NCAA Sweet 16 - #3 Villanova Demolishes #2 Duke, 77-54 - 1st Win over Blue Devils Since 1958 - Wildcats Return to Elite Eight! (initial recap)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

It was one for the ages.

The third-seeded Villanova Wildcats demolished the second-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night in Boston, 77-54, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

(Let that sink in for a moment...)

A 23-point victory over Duke in the NCAA tournament.

It was among the greatest Villanova performances of the 21st century.

It was the first Villanova victory over Duke since 1958, and their first victory over Duke in the NCAA tournament, since ousting Duke from its first-ever tournament in 1955.

Villanova allowed just 54 points, the second-lowest output for Duke this season. The entire team defense clicked tonight, crushing Duke's offense and never permitting the Blue Devils to get into a rhythm - Duke shot just 26.7% from the floor (a season-low for field goal percentage). making just 16 field goals. (Thanks, March Madness Highlights on CBS College Sports Channel for that last fact.)

The statistical heroes for Villanova were Dante Cunningham (14 points, 11 rebounds), Scottie Reynolds (16 points, three rebounds), and Reggie Redding (11 points, nine rebounds, four assists).

And in the most crowd-pleasing moments, Frank Tchuisi scored four points against Duke in the final minute.

It's now very much in the realm of possibility that the Wildcats could win the entire tournament. They will face top-seeded Pittsburgh - whom they've already defeated once - on Saturday at 7 PM or so...

This is just the brief, initial recap, but I'll be exploring the various aspects of the victory in a series of posts throughout today... so check back for much, much more, later today...

You can also take a look at the other Villanova blogs included in Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

With NCAA Sweet 16 Victory, Villanova Emphatically Enters Duke's Storied NCAA History

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Prior to Thursday's stunning 23-point demolition of the Blue Devils in Boston, the Villanova Wildcats already held a unique distinction within Duke's storied NCAA tournament history. They had eliminated the Blue Devils from their first-ever NCAA tournament, back in 1955. On March 8 of that year, at Madison Square Garden, Villanova defeated Duke in the first round, 74-73, in what was undoubtedly a very exciting contest.

54 years later, Villanova - much to the astonishment of all observers, including this one - now has title to another entry in Duke's illustrious history:

The Wildcats are now the owners of the second-largest victory over Duke ever, in the NCAA tournament, and the largest in nearly two decades, since the UNLV juggernaut crushed the Blue Devils in the 1990 NCAA championship game, 103-73.

Let's consider the staggering level of success that Duke has had over the decades in the NCAA tournament, now including their 2-1 record and Sweet 16 appearance in the 2009 tournament (thanks, Duke media guide, for all of these attainments conveniently collected in one source):

• Duke has made 33 appearances in the NCAA tournament, and has a remarkable record of success: a record of 88-30 after Thursday's defeat, a winning percentage of .746. That winning percentage is the highest of any program. Ever. Including UCLA.
  
• Duke has made 14 Final Four appearances, which ranks below only UCLA and North Carolina, which each have 17. (UCLA, of course, won 10 national titles in a 12 year span under the legendary John Wooden.)
  
• Since 1986, Duke has 10 Final Four appearances, more than anyone else (UNC has eight).
• Duke's five consecutive Final Fours from 1988-92 are more than anyone else, outside of UCLA's 10 straight from 1967-76 under Wooden.
  
• Duke's 118 NCAA tournament games played rank fifth, behind only Kentucky, UNC, UCLA, and Kansas.
• Duke's 88 NCAA tournament victories rank fourth, behind only Kentucky, UCLA, and UNC.
• Duke's 1,879 total victories overall, rank fourth behind only Kentucky, UNC, and Kansas.
  

Let's go back to the first item in the list - Duke is now 88-30 in the NCAA tournament. So the fact that Villanova has the second-largest victory over the Blue Devils, of those thirty defeats, is really something.

To illustrate, let's look at a partial list of prominent teams, who have defeated Duke in the NCAA tournament over the years, but by lesser (and in most cases, far lesser) margins than Villanova did on Thursday... Of the ten teams listed below, nine of them eventually won the national championship (in some cases, by beating Duke in the title game), and the only one that didn't, lost in the national championship game by one point.

The 2009 Villanova Wildcats defeated Duke in the NCAA tournament by a larger margin than any of the teams listed below.

Of course, this does not establish, or even imply, that this year's Villanova team will win the national championship, or even defeat Pitt on Saturday, or that these Wildcats deserve to be discussed in the same contex,t as nine previous national champions. I'm trying to demonstrate the precisely opposite point. Namely, I've provided this list precisely to show how shocking, stunning, improbable (the adjectives can't really convey the effect) the final score was on Thursday evening.

Due to its incredible history, Duke has had the honor (albeit, often an unpleasant, heartbreaking one) of being eliminated in the NCAA tournament, by some of the greatest teams that the sport has ever produced. And by some act of the basketball gods, Villanova beat the Blue Devils by a wider margin in the NCAA tournament, than all of them, but the 1990 UNLV Runnin' Rebels... How did this happen?

The list:

1. The 2004 Connecticut Huskies - eventual national champions - a one-point victory in the national semifinal/Final Four.
2. The 1999 Connecticut Huskies - a three-point victory in the national championship game.
3. The 1998 Kentucky Wildcats - eventual national champions - a two-point victory in the Elite Eight.
4. The 1994 Arkansas Razorbacks - a four-point victory in the national championship game.
5. The 1989 Seton Hall Pirates - national runners-up - a 17-point victory in the national semifinal/Final Four (the team that lost to Michigan in the final on Rumeal Robinson's free throws.)
6. The 1988 Kansas Jayhawks - eventual national champions - a seven-point victory in the national semifinal/Final Four.
7. The 1987 Indiana Hoosiers - eventual national champions - a six-point victory in the Sweet 16.
8. The 1986 Louisville Cardinals - a three-point victory in the national championship game.
9. The 1978 Kentucky Wildcats - a six-point victory in the national championship game.
10. The 1964 UCLA Bruins - a 15-point victory in the national championship game.

I'll be exploring the various aspects of the victory in a series of posts throughout today... so check back for much, much more...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Villanova/Duke Preview, NCAA Sweet 16 - Quotes from Dave Bradley of DukeBluePlanet.com on Gerald Henderson and the Crowd in Boston

(The Original Duke Blue Devil - from the Duke University Library's web site - University Archives, in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Before moving to the preview -

The image above is a rendition of the original Blue Devil... Click on this link to read the entire story of the origins of the Blue Devils nickname...

The entire Villanova blogosphere has been generating some great content throughout the week, so take a look at the blogs on the right to read Various Viewpoints on this Sweet 16... Also, I've been writing a lot of Villanova/Duke-related posts all week, so please take a look at the link collection on the right sidebar under Villanova Viewpoint Archive...

In addition, I'd particularly like to thank Dave Bradley of DukeBluePlanet.com, who graciously agreed to comment on the upcoming game amidst travel from Durham, NC to Boston, Massachusetts, along with a very busy practice and media schedule, as he is the Blue Devils' recruiting and communications coordinator. I had asked him to comment on Gerald Henderson, and on what the fan support at the venue in Boston would be like, in terms of support for Duke or Villanova - here are his answers:

Regarding the crowd...

"Everywhere I have traveled with the team for neutral site games like this one, we have had a supportive section of Duke fans. I think the consistent success under Coach K has made Duke Basketball a national brand so in addition to our alumni base we have a number of supporters whose connection to our university is their passion for our program and our head coach. They have those fan polls every year and Duke is always among the most popular teams in the nation and the least liked in the nation. So, you know a number of those Pitt and Xavier fans who stick around may not root for us. Overall, though, I wouldn't anticipate the crowd having a major impact on this.

Regarding G...

"G has really evolved as a player over the course of this season. It has been exciting watching his growth and transformation into a versatile player who really leaves his mark on all aspects of the game. He certainly can score the ball but he has also embraced a leadership role and is doing the little things that make you a complete player. He has pulled down some big rebounds for us, he is a very solid defender, he has had some big-time blocks and steals for us, and he leads the team in charges drawn. If you listen closely during our games and practicing, you hear his voice all the time encouraging teammates, directing traffic, etc. You can tell he is really comfortable in who he is becoming."

WPVI, the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, reported on Wednesday night, that although the two teams haven't played since 2000, there are many connections between individual players from high school days (according to Scottie Reynolds, even since elementary school). There was also the fact that Villanova had recruited both Gerald Henderson and Brian Zoubek, both local products. Henderson is from Lower Merion, right down the road, and Zoubek is from Haddonfield, New Jersey, right over the Delaware River from Philadelphia.

Wright told WPVI that "it was like a punch in the gut" when they opted to go to Duke, and compared it to "losing a close game at the buzzer". They closed the feature by noting that "Villanova will be trying to beat Duke for the first time in 51 years".

Coach K has an extraordinarily deep bench, with nine players averaging at least 11.8 minutes/game, and eleven players averaging at least 6.4 minutes/game. No Blue Devil averages more than Jon Scheyer's 32.7 minutes, and only Scheyer and Kyle Singler average more than 30 minutes a game.

This depth is one reason why Duke can wear teams down, and it may pose a problem for Villanova. The Wildcats really can't go below eight players in the rotation. Gerald Henderson, Singler, and Scheyer drive the Duke offense, averaging 16.8, 16.5, and 14.9 points/game respectively. Nolan Smith is fourth at 8.5 points, with four other Blue Devils clustered between 4.2 and 5.4.

One set of numbers leaps out immediately upon scanning the statistics: the wide extremes of foul shooting. Scheyer, Smith, Brian Zoubek, and Henderson are all over 75%, and the first three are all 82.8% or better. Kyle Singler is at 72%, Greg Paulus 69.2%. Lance Thomas (56%) is not good at it - and Elliott Williams and David McClure are at 46.5% and 45.5% respectively. Granted, the worst shooters are at the bottom of the rotation, anyhow, and Coach K probably has them off the floor in key free throw situations, but that's a weakness for Duke.

Duke has many weapons outside the three-point line, as Henderson, Singler, Scheyer and Paulus have all taken over 100 attempts this season, with accuracy ranging from 33.3% (Paulus) to 39.5% (Scheyer). If necessary, they will try to get the ball into the paint to Thomas (62.8% from the floor) and Zoubek (56.7% from the floor).

One X-factor, ironically, won't be taking the court. That is, Taylor King, who transferred from Duke to Villanova in April 2008. Although common in pro sports, having players who once played for your opponents in college sports is highly unusual, let alone having a player on your team, who once played for your opponent, as you now face them in the NCAA tournament.

As a freshman, King saw a reasonable amount of playing time for Duke in 2007-08, although he was not a key member of the rotation. He averaged 9.7 minutes, 5.5 points, and 2.0 rebounds per contest. His primary role was as one of many Duke sharpshooters, as he ranked fourth on the team in three-point attempts (he made 37.7% of them). King did have some games of distinction, as he was Duke's leading scorer in four particular games, which would be atypical of a player averaging less than 10 minutes a game. (King is forced to sit out his transfer year this year, although he is permitted to practice with the team.)

Coach and Context

The accomplishments of Duke and Coach K are unparalleled since the era of UCLA and John Wooden. Including pre-Coach K appearances, Duke:

• is making its 33rd NCAA appearance this season.
• is making its 24th Sweet 16 appearance this season.
• has won three national championships.
• has appeared in the Final Four 14 times.
• has appeared in the national championship game nine times.
  

By the rarefied standards of Duke and Coach K, the past few years have actually been somewhat of a drought (although that certainly wouldn't be true, anywhere else). Duke has not been to the Final Four since 2004, and didn't reach the Sweet 16 in either 2007 or 2008, as the last two tournaments in particular did not go well.

2007

In 2007, Duke was an unaccustomed and relatively low seed, a #6, and fell to #11 Virginia Commonwealth, 79-77, in the first round in Buffalo. It was the lowest seed Duke had received in over a decade, since being a #8 seed in 1996. In fact, they had been a #1 or a #2 every year since 1996, until 2007. It also marked Duke's first opening-round loss since that year, 1996, when they had lost to #9 Eastern Michigan. Also, it was the first time since 1997 that the Blue Devils hadn't reached the Sweet 16.

2008

In 2008, the Blue Devils were a #2 seed, but needed a near-miracle to escape an upset by #15 seed Belmont in the first round in Washington, DC (take a look at the ending currently airing in the March Madness section on Comcast on Demand, if you have it), winning just 71-70. #7 West Virginia ended the Blue Devils' season, 73-67, in the second round.

Overall Path to the Sweet 16

The Blue Devils have been in the top 10, steadily, all year. They currently sport a 30-6 record overall; they went 11-5 in the ACC, good enough for second place. They did not lose at all, until being upset @ Michigan on December 6 - and Duke then won ten consecutive games, culminating in a 85-44 demolition of Maryland at Cameron on January 24. They were 18-1 overall and 5-0 ACC.

The Blue Devils then stumbled through the next month or so, losing four of the next six. They traveled to then-#6 Wake Forest and lost by two. After crushing Virginia, they went to then-#10 Clemson and were demolished themselves, 74-47 (their worst loss to the Tigers since 1975).

They returned to Cameron and narrowly held off Miami by three. The Blue Devils then lost consecutive games for the first time, falling to archrival (then-#3) North Carolina at Cameron, 101-87. After yielding over 100 points to hated Carolina, they were then upset in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, by Boston College.

Duke then righted the ship, winning five in a row, including victories over Wake Forest and Florida State at Cameron, both ranked opponents. Their hope of avenging the Cameron defeat in Chapel Hill did not materialize, as the Tar Heels won the rematch at the DeanDome by eight.

The Blue Devils, seeded #2 in the ACC tournament in Atlanta, got past BC by one point, Maryland by half a dozen points, and Florida State by ten, to take the tournament championship.

They were subsequently awarded a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Perhaps due to the arduous ending of the first-round game last year against #15 Belmont, the 2009 Blue Devils easily dispatched #15 Binghamton, 86-62, in the first round. Facing Texas in the second round last Saturday, the Blue Devils were able to grind out an unspectacular 74-69 victory to get back to the Sweet 16 (again).

It was a typically glittering season for Duke. Aside from the rugged ACC slate, the Blue Devils notched imposing nonconference wins @ #9 Purdue (by 16), @ Xavier (by 18), and at Cameron against Georgetown (by nine). All six losses were to NCAA qualifiers.

The good news for Villanova is the fact that despite the fantastic record, high RPI and ACC tournament championship, these Blue Devils are not invincible. Duke lost at BC once and nearly a second time in the ACC tournament on a neutral court in Atlanta, as well as that 27-point loss at Clemson.

I'll have a full recap after the game...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Duke History and Traditions: "Why a Blue Devil?" - The Answer Will Surprise You...

(The Original Blue Devil - from the Duke University Library's web site - University Archives, in the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Duke has a collegiate athletic tradition as rich as any in the nation. In this post, I'd like to answer one of the most logical questions to ask about Duke athletics - "Why a Blue Devil?"

Fortunately, the Duke library web site has a complete and thorough answer to the question of "Why a Blue Devil?"

The original link is above... and if you follow it, you can see the picture of the original "Blue Devils" that inspired the name, as well as the evolution of the Blue Devil mascot over the years. (Note: The school was originally named Trinity College, and was renamed Duke after a tobacco magnate by that name, donated an enormous sum of money to the school.)

This is not mentioned in the article, but the Blue Devil traditionally wears a white headband with a statement printed in giant capital letters, tailored to the particular game taking place - so I'll be curious to see what he'll be saying on Thursday...

According to the Duke Library, in an article by William E. King, which originally appeared in the Duke Dialogue on February 28, 1992...

Why a Blue Devil?

The Story of the Duke Mascot

During World War I the Chasseurs Alpins, nicknamed "les Diables Bleus," were well known French soldiers. They first gained attention when their unique training and alpine knowledge was counted upon to break the stalemate of trench warfare in their native region of the French Alps. Unfortunately the Vosges Campaign in March, 1915, failed to alter the status quo even though the Blue Devils won accolades for their courage. However, their distinctive blue uniform with flowing cape and jaunty beret captured public imagination. When the United States entered the war, units of the French Blue Devils toured the country helping raise money in the war effort. Irving Berlin captured their spirit in song describing them as "strong and active, most attractive . . . those Devils, the Blue Devils of France."

As the war was ending in Europe, the Trinity College^* Board of Trustees lifted its quarter-century ban of football on campus. After playing an intramural class schedule for one year, Trinity began intercollegiate competition in 1920. That first year the traditional nomenclature of the Trinity Eleven, the Blue and White or the Methodists (as opposed to the Baptists of nearby Wake Forest) described the team. In September, 1921, the student newspaper, The Trinity Chronicle, launched a campaign for a "catchy name, one of our own possession that would be instantly recognizable nationwide in songs, yells and publicity." At a campus pep rally to stir up enthusiasm it was pointed out that Georgia Tech was gaining recognition as the "Golden Tornados" and that rival North Carolina State College had recently adopted the name "Wolf Pack." There were numerous nominations including Catamounts, Grizzlies, Badgers, Dreadnaughts, and Captains which was in honor of the well-liked Coach W. W. "Cap" Card.

Believing a choice utilizing the school color of dark blue to be appropriate, the newspaper editors urged a selection from among the nominations of Blue Titans, Blue Eagles, Polar Bears, Blue Devils, Royal Blazes, or Blue Warriors. None of the nominations won strong favor but Blue Devils apparently had enough support to elicit the criticism that it would arouse opposition on the Methodist campus "for obvious reasons," and that it might prove risky and jeopardize football if a controversial name were used at that particular time. The football season passed with no official selection of a name.

As the campus leaders from the Class of 1923 made plans for their senior year, they decided to select a name since the desired results by democratic nomination and vote had been inconclusive. The editors of The Archive and The Chanticleer, two of the other student publications, agreed that the newspaper staff should choose a name and "put it over."

Thus William H. Lander, as editor-in-chief, and Mike Bradshaw, as managing editor, of The Trinity Chronicle began the academic year 1922-23 referring to the athletic teams as the Blue Devils. Their class had been the first post-war freshmen and the student body was full of returning veterans so the name needed no explanation. Acknowledging that it was somewhat unpopular, they nevertheless believed it to be the best name nominated. Neither the other publications nor the cheerleaders used the name that first year.

In fact, The Chanticleer made fun of the selection and process by quoting someone saying "We will use blew devvies even if no one else does." Much to the editor's surprise no opposition materialized, not even from the college administration. The newspaper staff continued its use and through repetition, Blue Devils eventually caught on.

Today the origin of the university mascot is virtually forgotten even though its instant, national recognition has long been established. With the popular Red Devil mascot frequently being challenged throughout the country, the origin of Duke's Blue Devil is one of the most often requested items of information in the University Archives. Questioners are universally surprised to discover its origin is more military and patriotic than religious.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, scheduled for around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Villanova/Duke Rivalry History - Everything Up to the 1964 NCAA Tournament

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Duke's basketball history is a marvelous tale, lasting over a century, filled with championships, lore, and characters that would fill volumes. In these posts, I'm trying to intersect Villanova's own unique history within it. The schools have met rarely - just ten times - but there's nothing better than seeing two great, storied programs battling in the NCAA tournament in March. So here's the beginning of the story, in Durham, North Carolina, at the dawn of the twentieth century...

Duke basketball predates Villanova basketball by 15 years. In fact, it even predates being named Duke. It was originally Trinity College, affiliated with the Methodist Church. The first game for Trinity was - fittingly enough - against Wake Forest, on March 2, 1906. It was not an auspicious beginning, however. Wake Forest won easily, 24-10.

The arrival of the sport on campus was due to the fact that a 1900 Trinity graduate, Wilbur Wade "Cap" Card, had done postgraduate work at Harvard, and New England was the birthplace of the sport. Card returned to Durham and brought the new sport with him in 1906.

In a remarkably prescient article, The Chronicle student newspaper made the following report, six weeks before the debut against Wake Forest:

"It is well-nigh a certainty that Trinity is to have another game added to her list of athletic sports in the near future. The game is question is basket ball [with a space between the words], one of the most fascinating and most intensely interesting indoor sports known today.

Anyone witnessing it will never forget it. The play is extremely fast and vigorous, yet open enough for an onlooker to follow the movement of the ball and the players."

The Duke media guide, the source for this quote and many of the facts in this article, accurately notes, "The assessment still holds true 103 years later."

Despite its defeat, the Trinity team was willing to give Wake Forest another try, and so the second game ever was a reciprocal trip to Winston-Salem. But two weeks after winning in Durham, Wake Forest won the second game, 15-5, to sweep the season series, so to speak. (It wasn't all bad the first year, though, as the team won two out of three games with "Trinity Park", to finish with a 3-2 record.)

So by the time Villanova got basketball rolling in 1920-21, Trinity/Duke was a veteran program, having played the sport for 15 years. But less than a decade after inaugurating the sport on the Main Line, Villanova faced Duke for the first time.

The Wildcats had decided to make a Southern road trip, to open their season. Their first four games were @ "Montclair A.C.", @ Wake Forest, @ North Carolina State, and @ Duke. After losing to Montclair AC, they defeated Wake Forest, lost to NC State, and wound up in Durham, NC, and faced Duke on December 19, 1930. It was the season opener for Duke. Cameron Indoor Stadium did not even exist yet; it wouldn't open until 1940. Fittingly enough, the Blue Devils - as they were already known by then - were being coached by Cameron himself. Eddie Cameron had become head coach in 1926, four years earlier.

The Blue Devils had become a powerhouse in the Southern Conference (the ancestor of the modern ACC and SEC), having posted a 18-2 record the previous year. The game took place in Card Gym, the predecessor of Cameron Indoor Stadium, and named after the Trinity/Duke alumnus who had brought the new sport from New England a quarter-century earlier. And Villanova defeated Duke, 22-21, in a thriller.

In spite of what was undoubtedly an exciting contest, the schools would not meet again for another quarter-century - and ironically, it would be Duke's first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The first-round battle of the much-smaller tournament took place in Madison Square Garden.

In 1955, Villanova defeated Duke in the Blue Devils' first-ever NCAA tournament game - this year marks their 33rd appearance (and the 30th for Villanova). It was the NCAA tournament first round, on March 8 of that year, and the Wildcats escaped with a 74-73 victory in what also must have been an extraordinarily exciting game... It was just as much of a thriller as the 22-21 game in Durham, a quarter-century earlier, although with far higher offensive output, obviously. There was a great deal of scoring, particularly for a game taking place prior to the introduction of the shot clock and three-point shot.

Perhaps because the NCAA battle was such great entertainment, the schools decided to meet during the ensuing regular season, 1955-56. The Blue Devils made their first visit to the Palestra to face Villanova in particular (as opposed to Penn, and other Big Five schools), on December 17, 1955.

(Note to Duke fans who might not be familiar with it - Villanova played many home games, including most of its high-profile opponents, at the historic Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, prior to the construction of the on-campus Pavilion in 1986.)

Duke won the first non-cliffhanger game in the series, defeating the host Wildcats 86-76 in another high-octane game.

The series skipped the 1956-57 season, but resumed for the next two seasons with a home-and-home series. On December 14, 1957, Villanova traveled down to Durham for the first time since the initial meeting back in 1930. This time, the host Blue Devils won, 60-53.

When Duke returned to the Palestra on December 20, 1958, the Wildcats won 74-67. Unfortunately, the intersectional regular-season series died for some reason, and would not be revived until the 1990s.

The next meeting came in the 1964 NCAA tournament, the first time the teams had met in over five years. On March 13, 1964, Jack Kraft's Villanova team defeated Providence (the Big East did not exist yet) in the first round, but fell to the Blue Devils, 87-73, in the second round. (The Wildcats did defeat Princeton, in the consolation round that existed at the time.) The Wildcat players included Bill Melchionni, Wali Jones, George Leftwich, Richie Moore, Bernie Schaffer, and Jim Washington.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, at around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

The Randy Foye Foundation Blogathon, Sponsored by VUHoops.com

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The great site VUHoops.com has called to my attention an admirable cause, due to their Blogathon to Support the Randy Foye Foundation. The immediate impetus was the fundraiser which they are hosting this evening, as Foye and the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the 76ers at the Wachovia Center.

I would highly recommend that you take a look at the Randy Foye Foundation web site. They provide Foye's biography and background, discuss his ascent into basketball stardom, and describe his efforts to improve opportunities for residents of his hometown of Newark, New Jersey. You will likely find Foye's own personal story to be of tremendous interest, particularly if you are not previously familiar with his path first to Villanova, and then to the NBA.

I wish the Foundation the best of luck in the fulfillment of their mission...

Villanova/Duke Rivalry History - March 19, 1978 - NCAA Tournament East Regional Final

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

This week - in addition to previewing the Sweet 16 contest between the Villanova Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils - I'll be looking back at the ten previous games in which Villanova has met Duke.

Other entries in the Villanova/Duke Rivalry History -

You can read about the November 14, 2000, Preseason NIT meeting at Cameron Indoor Stadium...

You can read about #14 Duke wrecking the then-CoreStates Center debut, defeating #4 Villanova, on December 14, 1996...

March 19, 1978 - NCAA Tournament, East Regional Final (Elite Eight) - Providence, Rhode Island - Duke 90, Villanova 72

This was the third time - and until this week, the most recent - meeting between the two schools in the NCAA tournament. It was a remarkable confluence for the Big Five, as Villanova defeated La Salle, 103-97, in first round action at the Palestra. Travelling to Providence, the Wildcats narrowly got past Indiana in the second round, 61-60, before facing Duke there.

For their part, the Blue Devils had eked out a 63-62 victory over Rhode Island in Charlotte in the first round, behind 25 points from Mike Gminski. On St. Patrick's Day, they also had gone to Providence, where they had topped Penn (then a power), 84-80, with a pair of Blue Devils scoring 21 points. And so the Wildcats and Blue Devils met in the equivalent of the Elite Eight.

On March 19, Duke had no trouble getting past the Wildcats, 90-72. The Wildcats on the team included, inter alia, Alex Bradley, Keith Herron, Reggie Robinson, Rory Sparrow, and one Robert Rigsby (better known to the Villanova Wildcats faithful as "Whitey" Rigsby, the team's radio color analyst). Jim Spanarkel (also, now well known as a color analyst) led Duke with 23 points, as they advanced to the Final Four. In addition to Spanarkel and Gminski, the other Duke standout on that team was Gene Banks.

This was under Coach K's predecessor, Bill Foster; Coach K arrived in 1980-81. Foster took the Blue Devils past Notre Dame in the national semifinals in St. Louis, but fell to Kentucky in the national championship.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, scheduled for around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Villanova/Duke Rivalry History - December 10, 1997 - Top-Ranked Blue Devils Crush Wildcats at Cameron, 94-66

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

This week - in addition to previewing the Sweet 16 contest between the Villanova Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils - I'll be looking back at the ten previous games in which Villanova has met Duke.

Other entries in the Villanova/Duke Rivalry History -

You can read about the November 14, 2000, Preseason NIT meeting at Cameron Indoor Stadium...

You can read about Duke destroying the CoreStates Center debut on December 14, 1996...

The Wildcats had scheduled a home-and-home series with Duke, and the Blue Devils had made the trip to the then-CoreStates Center the previous season, during the 1997-98 season, described in the link above.

The following year, when Villanova had to go to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the return game, it was ugly. It would be the first time Villanova had played at Cameron since 1958 (since the other games with Duke since then, had been in the NCAA tournament). But the Wildcats had lost Jason Lawson, Alvin Williams, and Tim Thomas to the NBA, and were hopelessly overmatched.

On December 10, 1997, the top-ranked Blue Devils easily annihilated the Wildcats at Cameron, 94-66. Wildcat players who rounded out the lineup in both Duke games in that home-and-home series included Malik Allen, Brian Lynch, T.J. Caouette, John Celestand, Howard Brown, Rafal Bigus, Jermaine Medley, and Zeffy Penn.

According to the Duke Chronicle, with the headline of No. 1 Duke adds 'Cats to list of victims, 94-66....

Last year when the men's basketball team beat Villanova, it was a big upset. This year, it was a big bore.

Six players scored in double digits as the Blue Devils did as was expected, dismantling the Wildcats 94-66 in Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday night. Duke (9-0) won the opening tip, took a 7-0 lead and never looked back. Villanova (2-3) played a strong second half, but by that point, the game was lost.

Tough Duke defense in the first half forced 14 Villanova turnovers for 17 Duke points and limited the Wildcats to 37 percent shooting from the floor, helping the Blue Devils take a 52-26 lead into the locker room...

[Elton] Brand contributed six rebounds, four blocks and a team-high 15 points, while Shane Battier added seven boards of his own. As a team, the Blue Devils rebounded evenly with the Wildcats, but Duke struggled in trying to contain the 6-foot-10 forward [Malik] Allen.

Allen had 17 points and 16 rebounds on the game, and particularly hurt Duke in the second half, when the Blue Devils only outscored Villanova by two points. The Wildcats racked up 15 offensive boards and forced 10 Duke turnovers in the half...

Epilogue

It was a rebuilding year for Villanova, which finished with a losing record, and missed postseason play completely, for the first time in five seasons. (The Wildcats have not had a losing record or missed both the NCAA and NIT, since then.)

For Duke, it was a far different story. The Blue Devils were the top seed in the South Region, and went to the Elite Eight. They continued their memorable rivalry with Kentucky by being unable to hold a large lead against those Wildcats, falling 86-84.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, scheduled for around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Villanova/Duke Rivalry History - December 14, 1996 - #14 Blue Devils Wreck Then-CoreStates Center Opening, Defeating #4 Wildcats, 87-79

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

This week - in addition to previewing the Sweet 16 contest between the Villanova Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils - I'll be looking back at the ten previous games in which Villanova has met Duke.

Other entries in the Villanova/Duke Rivalry History -

You can read about the November 14, 2000, Preseason NIT meeting at Cameron Indoor Stadium...

December 14, 1996 (regular season) - #14 Duke 87, #4 Villanova 79, @ the CoreStates Center college basketball debut, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The new Philadelphia Flyers/76ers venue, the then-CoreStates Center, opened its doors for the 1996-97 season. Of course, Villanova had occasionally used the old Spectrum for games against Georgetown, Syracuse, and the like, but they wanted a big splash for their first game in the "new building". And what better way to mark the first college basketball game in the glittering venue, than by inviting a program of Duke's prominence?

(The old Spectrum witnessed its final game recently, as it is scheduled for demolition in the near future. In addition, \the Wildcats played a nostalgia game against Pittsburgh earlier this season, on January 29, as a tribute. It was the first time they had played there since the 1996-97 season, when they were unable to book the "new building" more than three times, and thus had to play twice in the "old building". There were five games in South Philadelphia that year, as a result.)

So on Saturday afternoon, December 14, 1996, many Villanova students took a respite from their exams to travel by a flotilla of chartered buses, down to the Center in South Philadelphia, for the historic occasion.

Duke was obviously a program of great prestige, having been to numerous Final Fours and not far removed from back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992. However, the Wildcats featured one of their most talented teams, the last year of the Steve Lappas-era nucleus (minus Kerry Kittles and Eric Eberz) of Jason Lawson, Alvin Williams, and Chuck Kornegay - but bolstered by the single-year appearance of Tim Thomas. (Duke fans - you may remember Kornegay from his time at NC State, from which he transferred to Villanova.) As a result, the Wildcats were ranked #4 nationally, higher than the Blue Devils, who were ranked #14 in the poll.

Duke wrecked the opening-day party, unfortunately, hanging an 87-79 defeat on the Wildcats at the Center. According to the Duke Chronicle, which covered the contest:

A great deal of the credit for the win goes to the Duke backcourt of [Jeff] Capel, [Trajan] Langdon and junior Ricky Price. The trio scored 49 of the Blue Devils' points and hit a combined 7-for-12 from the three-point arc. Their outside shooting was necessary due to the much larger Wildcat frontcourt which often prevented the Blue Devils from getting the ball inside. Villanova outscored Duke 34-20 in the paint, but the real battle was further out on the court-while the Blue Devils finished the game with a sizzling 52.9 three-point percentage, the Wildcats only managed a meager 23.1%...

Villanova kept Duke's lead within 10 for the first few minutes of the second half, but following a jumper by senior center Greg Newton at the 17:17 mark to put Duke up 48-37, the Wildcats remained in a double-digit debt to the Blue Devils for nearly 15 minutes. Villanova managed to narrow the gap in the last minutes of the game by committing eight fouls in the final 2:20 in an attempt to regain possession of the ball, but it was not enough.

You can also read the AP story.


Epilogue


Of course, given its #4 ranking entering the game, it was a strong Wildcats team, one which eventually qualified for the NCAA tournament as a #4 seed and played - ironically - not very far from Durham- in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where Wake Forest was the host. But the Wildcats were unable to make it past the second round. They defeated #13 Long Island, before falling to #5 California in the second round. (The Cal squad featured future NFL legendary tight end Tony Gonzalez, who went on to stardom for the Kansas City Chiefs.)

By Duke standards, 1996-97 was a solid, but unspectacular, year. The Blue Devils still had not fully recovered from the disastrous mid-'90s collapse triggered by Coach K's health. As a result, Duke had missed the 1995 tournament completely- its first absence in a dozen years, since 1983. They had also lost in the first round of the 1996 tournament, as a #8 seed, to #9 Eastern Michigan.

The 1997 Blue Devils returned to form, qualifying as a more Duke-like #2 seed, and played their first two rounds in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina. But they really struggled, escaping #15 seed Murray State by just three points, 71-68, in the first round. In the second round, they were upset by #10 seed Providence, 98-87. Capel was the star, scoring 25 points against the Racers in the first round and 26 against the Friars in the second.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, scheduled for around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

ReViewpoint: Looking Back at the Last Villanova/Duke Contest - Preseason NIT, @ Cameron, Nov. 17, 2000

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

This week - in addition to previewing the Sweet 16 contest between the Villanova Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils - I'll be looking back at the ten previous games in which Villanova has met Duke. Today we'll take a look at the most recent meeting between the Wildcats and Blue Devils. It was nearly nine years ago, at Cameron Indoor Stadium, in the Preseason NIT.

In the Preseason NIT, in what would be coach Steve Lappas's ninth and final season at the helm in the Main Line, the Wildcats travelled to Cameron Indoor Stadium, on November 17, 2000. Villanova had advanced by defeating Fairfield, 101-85, at the Pavilion. They faced a Blue Devils squad, that would become the eventual national champions, four months later.

Duke got past the Wildcats, 98-85. The Blue Devils led 51-40 at halftime, and ultimately forced a horrific 29 turnovers (not a typo). Villanova outrebounded Duke, 31-23, and the Blue Devils committed 19 turnovers of their own.

However, center Michael Bradley had a monster game for 'Nova; it was the beginning of his brilliant, All-American season, after transferring from Kentucky. After the season, he would opt to forgo his final year of eligibility, having played two years at Kentucky under Rick Pitino, a single year at Villanova, and having graduated (due to having to sit out the 1999-2000 season).

When Villanova did not turn over the ball, the Wildcats shot well, hitting 62.1% of their shots. (Although what really hurt was the poor accuracy from three-point range, as Villanova hit just 23.1% of those shots.) Bradley finished with 28 points on 12-16 shooting, as well as eight rebounds. Shooting guard Gary Buchanan scored 11 points on 4-9 shooting, while forwards Brooks Sales and Aaron Matthews added 10 points apiece.

The diminutive combo guard Jermaine Medley started at the point, scoring five points, dealing five assists and committing seven turnovers; he was spelled by guard Derrick Snowden. Also coming in off the bench, were sophomore forwards Ricky Wright and Andrew Sullivan, and freshman guard Reggie Bryant (who subsequently transferred). Unfortunately, the team also permitted the Blue Devils to shoot well, hitting 59.3% of their shots.

Looking at the Duke side of the box score, here were the key contributors for the once and future kings of college basketball, the Blue Devils, as half a dozen reached double figures:

1. Center Carlos Boozer had a game-high 29 points on 9-15 shooting, six rebounds and five steals.
   
2. Forward Shane Battier played all 40 minutes, had 18 points on 7-13 shooting, and seven rebounds.
3. Forward Nate James had a dozen points and four rebounds.
4. Guard Mike Dunleavy, Jr., scored 16 points on 6-8 shooting and four rebounds. (Ironically, Dunleavy's brother Baker, would eventually become a valued practice player for the Villanova Wildcats.)
   
5. Point guard Jason Williams had a double-double, with 13 points, 10 assists, and five steals.
6. Off the bench, guard Chris Duhon added 17 points on 6-8 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the arc, along with four assists and two steals.

Epilogue:

Duke was awarded the top seed in the East Region come March, and reached the Final Four along with ACC rival Maryland, Arizona, and defending national champion Michigan State. In the national semifinal, Duke made an astonishing, historic comeback from an enormous deficit against the Terrapins, to advance to the title game against Arizona. The Blue Devils triumphed on Monday night to give Coach K his third national championship, and his first since he won back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.

The Wildcats, for their part, were a bubble team that went 8-8 in the Big East, defeated West Virginia in the conference tournament opening round, but fell short against Boston College and probably came up just that one victory short of an NCAA bid. After nine seasons as head coach, Lappas would depart for Massachusetts, after the Wildcats ended their season at Minnesota, in the first round of the NIT. Jay Wright, the former Villanova assistant under Rollie Massimino and then the head coach at Hofstra, was introduced immediately afterwards. The rest is history.

There have been no meetings since then - until Thursday.

Check back for more posts, both on the history of Villanova/Duke, and a comprehensive preview of Thursday's Sweet 16 contest, at around 10 PM in Boston...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

NCAA 2nd Rd, Villanova/UCLA Recap, Part 3: LA Times: Howland's "Refusal to Play Zone Defense" & Aboya's 3 1st Half PFs Were Major Cause of UCLA Defeat

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Hat tip to commenter Seamus, who called my attention to an LA Times article by Bill Plaschke. Plaschke makes an intriguing argument: namely, that UCLA coach Ben Howland's ironclad commitment to man-to-man defense, and the three first-half fouls on Bruin forward Alfred Aboya, were major causes of UCLA's unravelling in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Saturday.

Here's the key quote from Plaschke's article, titled "Shaken to its core, UCLA must begin to rebuild..."

Although UCLA actually played about as hard as could be expected with a foot on its chest, Villanova exposed what many consider to be the Bruins' two biggest weaknesses: lack of a consistent inside game, and Howland's stubbornness.

With only Aboya as an inside defensive threat -- and he picked up three fouls before halftime -- Wildcats guards controlled the game with constant dribble penetration.

With Howland's refusal to play zone defense, the slower Bruins were rendered helpless.

Howland vowed to find a stronger inside presence by next season. But he also vowed to never abandon his trademark man-to-man philosophy.

Asked whether this game would persuade him to teach a zone, he spoke stronger than his players played.

"No," he said.

I was intrigued by that hypothesis, and decided to take a look at the play-by-play. Aboya did in fact pick up two very quick fouls, less than three minutes into the contest. The first came just over a minute from tip-off, and the second almost as soon, the 17:17 mark.

The live blog written by CBS2 in Los Angeles notes that "UCLA center Alfred Aboya picked up his second foul at the 17:17 mark and went to the bench." Aboya did not sit down for the balance of the half, with the two fouls, though. He is recorded as collecting a rebound shortly after the second foul, committing a turnover to Corey Stokes at the 12:59 mark, and making a layup three minutes later to trim Villanova's lead to 28-13.

It was logical for Howland to leave him in the game, with the two fouls, given the fact that the Bruins didn't really have anyone to replace him underneath.

The CBS2 blog perceptively notes that:

13:20 Cunningham giving UCLA fits

Right now, the Bruins don't have an answer for Villanova's Dante Cunningham, who has gone 3-for-3 in the early going after sinking a 15-footer when UCLA backup center Drew Gordon hesitated on stepping out to guard him at the foul line. And as soon as the Bruins try to collapse on Cunningham, Corey Stokes makes a 3-pointer to give Villanova a 20-9 lead, forcing UCLA coach Ben Howland to burn his second timeout of the half.

Aboya committed his third foul at the 6:52 mark, with UCLA trailing 33-18, sending Dwayne Anderson to the line, who made one of two. (Aboya himself had just made one of two at the 7:07 mark, being sent there by Antonio Pena). Aboya vanishes from the play-by-play for the remainder of the half, so he probably spent the last 6:52 of the half there. The CBS2 live blog - having a very substantive analysis, I highly recommend it- records that:

"6:52 Aboya picks up third foul

The gamble by UCLA coach Ben Howland to reinsert Alfred Aboya backfires as the center from Cameroon picks up his third foul in frustrating fashion, after losing his balance on a ball fake."

The full box score indicates that Aboya played only 22 minutes, although he made them count, scoring nine points, grabbing eight rebounds (including three offensive ones) and recorded one steal. Aboya never eventually picked up a fourth foul, so it's possible that Howland left him on the bench because he felt that he needed a quicker lineup, or because he thought he was ineffective.

More intriguing is the idea that Howland's lack of interest in playing zone may have permitted the Wildcats to - literally - run wild in the halfcourt. It's possible. (Note - despite the statements in Plaschke's story and in other outlets about the differences between Big East and Pac-10 basketball, Howland was certainly familiar with Jay Wright and with Villanova and with Big East style of play, given that he had a very impressive run with Pittsburgh not that long ago, and coached against Wright and the Wildcats. And defense was the foundation of those Panther teams.)

Certainly, there is the possibility that Jay Wright and the coaching staff, being familiar with Howland, might have concluded that Howland would never switch to zone, and designed a game plan to exploit that very weakness in the UCLA defense. If that's the case, then the game plan apparently worked to perfection. As Plaschke noted, it was the worst NCAA tournament defeat for UCLA since Howland arrived...

Well, food for thought, anyway. Stop back for more Villanova Wildcats coverage, as we look forward to facing #2 Duke in the NCAA Sweet 16, on Thursday at 10 PM or so...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Six Wildcats Reach Double Figures As #3 Villanova Wallops #6 UCLA Bruins, 89-69, in NCAA Tournament 2nd Round at the Wachovia Center!!! (Part 2)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Part 2 of the recap of the glorious victory over UCLA... Part 3 will be along later, and you can also read Part 1, the initial Villanova/UCLA recap...

Villanova dominated all aspects of play today. UCLA's final lead today was 6-5, at the 16:56 mark when Josh Shipp converted two free throws. The final tie was at 9-9, after Nicola Dragovic hit a three-pointer off an assist from Shipp, with 15:46 to play.

Villanova took the lead for good when Dante Cunningham broke the 9-9 deadlock with a jump shot, 17 seconds later, putting the Wildcats up 11-9. It was the beginning of a 11-0 run that established Villanova in complete control, in the midst of the first half. The 11-0 run culminated in a triple by Corey Stokes, assisted by Corey Fisher, giving the Wildcats a 20-9 lead.

With 12:16 to play, UCLA's James Keefe rebounded a missed layup from Jrue Holiday, and slammed it to break the run and make it 20-11. But the Wildcats responded with another 8-0 run, which had a fitting end - Antonio Pena missed a shot, Dwayne Anderson rebounded it and then dunked it with authority. It was now 28-11 with 10:13 to play.

While I had no sense of certainty of victory at the time, obviously, those twin bursts look different in retrospect. When combined to make it a 19-2 Villanova run over a 5:16 span, the Wildcats never looked back. Their lead was 17 points; the Bruins would never get closer than a dozen points for the rest of the game.

Think about this for a moment. The sixth-seeded Bruins were the Pac-10 runner-up, and were brimming with postseason experience. They had been to three straight Final Fours - while many of the players from those teams were gone, their replacements had still experienced them, as had the coaching staff. Their newcomers were also lauded with many accolades as blue-chip prospects.

In spite of all of these factors, the Wildcats simply steamrolled UCLA today. They seized control with a 17-point lead midway through the first half, and never permitted the Bruins to pull closer than 12 points, at any point for the remainder of the game.

It was a level of performance that I would have thought unthinkable, after the debacle of the first half against #14 American on Thursday evening. On Thursday, the Wildcats had trailed American by 10 points at halftime, 14 points early in the second half, and by eight with just 11:21 to play, before rallying to win by a deceptively wide 13-point margin...

After the Wildcats took the 28-11 lead at the midpoint of the first half, they actually doubled up UCLA at one point. Shane Clark slammed home a dunk, assisted by Corey Fisher, to balloon the lead to 38-19 with 5:17 to play. At this point, the Bruins developed their only momentum of the contest.

Shipp and Darren Collison combined to score seven consecutive points, pulling UCLA to within 38-26 at the 2:53 mark. The Wildcats quickly quelled the challenge, though, trotting into the locker room at halftime with a comfortable 44-31 advantage.

Nor did UCLA truly stay within striking distance, after play resumed. The Wildcats outscored the Bruins 13-4 at the beginning of the second half, with the end of the run coming when Fisher was fouled by Dragovic while laying the ball into the net. Fisher converted the traditional three-point play to increase the Wildcats' lead to 22 points, 57-35, with 16:30 to play.

For the remainder of the contest (i.e., virtually the entire second half), the Wildcats' lead never dipped below 16 points. It fluctuated between 16 and 25 points, with the zenith coming when Scottie Reynolds hit one of two free throws, with 3:40 to play, making the score 86-61. UCLA outscored Villanova 8-3 the rest of the way, to leave the final margin at 89-69, 20 points. Unlike Thursday's game, however, Villanova's margin of victory was a precisely accurate barometer of the Wildcats' level of play in the game. It was a thorough thrashing of UCLA, a very talented and accomplished opponent, which has been an elite program for decades.

I will have Part 3 of the UCLA recap up later, and eventually, there will be material on Villanova's upcoming Sweet 16 battle with #2 Duke in Boston on Thursday... so keep checking back...

You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

Six Wildcats Reach Double Figures As #3 Villanova Wallops #6 UCLA Bruins, 89-69, in NCAA Tournament 2nd Round!!! (initial recap)

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful!!!-

The third-seeded Wildcats walloped the sixth-seeded UCLA Bruins, 89-69, on Saturday afternoon, March 21, at the Wachovia Center. Six Wildcats reached double figures, as Villanova will make its second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 (and fourth in five years...)

This is, of course, just the immediate recap... the full recap will be along as soon as possible...

It was the first time that the Villanova Wildcats and UCLA Bruins had battled in the NCAA tournament in 38 years. The only other occasion was the 1971 national championship game, in which John Wooden's seven-year dynasty withstood a tough challenge from Jack Kraft's Wildcats, losing 68-62 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas.

This was only the second round, but Villanova was able to return the favor, nearly four decades later. These UCLA Bruins were trying to return to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive season. And Villanova - most decidedly - ensured that it wouldn't happen. It also prevented the Bruins from tying Kentucky, at the century mark in NCAA tournament wins - the win over Virginia Commonwealth was the program's 99th in its uniquely storied history.

With Coach Kraft and many of the 1971 Wildcats in attendance, the 2009 Wildcats absolutely dismantled the Pac-10 runner-up UCLA Bruins, with shocking ease. It was difficult to believe that this was the same team that trailed #14 American University by 14 points at one point in the second half, and which was still playing from behind deep into that second half.

The Wildcats have now advanced to the Sweet 16, where they will face either #2 Duke or #7 Texas (the latter of whom they played earlier this season), in Boston.

UCLA looked dreadful, as the Bruins ended their season well short of a fourth Final Four, as the game was never even remotely competitive. The team that came in did not look like the Pac-10 runner-up, but the team that fell at home to Washington State in late February.

Looking at the Box Score

Six Wildcats reached double figures:

1. Dante Cunningham, following up his huge performance against American on Thursday, turned in another double-double today: 18 points on 7-11 shooting, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. That would be a great day even with normal playing time. But Cunningham picked up two quick fouls early in the first half, and played just 24 minutes.
2. Dwayne Anderson, his fellow senior standout, also played superbly. Although nobody expected him to match his career-high of 25 points on Thursday, Anderson also had a double-double: 10 points (although on 4-14 shooting), 11 rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
3. Reggie Redding continued his renaissance. The junior guard and "glue guy", the term by which Jay Bilas quoted Jay Wright as referring to Redding as someone who helps the team win, simply did it all (to borrow the Dick Vitale-an phrase) today: 13 points (on 4-8 shooting), six rebounds, seven assists, and four steals (the only downside being four turnovers).
4. Scottie Reynolds returned to reasonable form today, after really struggling recently. Reynolds finished with 11 points (on 4-9 shooting, 2-6 from three-point range), one assist and no turnovers.
5. Off the bench, both Coreys made significant impacts on the contest. Fisher, despite playing in foul trouble (he finished with four), packed an enormous offensive punch for the Wildcats today. He added 13 points on 4-7 shooting (including 4-4 from the line), three rebounds, five assists against no turnovers, and a steal in 25 minutes of action.
   
6. Stokes saw 23 minutes, and he made the most of them. Nine of his ten field goal attempts were triples, and he knocked down four of them, ending up with a dozen points. He added three rebounds, an assist, and a turnover.

The only Wildcats who didn't reach double figures were Shane Clark and Antonio Pena (plus Colenda, Russell Wooten, and Tchuisi, of course). But Clark played very well. Playing just 16 minutes, Clark had eight points on 4-7 shooting, plus four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and no turnovers. (Had he seen a few more minutes, Clark could possibly have been the seventh Wildcat in double figures.)

Pena saw some time due to Cunningham's foul trouble, and also replaced Cunningham at garbage time, in order to give Cunningham a tribute from the Philadelphia crowd, seeing him live for the last time (except for those lucky few able to get tickets in Boston for the Sweet 16). Pena logged 10 minutes, scored two points on 2-4 FTs, missed one shot, had an offensive rebound and committed a turnover.

Colenda had the only box score number of the trio of practice players, as he made two free throws and bagged a rebound. All three played one minute.

Looking at the UCLA side of the box score...

Three Bruins, Josh Shipp, Darren Collison, and Nikola Dragovic- reached double figures. Shipp had 18 points on 5-9 shooting, including 7-7 from the line, and Collison had 15 points on 4-10 shooting. But Collison did not manage the ball well, committing five turnovers against one assist.

Dragovic had 11 points, and played through foul trouble, finishing with four fouls and 27 minutes of action. He played very well, going 4-7 from the floor and hitting three of his six three-point attempts. He also added five rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot, as well as two turnovers.

Alfred Aboya got into foul trouble early and played just 22 minutes, but he still almost had a double-double, with nine points and eight rebounds.

Freshman Jrue Holiday was held to just four points on 1-6 shooting, although he dealt seven assists against four turnovers.

The most significant numbers, looking at the teams as a whole, were rebounds and turnovers. Villanova annihilated UCLA on the glass, outrebounding the Bruins 39-26 (and on the offensive end, 15 to 7, with Cunningham pulling down five offensive boards alone). Villanova also forced 18 turnovers while committing 11.

In what was really the only negative aspect of today for a Wildcats fan-

CBS - undoubtedly kicking itself for scheduling a single game in the early afternoon, which turned out to be lopsided - deprived the Philadelphia market of the final 1:18 of the game, in which Frank Tchuisi and walk-ons Russell Wooten and Jason Colenda entered the game to a huge ovation. And Colenda even connected on a pair of free throws in the final minute.

Right when Greg Gumbel interrupted the broadcast, Frank Tchuisi was approaching the scorer's table, at 3:18 EDT, CBS cut away to show the opening moments of #2 Memphis/#10 Maryland. CBS does a fantastic job in its coverage of the tournament, but it really dropped the ball here. The Philadelphia market should - absolutely and without question - have seen the conclusion of the game in its entirety.

This is just my initial recap - a more complete recap will come later, so keep checking back. You can also take a look at the Various Viewpoints on the right sidebar, for their takes...

Go Wildcats!

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged. Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)