The senior duo of Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham were the offensive engines tonight. As great a player as Cunningham has become, tonight belonged to his good friend Anderson. Anderson had the finest game of his Villanova career on the biggest stage, and on an evening when his Wildcats teammates needed him the most. Anderson finished with 25 points on incredible 9-10 shooting. He made four of his five three-point attempts. Most importantly, he had a knack for coming up with a triple when it was most needed, and he was the only Wildcat to show a formidable offensive punch in the first half, which American won 41-31. And it wasn't just filling up the Wachovia Center nets. Anderson also grabbed eight rebounds, including three on the offensive end.

Looking at Cunningham - he also had an exemplary performance - 25 points (including 7-7 from the line), seven rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. Unbelievable night from the two seniors...

Only seven Wildcats saw action; Antonio Pena, who usually sees some minutes, did not play at all, probably because Villanova did not need size, but quickness, and also because nobody got into foul trouble. Cunningham, who had been plagued with it recently, finished with only one foul in 36 minutes...

Scottie Reynolds continues to struggle. The Eagles effectively neutralized the high-octane junior, limiting him to eight points on just 2-7 shooting, and dealing two assists against four turnovers. He did rebound and defend well (three rebounds and three steals), but for Villanova to advance deep into the tournament, they have to figure out a way to turn him loose. Granted, opposing defenses have zeroed in on him and so we can expect him to be well-defended, so we'll see what happens....

Reggie Redding had a respectable game, contributing on defense and the glass. He finished with four blocks, four rebounds, and two assists, committing only one turnover. On the offensive end, he made a rare three-pointer, his only field goal, while missing his other three shots; he was 1-2 from the line.

Likewise for the third regular senior, Shane Clark - it was a passable game. In 19 minutes, Clark had three rebounds, three assists, and no turnovers - although he had only two points, both coming at the line; he missed both field goal attempts. His minutes were limited by the fact that he's a defender, and Villanova trailed for most of the game (another reason why Pena didn't get in at all). The Coreys got more minutes as a result...

Off the Bench

Corey Fisher was the third Wildcat, along with the senior duo, who had a unequivocally good performance. Fisher scored 11 points (mostly at the line, where he was 9-10), four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. The downside was that he committed three turnovers and was 1-5 from the floor in 27 minutes...

Corey Stokes had a respectable game, coming off the bench for just 16 minutes. Stokes scored five points on 2-6 shooting (1-5 from beyond the arc), three rebounds, and a single assist, turnover, steal, block, and personal foul ("1"s spread along his box score line.

Looking at the Wildcats as a team, the team may have won the game at the line. The Wildcats made an incredible 26 of their 29 free throws (89.7%), and those were the reason why the final score was so deceptively lopsided. For a team that led the game by a significant margin for three-quarters of play, the Eagles took just five free throws for the entire game, a shocking number. And they only made three of them.

The Wildcats also shot well (28-50, 49%) and hit a decent number of threes (6-18, 33%). They crushed the smaller Eagles on the glass, 32-20, and blocked eight shots to American's one. What was not impressive were the 16 turnovers. In contrast, American had more assists (16), than turnovers (12).

Enormous kudos must be extended to the American Eagles, who demonstrated that they should not have been taken lightly. They had the additional disadvantage of playing on Villanova's quasi-home court, and they turned in a fantastic performance.

It had been anticipated that American's Big Three would be the most significant threat to Villanova's advancement, and that turned out to be accurate. Garrison Carr had an outstanding evening, one of the best performances that any of Villanova's 21st-century NCAA opponents has had. The diminutive Carr scored 22 points on 8-18 shooting, including 6-14 from beyond the arc, in 37 minutes.

Derrick Mercer played all 40 minutes, scoring 17 points on 8-16 shooting, while adding four assists and three steals. Brian Gilmore played 36 minutes, had 16 points on 7-15 shooting, although he was held to 2-9 from beyond the arc. (Commenter Seamus insightfully noted in his comment to Part 1, that one of Gilmore's misses early in the second half, and Dante Cunningham's layup on the ensuing possession, helped to keep the game within reach.) Gilmore added four rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals.

American coach Jeff Jones used nine players, but the Big Three played the most minutes; fellow starters Jordan Nichols (the Maryland high school opponent of Anderson, Cunningham and Reynolds) and Frank Borden played 27 and 26 minutes respectively, but did not have a large impact. Their sixth man, sophomore guard Joe Hendra, was ineffective, playing 16 minutes, scoring no points while missing four shots (including three triples). Three other Eagles saw action off the bench, but the Eagles bench combined for a grand total of two points, while the Coreys added 16 points.

Check back through the weekend, as I'll be adding #6 UCLA materials for Villanova's second-round game, set for tip-off early Saturday afternoon... and take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar...

Go Wildcats!

Various Viewpoints - Other Previews, Including VUHoops Guest Contributor Ed '77's "American Graffitti"

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

I'll have another post on the upcoming contest with #14 American, so check back... in the meantime, here's a roundup of what the other Villanova blogs have been saying - and they have a lot of good stuff, in this edition of Various Viewpoints...

Rounding up some of the other Villanova blog previews, I'd like to particularly recommend American Graffiti, published by a guest VUHoops.com contributor, Ed '77. He meticulously breaks down the potential each individual player's matchup versus the opponent's counterpart, and also runs down a long series of categories (common opponents, intangibles, etc.)

Other good stuff:

• Chris at IBBW - preGame #3 Villanova vs. #14 American and Under the Hood... #14 American are worthwhile.....
  
• greyCat at VBTN brings out the numbers in Preview American University -- NCAA First Round, and also has an entertaining look at Villanova's March 19 history in Beyond the Numbers - St. Joseph...
• The Villanovan Sports Blog introduces Villanova fans to American in Let's Meet the American Eagles....
• Pete at Let's Go 'Nova has Villanova Faces American in Tourney Opener...
• Tim at 'Nova News has Round 1: American...
  

Check back here for my final thoughts heading into the first round...

Go Wildcats!

President Obama Has Villanova Reaching Sweet 16, #11 Temple Upsetting #6 Arizona State in First Round

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

President Barack Obama - in what WPVI's Jamie Apody wittily described as "Baracketology" - believes that #3 Villanova will not only survive the clash with DC's Cinderella #14 American Eagles, but that they will also reach the Sweet 16.

The President does have an upset in Philadelphia - he has #11 Virginia Commonwealth overcoming #6 UCLA in the second game this evening... and the Wildcats topping the Rams on Saturday.

Unfortunately, he believes that's the end of the road, going with #2 Duke over Villanova in the Sweet 16.

He also selected the #11 Temple Owls to upset #6 Arizona State in the first round, before falling to #3 Syracuse in the second round...

My own impression of the President's bracket, in addition to praising him for participating in March Madness..

His bracket is very cautious; his Elite Eight consists of the #1 and #2 seeds in three regions (including ours), and the #1 and #3 in the South (North Carolina, his national champion, and Syracuse). His Sweet 16 has no team lower than #5 Purdue. However, he did have some reasonably daring picks (double-digit seeds winning) picks in the first round- VCU, Temple, and #10 Maryland.

Go Wildcats!

#3 Villanova/#14 American in NCAA First Round - "Still Preoccupied with 1995" - Where Would An AU Upset Rank In Villanova's NCAA Tournament History?

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

It's time to consider the doomsday scenario- where would an upset by American rank in the history of Villanova in the NCAA tournament?

If you're looking for the Villanova/American preview, you can read Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3, and also get the view from an American University blog...

Since the modern incarnation of the 64-team tournament in 1985 - the same year in which Villanova so memorably won the tournament as a #8 seed - the track record for #14 seeds facing #3 seeds is better than one what might think. There have been 80 first-round games between those seeds, and the #14 seed has won 11 times (a little less than 14%). But perhaps the more significant statistic is that it's only happened twice (in 36 opportunities) since 2000, according to Bleacher Report...Why is that?

I speculate that one reason for the increasing futility for the #14 seeds, is the "pod" system which the NCAA installed in 2002. This permits more high-seeded teams (such as Villanova this year) to play close to home (or in the case of this year's Villanova Wildcats, at their quasi-home venue), and thus decreases the possibility of an upset...

"Still Preoccupied with 1995..."

While we're on the subject of #3/#14 upsets, we're going to have to discuss 1995 - one of the eleven aforementioned upsets.

In the worst first-round fiasco in school history, the red-hot Kerry Kittles/Jason Lawson/Alvin Williams/Eric Eberz/Jonathan Haynes team - the only Wildcats squad, before or since, to win the Big East tournament - fell in triple-overtime to #14 Old Dominion, in Albany, NY. ODU was led by Petey Sessoms, a name which is indelibly etched in the mind of any Villanova fan who observed what happened.

The one positive aspect of the disaster (at least in retrospect) is the fact that - we have to acknowledge this - it was a tremendously entertaining and exciting game, even being on the wrong end of it. Triple-overtime in the NCAA tournament. It's one of the games that I best remember of all the tournaments, regardless of the teams which participated.

Of course, Villanova will benefit from the pod system here - the 1995 game was played on a neutral court in Albany. So American's chance to pull off the upset is considerably lower than ODU's was.

However, if you look at it from the opposite perspective, an upset would be that much more impressive. If #14 American were to vanquish #3 Villanova, on its de facto home court in Philadelphia, there's a pretty good chance that it would be the most significant upset of the entire tournament during the first round. No #16 seed has ever won a game (although a surprisingly large number have come close to doing so), and only four #15 seeds have done so (likewise).

One reason why the 1995 fiasco is so well-remembered, is the fact that Villanova was the trendy team - after the Big East tournament championship - to select to reach the Final Four (and in some of the more optimistic scenarios, win the national championship). This view was widely shared not just by Wildcat partisans, but many of the national analysts. So when that team fell in the first round, it sent shock waves throughout March Madness, nationally.

Keep checking back for more posts on Villanova/American as Thursday progresses, and for complete analysis and recaps...

Go Wildcats! Ground the Eagles!

#3 Villanova/#14 American in NCAA First Round Preview - Part 3 - Breaking Down the American Eagles Rotation

To the Wildcat faithful-

In Part 3, Breaking Down the American Eagles, I'll analyze coach Jeff Jones's rotation and discuss what the Villanova Wildcats might (or might not) encounter on Thursday night at the Wachovia Center... You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 and get the view from an American University blog...

The team is about as experienced, as one can get in 21st-century college basketball - they start five seniors. Moreover, this is their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. As a #15 seed, they gave #2 Tennessee a challenging game in the first round in 2008 (in spite of the 15-point final margin, it was closer than that). Of particular interest, is the fact that all half-dozen seniors on the roster saw significant playing time all of last season, as well. Three of the five starters are still in DC.

Unsurprisingly, since they returned all but two starters from last season, they were the consensus preseason choice to repeat as Patriot League champions, which they did... Jeff Jones was named Patriot League Coach of the Year.

American relies primarily on scoring from three seniors: Garrison Carr, Brian Gilmore, and Derrick Mercer. There are three other seniors in the rotation: Jordan Nichols (an opponent of Scottie Reynolds, Dante Cunningham, and Dwayne Anderson, while attending DeMatha High School in Maryland), Frank Borden, and Bryce Simon. There are a couple of underclassmen in the rotation; the most notable being Nick Hendra, a sophomore guard who comes off the bench.

In facing the Eagles, the Wildcats - senior-laden as they are - are meeting a rare team, whose rotation is (albeit marginally) more experienced than themselves. Of the Wildcats' eight-man rotation, both Coreys are freshmen, and Antonio Pena had a redshirt year. Reynolds and Reggie Redding are juniors. (Of course, this is the NCAA tournament, and every player on the team has been to the NCAA tournament every year he has been a Wildcat.)

It will likely be a matchup of speed and quickness over size. American mirrors Villanova in this respect, also. None of the six Eagles who play the bulk of the minutes are over 6-8 - and Mercer and Carr, two of the three best players, are both under six feet.

The Wildcats, with their tall wing players (Redding, Stokes, and Anderson), will have a defensive advantage in this regard. Of course, American likes to play a zone defense anyhow, and will have to figure out an answer for Dante Cunningham in the middle. Collapsing upon him and forcing the Wildcats' perimeter shooters to beat them may be an effective strategy.

Mercer, the point guard, is the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year, and Carr, the shooting guard, was first-team All-Patriot. They would likely be defended by Reynolds and Redding, respectively. Gilmore, the forward, ranked eighth in the Patriot League in scoring and was ninth in rebounding, and was named to the second-team All-Patriot squad.

Those are the Big Three, the only Eagles to average 32 or more minutes a game and the ones upon whom Jay Wright and his staff will likely focus. The rest of the rotation plays significantly less. Nichols is fourth in minutes at 27; Hendra, the sophomore who comes off the bench, averages 21.6; Borden, the fifth starter, averages less than 20 minutes. There are a couple of other Eagles who are role players, whose playing time vacillates sharply depending on the game, but they would be unlikely to have a significant impact. Unlike the Wildcats, who have a clearly defined eight-man rotation, American's will vary by the game. There are six players who play the most, and so that's whom we'll discuss...

One of the players whom we won't likely see is hometown product Joe Hill, a freshman from Plymouth Meeting, Pa., who played at Fort Washington's Germantown Academy, the alma mater of Villanova great Alvin Williams; he's played in seven games this year. Unless the game is uncompetitive down the stretch, Hill won't likely get into the action.

From the perimeter, Carr will look to shoot the most often, and to a lesser extent, Gilmore. Mercer, Hendra, and Simon will also take a shot from there, but nowhere near as often. The team tends to rely on defense, as they held their Patriot League opponents to the fewest points and lowest shooting percentage of any team in the league, according to CBS Sports's American Eagles report: Strategy and Personnel....

Nichols is the important defender underneath, leading the Eagles with 34 blocks and second on the team in rebounding. One weakness is the foul line, as Nichols and Hendra in particular average just 51% and 58%, respectively; Mercer, the star point guard, shoots only 61%. Nichols makes up for it, though, with a remarkable 65.2% percentage from the floor.

Check back for further posts previewing the #3 Villanova/#14 American game on Thursday.

Go Wildcats!

American U. Blog Quotes Coach Jeff Jones on AU Strategy for Villanova in NCAA First Round; AU's Nichols on 3 Wildcats Who Are Former MD HS Opponents

To the Wildcat faithful-

The American University student paper, The Eagle, has a staff writer blogging his experiences following the Eagles. In today's edition, "We're Dancin' Again: Back in the NCAA Tournament", author Mike Unger has a substantive quote from American coach Jeff Jones, analyzing potential strategy and discussing the assignment to Philadelphia. Unger also interviewed one of American's starters (and leading shot blocker) Jordan Nichols. I was so impressed by this blog, that I've temporarily included it in the Various Viewpoints feed that you see over on the right sidebar...

Jones - the former star player and 1990s coach at Virginia - on facing Villanova in Philadelphia:

"It's certainly not ideal, but there's nothing we can do about it, so we're not going to spend a whole lot of time worrying about it. Bottom line, we've been in those situations before. I think we've got 11 road wins this season, so we're accustomed to being on the road. I think we certainly will have decent representation from American. My guess would be that the VCU crowd, if we can keep things close and make things interesting, the VCU crowd will jump on our bandwagon. That kind of happened a year ago down in Birmingham. If you looked around, Tennessee probably had more Volunteer Orange than any other color, but we were able to hang in there and have a shot, at least for a while all the other teams' fans got behind us. If we can hang in there, that might happen on Thursday night as well."

Jones on Villanova's strategy:

"Statistically, you look at the number of free throws they've shot. That shows they're an aggressive team. They're not going to settle just for jump shots. Dante Cunningham, their biggest player, can nail the 16- to 17-foot jump shot. Scottie Reynolds can put the ball on the floor, both the Coreys can put the ball on the floor. They really attack you and force you to guard. One of the keys for us will be fighting and moving our feet to stay in front of them."

"Their mentality is they're going to attack the rim. One of the things in talking to the people we did talk to, they describe Villanova as being every bit as physical as Pittsburgh, just not with those real big bodies."

Unger relayed a student question for Jones, on "how AU is going to go about trying to guard Cunningham and Reynolds, and whose job that will be:"

"It will be a collective effort, but certainly Derrick will get a good close and personal look at Reynolds, and Jordan Nichols will be the match-up for Dante Cunningham, but they aren't going to be able to do it by themselves. We're going to have to do a good job with help defense, trying to take away some of the driving lanes that Scottie Reynolds has."

"With Dante Cunningham, he's so good at using the ball screens, the pick and pop situations, shooting that mid-range shot, so we've got to handle those situations well. It's a collective effort. It's simplistic to think how you defend players like that is simply at the half-court defensively. I think how we play offensively, not allowing ourselves to take quick, bad shots, not allowing ourselves to turn the ball over and allowing them to get out in open court situations, all those things go hand in hand to put ourselves in the best position possible to make them work. I don't know that we're necessarily going to be able to stop those guys, they're really, really good. We want to make them work for everything they're going to get."

In the same post, Unger interviews Nichols, who faced none other than Wildcats Scottie Reynolds, Dante Cunningham, and Dwayne Anderson, while playing for DeMatha High School in Maryland. He also discusses the importance of American staying out of foul trouble, and their reaction to being assigned to nearby Philadelphia... In Nichols's own words...

On Cunningham, Anderson, and Reynolds:

"Cunningham and Anderson I played against St. John's. Cunningham was maybe the best player in our conference. When I was a senior I played against Scottie Reynolds, and he dropped about 50 on us, at American actually. We still won, but he dropped 50 on us. All those players were great when I played against them - they're phenomenal players."

"Just like I've gotten better and changed as a player, I'm sure [Cunningham] is probably a much different player than he was in high school. They have him doing a whole lot with the ball in his hands, inside and out. I don't think what I learned in high school is going to help me out there right now, I'm going to need some help from my teammates to guard him, because he's a prolific player."

5:00	Nichols on foul trouble: "Staying out of foul trouble is going to be very, very key for us, especially with the way they attack the rim and get to the free throw line a lot. A few quick fouls on a couple of our guys and that would really put us in a lot of trouble."

5:02

Nichols on heading to Philly: "It was a mixed reaction. Some of the guys were dreaming of Miami. But Philadelphia, the more everyone thinks about it, I think we're getting really excited about it. We should have a good fan base out there, the trip won't take too much out of us. It's just like driving up to Lafayette or Lehigh, except we're playing in front of 22,000 instead of 2,200."

Here is the direct link to this fine American Eagles-focused blog - "Marching Through March" by Mike Unger.

Check back for more posts, further previewing Villanova's NCAA first-round opponent...

Go Wildcats!

#3 Villanova/#14 American in NCAA First Round Preview - Part 1 - Looking at American's Nonconference Schedule and Results

To the Wildcat faithful-

In Part 1 of the #3 Villanova/#14 American NCAA First Round Preview, I'll look at American's schedule and results, and see what we can learn about the Eagles, and what it might tell us about Thursday...

Part 1 - American's Nonconference Schedule and Results

American finished with a 24-7 record overall, 13-1 in regular season Patriot League play, and won three games in the conference tournament. According to Jerry Palm's CollegeRPI.com, American finished - as of March 9 - with a RPI of 77, which is outstanding for a Patriot League team. As a member of the Patriot League, AU finished with a SOS of 239, which gives an indication of the weakness of the conference - especially because the Eagles had an extremely rigorous nonconference schedule for a low-major conference team.

What does this information tell us?

Nonconference Schedule

They played a Beltway version of the Philadelphia Big Five, playing Howard, Georgetown, George Washington, and Maryland. They also faced UMBC, not far away in Maryland.

Most minor-conference teams need to spend nearly all of their nonconference schedule on the road for economic reasons (the visitors get a guaranteed cut of the gate in exchange for not requiring a return game), and AU was no exception. They had only four home games out of conference. And their nonconference schedule was very rugged, playing @ Oklahoma, @ Georgetown, and @ Maryland. So let's continue game-by-game...

AU opened the season at Oklahoma, and was easily steamrolled, losing 83-54 on November 14. But the Eagles recovered from the thrashing, winning their next four games. They returned home to crush St. Francis (PA), then travelled across DC to defeat Howard, flew to Jacksonville and won there, and finally headed north to Stony Brook and won narrowly.

The 4-1 Eagles then started a tailspin, and the losses started to mount - they lost five of their next six. After falling @ Fairfield, they returned home to host Mt. St. Mary's and lost - their first home loss. Travelling across town to Georgetown, the Hoyas crushed them 73-49. Eleven days later, they headed to Foggy Bottom to face an unimposing George Washington, and the Colonials managed to beat them by 13 points.

Travelling to nearby Baltimore to face UMBC, American beat the Retrievers (a great nickname) to snap the skid, but were then defeated @ Maryland by 16 points. They were now 5-5, and wound up the nonconference schedule by hosting two Ivy League teams, Brown and Columbia. By winning both, the Eagles finished 7-5 in nonconference play.

So what does this tell us? (RPIs are in parentheses)

AU played a tough schedule; in addition to @ Oklahoma (5), they lost@ crosstown rivals Maryland (67), Georgetown (49) and George Washington (201), all of whom are members of conferences far more highly rated than the Patriot League. Granted, GW finished 4-12 in the Atlantic 10 and 10-18 overall. They also lost @ Fairfield (96) and won @ Manhattan (163); both were middle-of-the-pack MAAC teams. Other road wins were at Howard (329), Jacksonville (146), Stony Brook (197) and UMBC (165).

Some of the other victories, granted, are not that impressive; Brown (304) was the worst team in the Ivy, Columbia (288) was average, and St. Francis (PA) (326) went 6-23. Those wins were all at home. They also lost at home to Mt. St. Mary's (115).

Patriot League Schedule

American won the Patriot League regular-season and tournament championships, which clearly established them as the premier team in the conference. American went 13-1 in the regular season before winning three games in the tournament, leaving them at 16-1. I'll look at that in Part 2...

Go Wildcats!

Some Thoughts on #3 Villanova/#14 American in NCAA First Round on Thursday at the Wachovia Center

To the Wildcat faithful-

Some initial thoughts on the Villanova/American pairing in the first round (and on the potential game with either UCLA or VCU in the second)...

Certainly, I think that Villanova got a very favorable draw from the Selection Committee. As a #3 seed, we were permitted to stay on our de facto home court, in the heart of our fan base. Moreover, we also drew a #6 seed in UCLA, who will have a more difficult #6/#11 game than normal, because UCLA is 3000 miles away - and Richmond, Virginia, where Virginia Commonwealth is based, is within a day's drive... and, a West Coast team is forced to fly to the East Coast and play on Thursday rather than Friday... this is pretty much everything that the basketball gods could be asked for... UCLA actually has a great deal of legitimate grievances in light of this group of four...

It is true, naturally, the Wildcats are far less formidable in the Wachovia Center, than at the Pavilion, and the record bears that out, both this season and from its opening in 1996-97. However, we would all agree that playing these supposed-neutral-court games there, is vastly preferable to playing at any of the other seven first/second round sites (as I'm sure our opponents would all agree, as well)...

It's also important not to look past American. The 1995 NCAA first-round fiasco against Old Dominion (which, ominously, was also a #3/#14 draw in the first round) is ample evidence of that fact... The Eagles have a very talented team...

A highly detailed preview on American will be along as soon as possible, but I'll be doing some more of these brief observations throughout the week...

Go Wildcats!

#3 Villanova Faces #14 American in NCAA First Round in Philadelphia on Thursday!!!

To the Wildcat faithful-

The headline says it all...

Villanova/American Rivalry History

As the teams are separated by only about 140 miles, most of it highway, it is not surprising that they have met eight times. Villanova has swept all of them, and the last game was in December 1993.

The first meeting was on February 20, 1932, at American's home court. The Wildcats won by the margin of 25-19. It took another 32 years before they would play once more, at what is now Jake Nevin Field House, on January 30, 1964. This time it wasn't as close, as Villanova won 84-49. The Wildcats returned the favor during the following season, on December 10, 1964, and won 65-48.

Another decade passed, and the teams opted to play a home-and-home series, during the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons. The Eagles made their first trip to the Palestra, where the Wildcats triumphed, 68-55, on December 5, 1975. Returning to AU, Villanova won 69-60 on December 6, 1976.

Fifteen years elapsed before the next meeting. Judging from the dates, it appears that a "two-for-one" home-and-home series was arranged, which is not unusual, in circumstances when a power conference team schedules a non-power conference team. The non-power conference team lacks the leverage to negotiate a true home-and-home, so they offer to go twice in return for one return trip.

So the Eagles flew into the Pavilion for the first time on December 14, 1991, to face Rollie Massimino's final Wildcats team - and Villanova won 78-64. When Steve Lappas, a former Villanova assistant, took over the team the following season - he made his debut as a head coach at nowhere other than AU's Bender Arena (a very good venue, if you've never had occasion to see it) on December 5, 1992. This was the worst team Villanova has had in the Big East era (before or since), as it ultimately went 8-19. They did, however, have enough to get past the host Eagles, 86-74, to start Lappas off at 1-0 as the head coach at Villanova. After the trip back from DC, though, things didn't go well the rest of the season, as the team won only seven more games, making neither the NCAA nor the NIT, for the first time in 13 years.

American completed the two-for-one agreement by returning to the Pavilion on December 1, 1993, where they were crushed, 94-62, by the Wildcats, who would eventually win the NIT that season. The teams haven't met since then.

Some things have changed, of course. At the time of the two-for-one series in the early 1990s, AU was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), a good mid-major conference with a knack for pulling off big upsets in the NCAA tournament (Richmond, a member at the time, and most recently George Mason's Cinderella Final Four run). Since then, AU has moved down to the Patriot League, a conference of fine academic institutions that is a low-major conference.

Of course, there will be a lot more to come, so check back later - but in the meantime....

Go Wildcats!