"Attitude of a Champion" Documentary - Review - First Impressions

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

This evening, I had the good fortune, to attend the initial screening of Attitude of a Champion, the documentary which focused on the enchanted NCAA tournament run, by the 2008-09 Villanova Wildcats.

The screening was held at 6 PM and 7:30 PM, in the Connelly Center Cinema. It was a great atmosphere for the event, and Villanova, to its credit, made it fun. They steered everyone to the front side of Connelly (down near the ramps), so that all attendees would walk in the door, be greeted by cheerleaders and hospitality staff, as well as The Wildcat (a/k/a, Will D. Cat, #6), plus a giant poster of the Wildcats.

The Wildcat gave a great performance in the lobby, and the aisles, as the crowd settled in. He also got a laugh from the crowd, when after everyone had settled in, he walked up to the formal podium with Villanova University solemnly emblazoned upon it, as if he was going to give the opening remarks...

The Surreal Elements

Summer and Basketball at Villanova

There is nothing like the Villanova campus in summer, in terms of sheer aesthetic beauty. The one really surreal aspect of it, was arriving on campus on a very pleasant August evening, with basketball on our minds. It's baseball season, with the Phillies leading the NL East, and the Eagles are starting training camp, and basketball doesn't really fit in with that picture, naturally.

The Villanova Wildcats on the Big Screen

In addition to the incongruency of the warm weather, it's really surreal to see Jay Wright and the players, up on the big screen, in the Connelly Center.

After the Phillies had won the World Series in 2008, I had the good fortune to see a documentary on the World Series in a movie theater, and had noticed the same effect.

We're so used to watching sporting events live, or on television, and it seems so unusual to see them up on a big screen in a movie theater, simply because we're not used to them being presented in that format. So that takes some getting used to... And that's a good segue into the next point:

The 2008-09 Wildcats Have Already Entered Villanova History

Seeing them up on the big screen, I was reminded of something I had written in the immediate aftermath of The Shot by Scottie Reynolds to vanquish Pitt...

This team, due to its extraordinary (and entirely unexpected) accomplishments, is already part of the lore. They already have a high-production-value, well-written documentary on their feats. They are legends already.

Now, that might seem absurd, given that all but four of the Wildcats will be back on the hardwood next season- some for multiple seasons. But, nonetheless, it's true.

What they've done last year, has already completed an incredible story - memories that will last for a lifetime, for anyone who experienced it, even those of us who experienced it only as spectators.

The Film Per Se - It Was So Much Fun

Narrated by Scott Graham, the Phillies broadcaster, who also does Big Five games, it was a marvelous time capsule of the 2008-09 season, one of the greatest in the history of Villanova's storied program. It was about 70-some minutes of outstanding craftsmanship. The film itself was incredible.

Granted, I had been hoping that it would be outstanding, given the extraordinarly storylines - buzzer-beaters, upsets, victories over titans like Duke and UCLA - but they really did a remarkable job with it.

Probably the highest praise that I can offer WipeOut Productions, is that watching the film was so much fun. Up on the big screen and with the surround sound, it whisked me back to the season. Despite the warm temperatures, I was taken back to February and March, and the drama of each contest.

I was very pleased to see the attention and time that they gave to Dwayne Anderson's layup to defeat Marquette, in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament. That really did lay the groundwork for the NCAA tournament run, and it was an incredible play. They showed it from four different angles, and it's equally thrilling to watch, each time. They gave Anderson justifiable credit, for the role he played not just on that shot, but all through March.

Watching this documentary was so much fun. With every play, as you saw the clock ticking down, you momentarily forgot the happy endings that you already knew, that Villanova beats Marquette in the Big East tournament,
American,
UCLA,
Duke,
and of course, Pitt in the Elite Eight.

You remember how nervous you were, during the close games. When you see Reggie Redding throw that pass away against Pitt, you have the same sickening feeling in your stomach that you had at the time.

The Shot

They did a superb job, chronicling it. They showed it in the beginning, to set the tone, and then showed it from multiple camera angles and speeds. One laugh line is from Scottie Reynolds, at the press conference - it was something to the effect, that he had said:

"I didn't see the ball go in, but I saw everyone else running in one direction and so I figured I should run that way, too."

I was hoping that they would include an angle that CBS had included on the original broadcast: an overhead shot of the team, cascading onto the floor in full euphoria. And they did.

The Script and the Players

All of the players received a profile, including Frank Tchuisi, who is portrayed in depth. I was really impressed with the writing of the script, and how seamlessly the stories of the players were woven into the story of the season. To use one example, they saved the profiles of the two close friends, Anderson and Dante Cunningham, till the end, and described the journey from Silver Spring, Maryland, to Villanova, and finally to the Final Four.

In summary, it was a tremendous evening. They're going to be screening it at Connelly again on Thursday, August 6, although seating is limited (unlike tonight). If you're in the area, you really should try to see it on the big screen. You won't be disappointed.

Four Factors That May Have Torpedoed Villanova's Chances of Upsetting North Carolina in the Final Four

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Of course, I hope all of you had an enjoyable Easter weekend...

Looking at the outcome, back on the evening of Saturday, April 4, with more detachment-

I think that a combination of factors made the difference, between the loss and what could have been a major upset. These factors rose in importance, because looking at the dry numbers on the box score, two elements aren't consistent with a 14-point loss, in which you trailed badly, for nearly the entire game.

1. Villanova - despite being far smaller - actually won the rebounding battle, 50-46, including hauling down 19 on the offensive end, to North Carolina's 14.
2. The teams both had a dozen turnovers.

So in no particular order, the downsides:

1. The number of missed three-point shots that a) were open, and/or b) that rattled in and out. Villanova shot 5/27 from three-point range, a miserable 18.5%. And it wasn't just that the Wildcats' best perimeter shooters missed many shots. There seemed to be a disproportionate number of open looks that were not made, and also a good number that rattled in and out... If Villanova had made, say, 8 of 27 (which is still very poor - less than 33%), the entire tenor of the game would have been different, because the Wildcats would have remained within striking distance.
2. Inability to get to the foul line. One of Villanova's major strengths this year has been free throw shooting accuracy. When it got to the line, Villanova did very well at the line on Saturday, making 12/16 of the line, an impressive 75%. But the Wildcats were unable to do what they often do - drive the lane effectively and draw fouls. North Carolina took far more shots at the line (22/37), and while the shooting percentage was poor (just 59.5%), the Tar Heels netted out a ten-point advantage.
3. Enormous difficulty, in scoring underneath the basket. Granted, given the disadvantage that Villanova faced in terms of height, this might have been problematic, under any circumstances. North Carolina not only had Tyler Hansbrough, but Roy Williams could bring in two quality players off the bench. They had in reserve, Ed Davis, 6/10 and the team leader in blocks - and also a 7-footer, Tyler Zeller, off the bench, if they had needed him (he played just 2 minutes, as opposed to Davis's 22 minutes). But with Villanova's three-point shooters missing often, North Carolina could continue to stay packed in the lane- and force Villanova's drivers to take bad shots in traffic.
4. On a lighter note- Jay Wright's pigs let us down. The pigs in Wright's aptly named "pig pocket", in the interior of his suit, were a good luck charm suggested by his daughter several weeks ago. The pigs had been 9-2, entering the game against North Carolina. But, regrettably, the pigs did not deliver at crunch time.
   

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.)

Reynolds, Many Villanova Wildcats Featured on 2009 "One Shining Moment" on CBS After North Carolina Won National Title over Michigan State

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Thanks to their incredible Final Four run - the first for Villanova in 24 years and since the miraculous victory over Georgetown in 1985 - many Wildcats were featured, some multiple times, in CBS's montage of the tournament with the song One Shining Moment...

This is an article about the passing of the song's creator and the origins of the song One Shining Moment. It's very worthwhile reading, and I give it my highest recommendation. You can also just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the 2008 One Shining Moment YouTube clip - the author starts out with the link to 1987, since he's an Indiana fan, and he has 2008 all the way at the bottom of the page.

There are already several versions of the 2009 One Shining Moment on YouTube. If you have a fast computer, I'd recommend the high-definition version.

On the high-definition version, you have to be patient with it, as the person who uploaded it carefully recorded Greg Gumbel's entire signoff, including an advertisement for The Masters, so you won't see the tribute right away. If you want to skip ahead, and reach the tribute to the late Doug Towey, the individual who first had the idea of using it for CBS's Final Four coverage, and the video, I'd jump to the 0:40 mark of the 4:41.

On the regular-definition version of the 2009 One Shining Moment on YouTube, the uploader started the recording, immediately with Gumbel's tribute to Towey, so it lasts only 3:39.

Villanova Wildcats Appearances (High-Definition Time Counter in front of the picture)

1. 2:01 - Scottie Reynolds jumper against Pitt during the Elite Eight
   
2. 2:14-2:21 - The Shot - Reynolds drives for the game-winning basket to break tie with Pitt and send Villanova to the Final Four, plus the Wildcats pouring on to the court in complete euphoria, like a navy-clad torrential flood...
3. 2:24-2:25 - Corey Fisher tussling with a Pitt Panther for a rebound, along with Shane Clark
4. 3:10 - Clark and another Wildcat falling onto Duke's Jon Scheyer in the Sweet 16
5. 3:16 - Duke's Elliot Williams being fouled by Dwayne Anderson, while driving to the basket, with Dante Cunningham and Corey Stokes following...
6. 3:20 - Fisher outrunning Pitt Panther Levance Fields for a loose ball in transition
7. 3:45 - Reggie Redding embracing Reynolds and high-fiving Anderson, during Sweet 16 against Duke (it appears to be Kyle Singler in the corner)
8. 3:56 -4:07 - Cunningham behind victorious North Carolina Tar Heels greeting Ty Lawson, then Anderson playing defense, as Tyler Hansbrough hits a jumper, shot of Roy Williams, then Anderson and Reynolds pursuing on defense as Lawson goes to the basket off a steal...

Also, I'd like to highly recommend...

This is an article about the passing of the song's creator and the origins of the song One Shining Moment. It's very worthwhile reading, and I give it my highest recommendation. You can also just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the 2008 One Shining Moment YouTube clip - the author starts out with the link to 1987, since he's an Indiana fan, and he has 2008 all the way at the bottom of the page.

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 Featured Three Times by CBS's One Shining Moment in 2008; Reynolds, Wildcats to Appear Prominently in Tonight's Version, post -UNC/MSU

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The Villanova Wildcats were featured in three different shots of CBS's One Shining Moment in 2008. In addition to that YouTube video, here's a great link:

This is an article about the passing of the song's creator and the origins of the song One Shining Moment. It's very worthwhile reading, and I give it my highest recommendation. You can also just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to see the 2008 One Shining Moment YouTube clip - the author starts out with the link to 1987, since he's an Indiana fan, and he has 2008 all the way at the bottom of the page.

Of the three Villanova appearances in the 2008 version-

1. At 0:20-21, It's hard to tell the exact number, but I believe it's Will Sheridan tipping off against Clemson in the first round of last year's tournament, in which #12 Villanova upset the #5 Tigers, while making an incredible comeback to do so... Corey "The Bayonne Bomber" Stokes is, ironically, in better view from that angle (that moniker coming courtesy of 6ABC, when Reggie Redding took the mike from reporter Jamie Apody and interviewed his teammates, while in Detroit for the Final Four earlier in the week...)
2. At 1:15-16, Dwayne Anderson gallantly defends a two-on-one break in Villanova's disastrous loss to Kansas, the eventual winner, in the Sweet 16... Russell Robinson lobs it to Brandon Rush, who dunks it...
   
3. At 2:23-29, Kansas inbounds the ball under the Villanova basket, with Stokes - again - guarding the inbounder. And the ball is inbounded on a lob to Darrell Arthur, who dunks on the set play over three Wildcats, with Scottie Reynolds nearly being crushed underneath him.
   

While it was great to last long enough in the tournament long enough to be featured three times, I think we'll all enjoy this year's version considerably more than last year's. So make sure you watch One Shining Moment this evening after the North Carolina/Michigan State game, as Villanova's thrilling, euphoric victory over Pittsburgh was clearly the best game of the tournament thus far, as radio commentator Whitey Rigsby said on Saturday.

Accordingly, it is almost certain that Scottie Reynolds will have a starring role in this year's One Shining Moment... one in which his prominence - and that of his Villanova teammates - will have a far more prominent role than in last year's One Shining Moment....


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 Viewpoint from Opposition Lines: CarolinaMarch.com's Fine Analysis of North Carolina's Victory over Villanova, in Final Four

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

As we all ponder the end of yet another incredible season of Villanova basketball, I would like to call your attention the site CarolinaMarch.com - the graphics look awesome, and the content is first-rate as well...

The author, T.H., has some great substantive points. It's valuable to hear the writers from opponents' web sites, as they often have great insight that we don't notice because we see the Wildcats all of the time...

Here are two samples:

How Villanova Can Beat the Heels (of course, with the stroke of midnight last night, we Villanova fans should now consider it the counterfactual scenario of How Villanova Could Have Beaten the Heels...)

First, despite what you may think, they won't slow the game down. In their two wins over Syracuse, they ran right at the Orangemen's pace, outscoring them 102 to 85 and 89 to 86. They'll try to work the ball into Dante Cunningham a lot, and penetrate with their guards to pick up fouls and disrupt UNC's interior defense. Villanova won't attempt a Duke-level number of threes - it's the main difference between the two similarly built teams - but they'll need someone to get hot, typically Scottie Reynolds or Corey Stokes, the two players who take more threes than twos. They'll go for the steal a lot, again like Duke, but they're also prone to fouling. This won't have an effect on their depth, unless Cunningham hits the bench early and gives the UNC front line a chance to feast upon his smaller teammates, but they should probably avoid sending UNC to the line if they can hep it.

Offensive rebounding will be important for the Wildcats, and there are only two starters who contribute in that regard, Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson, the 6'6" wing player built in a Danny Green mold. Keeping UNC off the offensive boards on the other end will be critical, though, and the Wildcats typically do well as a team in that end. Of course that's in part because they bait their opponents into taking so many threes; if they can do that against Carolina by denying entry passes and otherwise frustrating them like Maryland and Wake Forest did, that should go a long way to getting Villanova the win.

His second post - UNC 83, Villanova 69 - is a superb recap of the game action itself:

The entire game, it seemed like there were two Carolina teams flickering in and out of focus, like two TV channels overlapping on the same band. There was the team from the previous tournament games, where Ty Lawson sliced through defenders at will, and Wayne Ellington dropped threes at will, going 5 for 7 behind the arc on his way 20 points. And then there was the other Carolina team, that popped their heads up earlier in the season. The one frustrated by Villanova's defense descending on the big men in the paint. The team that gave up an obscene number of offensive rebounds to a smaller team (19, and only that low because the Heels finally got it under control late), that went through scoring droughts and could never put an opponent away. I'd hoped to never see that team again this year.

Of course, there will be much more to come on Villanova's appearance in the Final Four, in subsequent posts, on Sunday, Monday, and throughout the week... so please check back...

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's 572-Mile Journey To the Final Four Ends, As Wildcats Fall to Ellington, North Carolina, 83-69, at Detroit's Ford Field

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Villanova's stunning NCAA tournament run ended on Saturday evening at cavernous Ford Field in Detroit, as the Wildcats fell to Wayne Ellington - of Episcopal Academy and Wynnewood, Pa. - and the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Final Four, 83-69.

It was the end to an amazing season, which culminated in Villanova advancing to the Final Four for just the fourth time in school history, and the first time since the miracle victory over Georgetown as a #8 seed in 1985, 24 years ago, on April Fool's Day...

It was the final game for seniors Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark, and Frank Tchuisi, who participated in more wins, than any other class in Villanova's storied 89-year basketball history...

Congratulations to head coach Jay Wright and his staff, the Wildcats, and all of those in the athletic department for making this year one to remember...

A more comprehensive recap will be coming... please check back...

Update:

Villanova was vanquished by a superior North Carolina team this evening. Obviously, the fact that North Carolina is the better team- on paper, in talent, and in won/lost record-

does not mean that the Wildcats couldn't have won tonight. They could have. (Any team - no matter what its seed - in the tournament field can beat any other team, on a neutral court.)

It just means that the Wildcats needed a near-flawless performance. And regrettably, that wasn't the case.

Before going through the numbers, one overall, subjective impression:

Particularly in the second half, as the minutes of the night slipped by-

The game had a very listless, uninspiring feel to it. Had I not been told that it was the Final Four, I would have likely concluded that it was a game in a holiday tournament, where there are few, if any fans, and teams from disparate conferences are playing each other in intersectional games.

Certainly, the fact that the game wasn't close had something to do with that effect on the viewer. But part of it was the decision to have a crowd of 70,000 +, for a basketball game. With the home favorite Spartans having gloriously ended UConn's season earlier, the green-and-white clad Michigan State fans began increasingly to go home, rather than cheer for Villanova's waning hopes of upsetting North Carolina and providing the Spartans with a slightly smoother path to another national title for Tom Izzo.

So for essentially the last eight minutes, the energy had been vacuumed out of Ford Field, and as play also became choppy, there was a desolate ambience about the game. With such a huge venue, if there aren't fans near the court to cheer, there is no noise (which couldn't have made CBS happy).

Nor was this impression solely due to the fact that it was a decisive North Carolina victory. I think that even had the score been reversed, the banal atmosphere, with the MSU and UConn fans having gone home, would have been similar. In summary, it just didn't have the exhilarating atmosphere that a Final Four contest should have...

We - with a great deal of justification - think of Final Fours as legendary games. Games in which storied programs trade highly contested buckets, with each side knowing that - even if the game isn't close - they are on the grandest stage that college basketball has to offer, and that the games will live on in the NCAA chronicles and the CBS highlight reels. It really didn't live up to that lofty standard.

(And of course, another contributing element, was the fact that the Pitt game was a very hard act to follow...)

So looking at numbers-

The Wildcats made just five of their 27 three-point attempts (18.5%), as well as shooting 26/79 from the floor (32.9%). These anemic numbers prompted CBS's Jim Nantz to remark - wittily - that

"they're certainly not shooting the way they did in the second half against Georgetown in 1985." (It's always worth noting - as Nantz immediately did, during the broadcast - that the Wildcats shot 78.6% from the floor against Georgetown overall, and 90% - nine out of ten - in the second half.)

This was the first Final Four game for Villanova, since that magical Monday, two dozen Aprils ago. But unfortunately, the hot shooting touch of Harold Jensen, Ed Pinckney, Dwayne McClain, Harold Pressley, Gary McLain, and Dwight Wilbur - did not maintain its mystical existence for a near-quarter century. (Although perhaps it might have lingered just long enough, to allow the shot from Scottie Reynolds to roll in, one week ago, against Pitt in the Elite Eight...)

Dante Cunningham had a superb game, ending his Villanova career neatly with a symmetrical dozen/dozen in points/rebounds. He shot 5/13 from the floor and committed three turnovers, but the Wildcats could have prevailed with Cunningham's dozen/dozen. The problem was that outside of Reggie Redding and Shane Clark, nobody had a good night from the floor (hence, the anemic numbers described earlier).

Redding - whom Nantz noted for the national audience, had played for St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia for former La Salle coach Speedy Morris - was named as Villanova's Chevrolet Player of the Game, finishing with 15 points on 5/9 shooting and four rebounds, including what was perhaps a particularly worthwhile feat, blocking a shot from Tyler Hansbrough (not easy for an off-guard to do).

In a statistical parallel to fellow senior Cunningham, Clark had half a dozen points, and half a dozen rebounds, while playing about half the time (18 minutes to Cunningham's 35). Rarely do the numbers work out so smoothly... and it was a fitting end to the magnificent run of these seniors, who played in four NCAA tournaments, two Elite Eights, three Sweet 16s, and a Final Four...

Reynolds led the Wildcats with 17 points, along with five assists and just one turnover, but it took him 18 shots to get six field goals, and he was just 3/11 from long-range distance.

Dwayne Anderson seemed to be everywhere, fighting for rebounds with abandon (he finished with a dozen) and also had three steals. But he was 2/12 from the floor, and missed all six of his three-point attempts.

Off the bench, Corey Fisher filled up the stat sheet, with 13 points and seven rebounds. But like the rest of the Wildcats, he struggled with accuracy - 5/19 shooting, 0-4 from beyond the arc. It often seemed that Fisher would just take the first shot he could, indiscriminately. Granted, Villanova trailed badly for almost the entire game, and instant offensive punch is Fisher's role. That having been said, it's very unusual to have a bench player have 19 field goal attempts to lead his team... Had some more of them rattled in, the Wildcats would have had a shot.

It didn't help that the other Corey's bombs didn't fall, either. Stokes played 20 minutes and was held scoreless, missing all three of his three-point attempts and collecting three rebounds.

Ironically, one factor that kept Villanova in the game, was something that they couldn't even affect - North Carolina's subpar performance at the foul line. The Tar Heels - even without any need for Villanova to foul at the end - went to the line 37 times, but made just 22 of them, a conversion rate of just 59.5%. (Both Cunningham and Anderson ultimately fouled out, providing a good opportunity to permit each of them to be given an ovation by the crowd.)

For Carolina's part, it has to be said that Ellington, more than any other Tar Heel, destroyed Villanova's hopes tonight. The wing player whom Jay Wright and his staff hoped at one time would become a Wildcat, ironically, ended the incredible run for the Main Liners.

Ellington finished with 20 points, on 7-14 shooting, including 5-7 from beyond the arc. Aside from the lethal perimeter shooting, it was the timing of the shots that was devastating. Ellington's high-arcing triples kept crashing down on Villanova with a thud. They always seemed to come when the Wildcats had started to build some momentum, repeatedly thwarting hopes of a sustained rally.

Much more to come, in subsequent posts, on Sunday, and throughout the week... so please check back...

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.)

Blue Jerseys Bring Luck - Villanova's Record-Setting, 15 Lower-Seeded Victories in the NCAA Tournament

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

CBS helpfully ran a graphic during both the Pittsburgh and Duke games, that Villanova had won 13 (heading into Duke - the Sweet 16) and 14 (heading into Pittsburgh - the Elite Eight) NCAA tournament games as the lower seed, the most of any program. I've compiled the full list of the now-record 15 NCAA tournament games which Villanova has won, as the lower seed...

Needless to say, Villanova is the lowest seed remaining in this year's tournament... North Carolina and Connecticut are top seeds, and Michigan State, which battles the Huskies in the other game tonight, is a #2.

Interestingly, after defeating Princeton in an 8/9 game in 1991, it took 14 years to win another NCAA tournament game with the blue jerseys...

The games, in reverse chronological order (with Villanova's eventual finish in parentheses):

1. #1 Pittsburgh, Elite Eight, 2009, as #3 seed (hopefully, national champions)
   
2. #2 Duke, Sweet 16, 2009, as # 3 seed (likewise)
   
3. #5 Clemson, First Round, 2008, as #12 seed (Sweet 16)
   
4. #4 Florida, Second Round, 2005, as #5 seed (Sweet 16)
   
5. #8 Princeton, First Round, 1991, as #9 seed (Second Round)
   
6. #3 Illinois, Second Round, 1988, as #6 seed (Elite Eight)
7. #2 Kentucky, Sweet 16, 1988, as #6 seed (Elite Eight)
8. #7 Virginia Tech, First Round, 1986, as #10 seed (Second Round)
9. #1 Michigan, Second Round, 1985, as #8 seed (National Champions)
   
10. #5 Maryland, Sweet 16, 1985, as #8 seed (National Champions)
11. #2 North Carolina, Elite Eight, as #8 seed (National Champions)
12. #2 Memphis State, Final Four, as #8 seed (National Champions)
13. #1 Georgetown, National Championship, as #8 seed (National Champions)
14. #2 Memphis State, Elite Eight, as #3 seed (Elite Eight)
15. #8 Houston, First Round, as #9 seed (Second Round)
    

You might be wondering why there were only five in 1985. An intriguing footnote is that the first-round 8/9 game, as the higher seed, was also extremely difficult, as the Wildcats had to beat #9 Dayton on its home floor (teams are no longer allowed to play on their home floor, although quasi-home floors like the Wachovia Center are permitted).

Also, as we get ready for showtime, here are all the previous North Carolina/Final Four posts over the course of the week - enjoy:

I've already posted a great deal of content on Villanova/North Carolina, and so here's a concise collection of the links thus far (and there will be more...) Enjoy...

1. I look back at the 1985 Villanova/Georgetown national championship game, 24 years later...
2. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - how the Wildcats upset the Tar Heels in the 1985 Elite Eight, en route to that national championship...
3. Everyone wants to know about Jay Wright's "lucky pigs", which have been instrumental in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four - Wright himself has kidded that "Those Pigs Are Important to Our Team's Success"...
4. Looking back at the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16, which was the last time Villanova and North Carolina battled in the tournament - what has become known in Villanova lore as the "Allan Ray Travel Game"....
5. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - How Michael Jordan stopped Villanova in the 1982 tournament and the Wildcats' upset of the Tar Heels in the regular season, the following year...
6. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - The first three meetings, prior to the 1982 tournament...
7. My initial post that the Wildcats would face North Carolina in the national semifinal...
8. The first part of the preview - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 1 - UNC's Road to Detroit...
9. Part 2 of the preview - the UNC starters....
10. Part 3 of the preview - the UNC rotation/bench...

North Carolina's Storied History - 18 Final Fours, 100 NCAA Wins, etc.

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Villanova has a great basketball tradition, but North Carolina's is even better. Here are some enjoyable superlatives to ponder as Saturday night approaches:

North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament

• Is making its 18th appearance in the Final Four, the most of any school (this year broke the 17-17 tie with UCLA).
  
• Has won four national championships.
• Has made 41 NCAA appearances, won 100 NCAA tournament games, and played in 139 of them, all #2 all-time.
• Has received 13 #1 seeds, more than any other.
  
• Made 27 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament from 1973-2001, an NCAA record, that I think is probably the most impressive record of all the many in the media guide. (If it hadn't been for the fact that the basketball gods sent Matt Doherty back to UNC to become head coach earlier in this decade, it might very well have continued to this day.)
• Under Dean Smith, made 13 consecutive appearances in the Sweet 16, from 1981-1993.
  
• Ranks second only to Kentucky, in total wins (1,950 before this season, now approaching 2,000) and winning percentage (73.6%, entering the season).
• Has been ranked #1 in the AP poll 96 times, in the top 10, 573 times, and ranked, period, 742 times (the last one being a record).

Go Wildcats! Beat North Carolina!

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.)

North Carolina Traditions/History - "Why Are the Colors Light Blue and White?" The Answer May Surprise You...

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Before I get started on the traditions of the North Carolina Tar Heels, I've already posted a great deal of content on Villanova/North Carolina, and so here's a concise collection of the links thus far (and there will be more...) Enjoy...

1. I look back at the 1985 Villanova/Georgetown national championship game, 24 years later...
2. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - how the Wildcats upset the Tar Heels in the 1985 Elite Eight, en route to that national championship...
3. Everyone wants to know about Jay Wright's "lucky pigs", which have been instrumental in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four - Wright himself has kidded that "Those Pigs Are Important to Our Team's Success"...
4. Looking back at the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16, which was the last time Villanova and North Carolina battled in the tournament - what has become known in Villanova lore as the "Allan Ray Travel Game"....
5. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - How Michael Jordan stopped Villanova in the 1982 tournament and the Wildcats' upset of the Tar Heels in the regular season, the following year...
6. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - The first three meetings, prior to the 1982 tournament...
7. My initial post that the Wildcats would face North Carolina in the national semifinal...
8. The first part of the preview - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 1 - UNC's Road to Detroit...
9. Part 2 of the preview - the UNC starters....
10. Part 3 of the preview - the UNC rotation/bench...

So Why Are the North Carolina Colors Light Blue and White?

From the UNC Library site:

As symbols of unity among Carolina students, alumni, and fans, the school colors of light blue and white were first used around 1800 to distinguish between members of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Literary Societies. Throughout the nineteenth century, students were required to be members of either the Di or the Phi. The Di's color was light blue, and the Phi's was white.

At University commencements, balls, and other social events, the student officials, managers, and marshals wore the color of their society, blue or white. Because the Chief Marshal or Chief Ball Manager represented the whole student body, not just his society, he wore both colors.

When the University fielded its first intercollegiate athletic teams in 1888, the question of what colors to wear had already been answered. Light blue and white had come to symbolize membership in the University, not in a single society.

Light blue and white have been considered the University's colors for more than a century. With the tradition so firmly established, a popular bumper sticker states that God must be a Tar Heel because he made the sky Carolina Blue!

So Why Do The Tar Heels Have A Ram As the Mascot?

Here's the answer:

In 1924 Vic Huggins, UNC's head cheerleader, decided that Carolina needed a mascot like N.C. State's Wolf and Georgia's Bulldog. At the time, Jack Merrit, known to his fans as the "Battering Ram," was a popular member of UNC's football team. Making use of this nickname, Huggins hit upon the idea of a ram as the Carolina mascot.

The cheerleader went to Charles T. Woollen, the University's Business Manager, and asked him to find twenty-five dollars to buy a ram. They ordered UNC's first mascot from Texas.

The 1924 team had been in a slump and Carolina fans were looking for something to break the jinx. The Tar Heel sports staff joined the campus in hoping that the new mascot would bring the much-needed luck.

The mascot, who was named Rameses, arrived in time for the UNC–VMI game on 8 November 1924. The fans saw a defensive struggle. No one scored until late in the fourth quarter when a UNC player executed a perfect dropkick for a 3-0 victory. Carolina fans credited the first Rameses' presence for pulling Carolina past VMI, and giving birth to the long line of rams who have witnessed Tar Heel games."

Go Wildcats! Beat North Carolina!

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.)

Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 3 - Comparing The Teams' Rotation/Depth

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Before I get started on the Tar Heels' key players, I've already posted a great deal of content on Villanova/North Carolina, and so here's a concise collection of the links thus far (and there will be more...) Enjoy...

1. I look back at the 1985 Villanova/Georgetown national championship game, 24 years later...
2. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - how the Wildcats upset the Tar Heels in the 1985 Elite Eight, en route to that national championship...
3. Everyone wants to know about Jay Wright's "lucky pigs", which have been instrumental in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four - Wright himself has kidded that "Those Pigs Are Important to Our Team's Success"...
4. Looking back at the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16, which was the last time Villanova and North Carolina battled in the tournament - what has become known in Villanova lore as the "Allan Ray Travel Game"....
5. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - How Michael Jordan stopped Villanova in the 1982 tournament and the Wildcats' upset of the Tar Heels in the regular season, the following year...
6. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - The first three meetings, prior to the 1982 tournament...
7. My initial post that the Wildcats would face North Carolina in the national semifinal...
8. The first part of the preview - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 1 - UNC's Road to Detroit...
9. Part 2 of the preview - the UNC starters....

Part 3 - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview - North Carolina Tar Heels Reserves

The Wildcats have a fairly deep rotation, with eight players who regularly see action and can be considered battle-tested (this list is not in order of importance):

1. Scottie Reynolds
2. Corey Stokes
3. Corey Fisher
4. Dante Cunningham
5. Shane Clark
6. Dwayne Anderson
7. Reggie Redding
8. Antonio Pena

That's actually a very high number. Even the clear eighth man, Pena, has started earlier in his career and has demonstrated that he can even score if necessary. It's hard to tell if the Tar Heels have a clear advantage off the bench, since although Roy Williams uses more players, they have many lopsided wins in which more players see action.

In what is potentially an ominous sign for the Wildcats, the Tar Heels have crushed all four of their NCAA tournament opponents, making it difficult to determine which players would have seen action, if the games had been close. I looked at the ACC tournament games, which were closer, but due to the minutes being spread out so much, it was difficult to draw any clear conclusion. But that having been said-

Here's a look at the four most important Tar Heels off the bench, three of whom are McDonald's All-Americans:

Ed Davis - #32 - 6/10 - Freshman - Forward

Davis, a McDonald's All-American, who scores 8.4 points/game and pulls down 6.8 rebounds/game, leads the team in blocks and is the main frontcourt reserve.

Bobby Frasor - #4 - 6/3 - Senior - Point Guard

Frasor, who started at the point as a freshman and was named to the All-ACC rookie team, had logged 38 starts entering this season. However, he suffered a serious knee injury in late December last season. As a battle-tested point guard, he is a good option for Roy Williams should Ty Lawson suffer another injury or sink into foul trouble.

Larry Drew II - #11 - 6/1 - Freshman - Guard

Drew, also a McDonald's All-American, averages 9.8 minutes, 1.5 points, and 2.0 assists a contest. With two point guards having potential injury problems, the freshman is yet another option for Williams in the backcourt.

Tyler Zeller - #44 - 7/0 - Freshman - Forward

Zeller - yet another McDonald's All-American, has appeared in only nine games this season, but has seen action in the NCAA tournament and provides another big man off the bench for Williams - something unavailable to Jay Wright.

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

Go Wildcats! Beat North Carolina!

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.)

Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 2 - UNC's Starters

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Here is Part 2 of the Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, in which I'll take a look at the Tar Heels' Starters...

(Note: I'm going to constantly add more content to this post throughout the day, so if you feel you haven't gotten enough detail on the Tar Heels starters, please check back for more details as they are added in...)

Before we begin -

Thanks to the Michigan State blog - Sparty and Friends - for unearthing the Sports Illustrated cover dated April 8, 1985, of Ed Pinckney scoring while surrounded by Georgetown Hoyas, with Patrick Ewing falling at his feet. If it looks familiar - it's mounted on the wall at the Pavilion. The publisher of Sparty and Friends has a great, blown-up image of it - so check it out... And not just the cover. Sparty has a great substantive analysis of the Wildcats from a Michigan State perspective, that's well worth reading...

Before I get started on the Tar Heels' key players, I've already posted a great deal of content on Villanova/North Carolina, and so here's a concise collection of the links thus far (and there will be more...) Enjoy...

1. I look back at the 1985 Villanova/Georgetown national championship game, 24 years later...
2. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - how the Wildcats upset the Tar Heels in the 1985 Elite Eight, en route to that national championship...
3. Everyone wants to know about Jay Wright's "lucky pigs", which have been instrumental in getting the Wildcats to the Final Four - Wright himself has kidded that "Those Pigs Are Important to Our Team's Success"...
4. Looking back at the 2005 NCAA Sweet 16, which was the last time Villanova and North Carolina battled in the tournament - what has become known in Villanova lore as the "Allan Ray Travel Game"....
5. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - How Michael Jordan stopped Villanova in the 1982 tournament and the Wildcats' upset of the Tar Heels in the regular season, the following year...
6. Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History - The first three meetings, prior to the 1982 tournament...
7. My initial post that the Wildcats would face North Carolina in the national semifinal...
8. The first part of the preview - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview, Part 1 - UNC's Road to Detroit...
   

Part 2 - Final Four: Villanova/North Carolina Preview - North Carolina Tar Heels Starters

Here are the starters - my analysis, in turn..

Overall Analysis of the Starting Lineup

The major reason why North Carolina was viewed as a significant national championship contender this season, is the fact that they returned all five starters from last season's Final Four appearance. Last year, the Tar Heels reached the Final Four, after receiving a #1 seed (rendering last year the statistical oddity of being the first one in the then-24 64/65-team tournaments, where all of the top seeds reached the Final Four), before being thrashed by Kansas in the national semifinals.

Ironically, one of those five starters, senior swingman Marcus Ginyard, isn't starting this year. He played only three games and scored just one basket, due to injury, and he's redshirting as a result. Danny Green, another senior, has taken his place in the lineup.

Tyler Hansbrough - #50 - Forward - 6/9 - Senior

21.4 pts/game, 52.2% FG%, 85.6% FT%, 47.4% 3FG%, 8.2 rebounds/game, 28 steals, 12 blocks

Hansbrough is clearly North Carolina's best player - as he is arguably the best player in the nation. He also is the single biggest (both literally and figuratively) obstacle, in the way to the national championship game on Monday evening. Because of his abilities, he causes an enormous matchup problem for the Wildcats underneath. When the defense sags, upon his arrival at the post in order to help out Dante Cunningham, he opens up a great deal of opportunities for the Tar Heels on the perimeter. And North Carolina has three significant perimeter weapons, just in their starting lineup - Ellington, Lawson, and Green.

The back cover of the North Carolina media guide - which was published prior to the season, obviously - lists these superlatives, which are a concise summary to Hansbrough's abilities:

• 2007-08 National Player of the Year
• 2007-08 ACC Player of the Year
• 2007-08 ACC Male Athlete of the Year
• 2008 NCAA East Regional MVP
• 2008 ACC Tournament MVP
• Three-time first-team All-America
• Two-time consensus first-team All-America
• Three-time unanimous first-team All-ACC

You get the idea. And he has undoubtedly piled up many similar accolades for this season... The back cover shows Hansbrough surrounded by trophies (I assume that after he goes to the NBA, he might need an entire room in his mansion, just to display all of the hardware...)

Some personal facts on Hansbrough:

• "Talents I have outside of basketball" - "Ping Pong and golf".
• "Non-basketball skill (or activity) I wish I could do better": "Dancing."
• "My SportsCenter dream highlight would be": "Winning the NCAA tournament." (One that we hope won't be fulfilled... as with Deon Thompson, below.)

Wayne Ellington - #22 - Shooting Guard - 6/4 - Junior

15.2 pts/game, 46.8% FG%, 77.8% FT%, 39.5.% 3FG%, 4.8 rebounds/game, 34 steals, 4 blocks

A local product from Wynnewood, Pa. (just down the Main Line, of course, from Villanova), who attended Episcopal Academy, Ellington has been an impact player in all three years he's been at Chapel Hill. He's started nearly every Tar Heel game since he arrived. As a freshman, Ellington started all but one contest, averaged 23.9 minutes/game and 11.7 points. As a sophomore, he also started all but one contest, logged 31.1 minutes/game and boosted his scoring all the way to 16.6 points/game.

Jay Wright and his staff wanted Ellington very badly to play his college hoops on the Main Line (and were very disappointed when they couldn't land him), Ellington is a very significant three-point threat and a key cog in the North Carolina offensive engine. One enormous irony is the fact that Ellington is good friends with Gerald Henderson, who opted to go the other way on Tobacco Road to Duke. And Villanova had extensively courted them both while in high school.

This shows that the basketball gods have a sense of humor. Villanova does not land Henderson, then faces him in the Sweet 16, and shuts him down completely. Now Wright and the staff have the same opportunity with Ellington.

I speculate that due to their advanced and comprehensive knowledge of Henderson, Wright and the staff knew his weaknesses very well, and it was the major reason why they were able to effectively neutralize him. Time will tell, if it will also be the same outcome with Ellington, whom they know equally well.

Some personal facts on Ellington, from the North Carolina media guide:

• On "I chose my jersey number because", Ellington answered, "A friend of mine, who passed away, wore 22."
• On "The best player I ever guarded": "Gilbert Arenas."
• Unsurprisingly, "My best friend on another college team:" "Gerald Henderson (Duke)."
• "Non-basketball skill (or activity) I wish I could do better": "Play tennis."
• "Favorite food": "My grandmom's shrimp linguine."
  

Ty Lawson - #5 - Point Guard - 5/11 - Junior

15.9 pts/game, 53.8% FG%, 80.9% FT%, 46.7.% 3FG%, 2.8 rebounds/game, 59 steals, 4 blocks, 6.5 Asst/Game, 2.0 Turnovers/Game

Lawson against Scottie Reynolds will be one of the most important matchups. Lawson's lethality on the perimeter means that he must be constantly defended, as he is always a threat to score. Lawson ranks a distant third in three-point shots attempted (90) to Ellington (172) and Green (154), but he is far more accurate than either of them. One thing that does work in Villanova's favor is the fact that this is a rare situation, where Reynolds will actually be bigger than the guy he's assigned to guard.

Lawson has always played a great deal while at Chapel Hill. He started 31 out of 38 games as a freshman two years ago, averaging 25.7 minutes and 10.2 points a game. Last year, despite an injury in February, he started all but three games, averaging 25.3 minutes and 12.7 points. Heading into the season, he was already 16th on North Carolina's all-time assists list, with 378, and had an assist/turnover ration of 2.47/1, with just 153 miscues... Lawson has improved upon that assist/turnover ratio this year, dealing 196 assists to 59 turnovers, a ratio of 3.3/1.

Some personal facts on Lawson, from the North Carolina media guide, including two interesting Philadelphia connections, although Lawson is from Clinton, Maryland, and went to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia (which produced, among many others, former Villanova guard Jermaine Medley).

• "If I could play another sport at Carolina" - "Soccer".
• "The best player I ever guarded" - "LeBron James."
• In a related answer - "My favorite NBA player" - "LeBron James".
• "Talent I have outside of basketball" - "everything."
• Philadelphia connection, first - "I pretended to be (this player) as a kid" - "Allen Iverson".
• Philadelphia connection, second - "Person in history I'd most like to meet" - "Ben Franklin... Always wondered what he was thinking..."

Danny Green - #14 - Guard/Forward - 6/6 - Senior

13.3 pts/game, 47.6% FG%, 83.3% FT%, 41.6% 3FG%, 4.7 rebounds/game, 56 steals, 43 blocks

Despite being just 6/6, Green is second on the team in blocks, as only reserve Ed Davis has more (57). Green averages 1.3 blocks a contest. Green ranks second to Ellington in both triples made and attempted, although Green is slightly more accurate.

In terms of playing time, Green's minutes have vacillated, since he arrived in Chapel Hill four years ago. As a freshman, he came off the bench, averaging an impressive 7.5 points/game and 3.7 rebounds/game, in spite of the fact that he averaged only 15.3 minutes a contest.

However, as a sophomore, he regressed slightly, as he played fewer minutes (13.6), and had fewer points (5.2), and fewer rebounds (3.7). Nonetheless, he was still North Carolina's top scorer off the bench. It wasn't anticipated that Green would start this season, but he began doing so due to the injury to Hilyard. And the move has paid off, as Green is averaging over 13 points a contest and getting his share of rebounds for a swingman.

Some personal facts on Green:

• "Nobody can believe I watch": "The Discovery Channel".
• "The best part about being a Tar Heel basketball player is": "Being able to run out of the tunnel and playing in front of 22,000 people."
• "Talent(s) I have outside of basketball": "Dancing"
• "Non-basketball activity that I wish I could do better": "Sing."

Deon Thompson - #21 - Power Forward - 6/8 - Junior

11.2 pts/game, 50.3% FG%, 65.7% FT%, 6.1 rebounds/game, 32 steals, 36 blocks

Unlike most of the Tar Heels, Thompson is not a perimeter threat. However, he is a solid interior defender, rebounder, and shot blocker. Thompson has not been a starter for as long as the others. His first season, 2006-07, he started only one game and averaged 12.4 minutes off the bench, with 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds a contest.

Last year, he moved into the starting lineup and started all but one game, with his minutes moving up accordingly - up to 21.4, low for a starter, but nearly double those of his freshman year. His rebounding doubled, from 2.4 to 4.8 per contest, and his scoring increased also, to 8.4 points. Perhaps most importantly, though, he led the Tar Heels in blocked shots with 51, up from 17 blocks as a freshman. Interestingly, Thompson's blocks have dipped this year, and he ranks third on the squad, behind Green and 6/10 freshman Ed Davis.

Some personal facts on Thompson:

• "I chose my jersey number because": "It was Kevin Garnett's number."
• "My SportsCenter dream highlight would be": "Game-winning shot in the Final Four." (Hopefully, this is a dream highlight that won't be fulfilled on Saturday.)
• "Talent I have outside of basketball": "Playing the guitar."
• A probably related answer - "Non-basketball skill or activity I wish I could do better": "Play the guitar."
  

In Part 3, I'll take a look at the North Carolina reserves, as bench strength could make the difference on Saturday... so check back for that...

Of course, there will also be more content, both on Villanova's 1985 tournament run, and the Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History as well...

Over the course of the week, I'll be writing up previous games in the all-time Villanova/North Carolina series, culminating the complete Villanova/North Carolina Rivalry History. And of course, there will be a comprehensive preview of Saturday's Final Four clash - so please check back for more...

In the meantime...

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

Go Wildcats! Beat North Carolina!

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.)