VUHoops: Villanova to take on Maryland Terrapins on December 6, at BB&T Classic in Washington, DC

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

(Note: This post has been significantly expanded, from its original size. So, even if you've already read it once, please take another look at it, as there's now much more substance, on the Villanova/Maryland Sweet 16 game, during the 1985 NCAA tournament.)

As you know, the fine site VUHoops does a fantastic job, in covering our Villanova Wildcats. Earlier today (Friday, July 24), ed of VUHoops reported the following addition, to the 2009-10 Wildcats schedule:

The BB&T Classic will be held on Sunday, December 6 and will showcase Maryland against Villanova preceded by George Washington vs. Navy. The Maryland vs. Villanova game will be featured as Fox Sports Network’s ACC Sunday Night Hoops game and will air on most Fox owned and affiliated networks.

Accordingly, I thought that it would be interesting, to look back at the series rivalry history, between the Villanova Wildcats and the Maryland Terrapins. I also checked to see if Villanova had ever appeared in the BB&T Classic holiday tournament, but there was no record of the Wildcats doing so, in the Villanova media guide.

A journey between Villanova, Pennsylvania, and College Park, Maryland, is an easy trip: 132 miles and two and a half hours (depending on traffic, of course). College Park is in the northern suburbs of Washington - it's even north of the Capital Beltway of I-495. Moreover, both schools have grand basketball traditions, which include a national championship for each.

There's even a Philadelphia connection: the stunningly successful, but increasingly beleaguered, Gary Williams, head coach and alumnus of Maryland, is from Collingswood, New Jersey, went to the Palestra frequently, and aspired to play for Penn.

However, in spite of all of those factors, I was very surprised to learn that Villanova and Maryland have played a grand total of three times, and only twice during the regular season.

Ironically, all three games took place in 1985 and 1986, separated by just over a year. And two of the contests were during the mirabile annu (Latin, for "the year of miracles") - 1985, when Villanova captured its national championship.

Coaching, respectively, was Lefty Driesell for Maryland (whom, ironically, I had just mentioned in the 1969 moon landing retrospective post on Monday, when he was coaching for Davidson), and for Villanova, of course, the legendary Rollie Massimino.

January 27, 1985 - At Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland defeats Villanova, 77-74.

Two months later, in the NCAA tournament, the 8th-seeded Wildcats faced the 5th-seeded Terrapins in Birmingham, , in the Sweet 16. (It was the inaugural year of the 64-team-field tournament.)

March 22, 1985 - Villanova avenged its loss at Cole Field House, prevailing 46-43 (no shot clock or three-point line, back then). As we all know, Villanova went on to topple #2 North Carolina in the Elite Eight, and Memphis State and Georgetown in the Final Four.

Clearly, the deal had been for a home-and-home regular-season series, as Maryland traveled up to the brand-new Pavilion in its inaugural season the following year (1985-86).

February 1, 1986 - The Wildcats eked out a narrow 64-62 victory over Gary Williams's Terrapins squad.

The three games had been decided by a grand total of eight points. Perhaps the heart-stopping endings, were the reason that no further home-and-home series have ever been scheduled.

That having been said, it's surprising that come December 6, it will be the first time in almost a quarter of a century (almost 24 years) that Villanova and Maryland's paths will cross. Both teams have played in a lot of holiday and NCAA tournaments, and you'd think that they'd have met at least once. But it's not the case.

So come December 6, hopefully we'll see an exciting game, in the spirit of its three predecessors. And hopefully it will end the way the last two contests did- a narrow victory for the Villanova Wildcats.

Update - Monday, July 27, 2009

Here are some more details, on the aforementioned 1985 victory over Maryland, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament, on March 22 of that year. The source for these details is the outstanding book on the magical national championship, The Year of the 'Cat: Villanova's Incredible National Championship Story, by Craig A. Miller.

As noted above, Maryland had already defeated Villanova, during the regular season, on January 27. The primary reason for Maryland's victory, was an incredible performance by the ACC Player of the Year, Len Bias. Bias racked up an astonishing 30 point, 13 rebound performance, with teammate Adrian Branch adding 16 points, to lead the Terrapins to victory.

Rollie Massimino's strategy, was to prevent another offensive explosion from Bias. And the clampdown worked like a charm. Despite playing all 40 minutes, Bias shot just 4/13 from the floor, scoring only eight points, never reaching the foul line, while grabbing a relatively-low five rebounds and committing four fouls.

To put the Wildcats' defensive scheme in perspective: it was the first time in 55 games, that Bias had not reached double figures!

So how did Rollie do it?

According to center Ed Pinckney, after the game:

"The main thing I wanted to do was deny him the ball and make them lob over me. Even if they did, I knew I'd have Harold [Pressley] to come over and steal a weakside pass."

And Bias concurred with Pinckney's assessment:

"Every time he posted up, he [Pinckney] was there."

Undoubtedly, however, the main cost of that strategy was to permit Branch to have a tremendous game. Branch improved upon his performance in the first game, playing all but one minute, shooting 9/19 from the floor, 3/5 from the line, with five rebounds and two assists.

Fortunately, Branch was the only Terrapin, to have a fine offensive day. He scored nearly half of Maryland's points, scoring 21 while the entire Terrapin squad scored just 43. Branch and Bias were the only Terrapins to score more than four points, combining for 29 of the 43 points.

Maryland shot just 35.8% from the floor, making only 19 of its 53 field goal attempts, and going to the line just seven times, making five. Villanova also outrebounded Maryland, 40-29.

Of course, since Villanova triumphed by a score of 46-43, the Wildcats did not turn in a particularly good offensive performance, either. The Wildcats were only slightly better than the Terrapins from the floor, at 36.9%, making just 17 of their 46 shots.

The driving force behind the victory was Pinckney, the future Villanova assistant coach, who recorded a double-double with 16 points (on 5/7 shooting) and 13 rebounds, leading the team in both categories. 13 of the 16 points came in the second half. Of particular importance was his performance at the line, where the center made all but one, of his seven free throw attempts.

The only other Wildcat to reach double figures, was Dwayne McClain, who played all 40 minutes. McClain went 5/9 from the floor and 2-2 from the line, finishing with a dozen points, four rebounds, and two assists.

Villanova led early, 13-9, at the 8:21 mark of the first half. But Maryland charged back, and had taken a 20-19 advantage at intermission. Fortunately, it would be Maryland's last lead of the game.

Immediately after play resumed, Pressley, the junior forward, put Villanova up for good, with a putback off a rebound; the Wildcats now led 21-20, and would never relinquish the lead. (Pressley would ultimately score seven points and collect ten rebounds.)

Why did Villanova hold the lead for the rest of the game? Maryland was confounded by Massimino's defensive schemes. The Terrapins were held scoreless, for the first 7:10 of the second half. By the time they got back on track, Villanova held a commanding 32-22 lead.

A ten-point lead doesn't sound like much today. But in a game played with no shot clock or three-point shot, and Rollie's talent for holding the ball, it was a very formidable obstacle for Maryland to overcome.

Villanova still retained a 43-36 lead, with 5:4o to play in the contest. (The Wildcats would score only three points, in the remainder of the game, but it was enough to prevail.) Massimino then ordered stallball, one of his specialties- Rollie was one of the greatest coaches in the history of the sport, in terms of his ability to hold the basketball successfully.

And Villanova, ultimately, was able to preserve its lead, through its solid free throw shooting, making 12 of its 18 attempts.

The late scare came, when Maryland, having scored four unanswered points to climb back to 43-40, fouled Pressley for a one-and-one, with just 1:02 remaining. When Pressley missed the front end, Maryland had its chance - but Pinckney stymied them. Pulling down the Pressley miss for yet another rebound, Pinckney was fouled- and he converted both ends of the one-and-one. Villanova now held a 45-40 lead, and went on to win, 46-43.

(Note: Back then, all common fouls, beginning with the fifth one of a half, were one-and-one opportunities. The reason the rule was changed to the current one - one-and-one on fouls 7, 8, and 9, and two shots beginning at 10 - was to reduce the payoff for Massimino's strategy, one which was widely used throughout college basketball.

The rule change was a great decision by the NCAA, as it speeded up games and made them more exciting to watch, instead of just watching teams trudge from foul line to foul line, down the stretch.)

Go Wildcats!

I'll be completing the Senior Farewell series, in which I'll be looking back at the Villanova tenure of Dante Cunningham, this final departing Wildcat. The Dwayne Anderson, Frank Tchuisi, and Shane Clark series are now completed...

There are two ways you can contact Villanova Viewpoint. One is by commenting on this blog. Comments are encouraged, and will always be answered. 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.)

Ohio State Buckeyes Bounce Villanova, 67-66, in 5th-Place Game, in the Maui Invitational Tournament

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The Villanova Wildcats completed their surreal journey across the globe, with a tough loss to Ohio State in the fifth place game of the Maui Invitational on Wednesday afternoon, at the Lahaina Civic Center. 'Nova finished sixth in the eight-team field, emerging with one victory in three tries, including a loss to Division II host Chaminade.

This trip did not go as well as 'Nova's last trip to Maui. In 1995, Villanova's last appearance in the Maui Classic, the Wildcats won the tournament, a conquest made especially memorable by a victory over Dean Smith's North Carolina squad, which boasted Antawn Jamieson and Vince Carter.

Villanova trailed badly at halftime, 39-24, but fought back to make Ohio State sweat out crunch time. The Buckeyes could muster only one basket during the final five minutes, keeping the Wildcats alive. 'Nova kept the game close, battling to the very end, but ultimately came up a little short. Mike Nardi nailed a clutch 3 just as time ran out - the Villanova faithful were hoping as it was in the air that perhaps a fraction of a second might remain, but it was too late - the clock was all zeroes when the shot went through the net. Tony Stockman led Ohio State with 17 points, while Terence Dials added 12 points and nine boards.

For 'Nova, scoring was remarkably well-distributed; four of 'Nova's six players reached double figures. The backcourt of Allan Ray and Randy Foye once again led the way, scoring 21 and 18 points respectively; Foye added eight assists, but he struggled from the floor (he made only 6 of 17 attempts). Chris Charles scored ten points on 5-7 shooting and hauled in five rebounds. Mike Nardi also contributed 11 points.

'Nova fell to 3-2 overall, while Ohio State improved to 2-2. It was only the schools' third time facing each other, the second time since 1939, and the first meeting since the Watergate era - they had last met on December 30, 1974, with 'Nova winning 87-86. (Ohio State now leads all-time, 2-1.)

Villanova was once again hamstrung by long-distance-call-induced suspensions. Coach Jay Wright was once again only able to use a limited number of players: as noted above, only six Wildcats saw action (Foye, Ray, Nardi, Will Sheridan, Charles, and Mike Claxton). It easily made the difference in a one-point loss. Since Claxton played only seven minutes - basically, all of the starters played the entire game. (And some of Claxton's minutes came solely due to Charles' foul trouble - he played only 35 minutes before fouling out.)

Overall, Villanova's effort was hampered by terrible defense - Ohio State shot 54% from the floor, and when that happens, usually you don't lose by just one. The weakness underneath, with just Charles and Sheridan available, was clearly evident. And the Wildcats were lucky that they weren't completely buried by the Buckeyes, before the game even really started. Ohio State raced out of the blocks to leads of 11-3 and 24-10, the latter coming off a Stockman triple with just over eight minutes to play in the first half. The Buckeyes' first-half advantage peaked at 17 with just under four minutes to go, when Stockman's jumper doubled up Villanova at 34-17. Ray singlehandedly kept the 'Cats in it, scoring Villanova's final seven points of the half, which ended at 39-24.

Ohio State was able to maintain a healthy lead for much of the second half. It held a 13 point advantage at 43-30 lead after a Dials hook shot. Although 'Nova eroded the lead somewhat over the next few minutes, the Buckeyes boosted it back to 55-42 near the midpoint of the second half. They continued to lead by as many as 12, after Stockman hit another jumper at the 5:50 mark to put the tally at 60-48. The Wildcats plugged away, getting it down to seven, when Brandon Fuss-Cheatham (one of the truly memorable names among Villanova opponents, through the years) made a free throw to push it back to eight at the under-four minute timeout.

Villanova was undaunted, however. The Wildcats somehow found an offensive explosion, embarking on a 8-1 run at a fantastic time. Nardi drained a three with 1:42 to play to make it 64-63 - while OSU went cold. The Villanova bench was up yelling and screaming and waving towels, exhorting their teammates to continue the rally.

Unfortunately, the 'Cats couldn't get over the hump. As it turned out, OSU led in this contest, from buzzer to buzzer. With 50 seconds to go, clinging to the 64-63 lead, the Buckeyes turned the ball over. Foye was unable to make the front end of a one-and-one, and Stockman artfully dodged Villanova's defense to lay it in, putting OSU up 66-63 with 32 seconds to play. Foye had a chance to redeem himself, on the next possession, but missed a triple with about 15 seconds left. Fuss-Cheatham made only one of two free throws, but it was a big one - the one that transformed the contest from a one-possession to a two-possession game. (And it turned out to make the difference, after Nardi hit the three at the buzzer to cut it to one.)

On the whole, the Wildcats acquitted themselves admirably in Hawaii. Perhaps my expectations were too low, but I anticipated only one victory in three games (I assumed it would be over Chaminade, naturally). So I'm not disappointed. The Wildcats won one game and lost two others in nail-biters. One factor that might have helped 'Nova: the building was air-conditioned, for the first time in tournament history. Given that it was 80 degree weather, in a small building, the undermanned 'Cats would have been particularly susceptible to the fatigue-inducing effects of the heat. And thus, the fact that the AC was rolling was probably a break for them.

The Wildcats will now enjoy a substantial break from the grueling schedule, which included four games in five days, across 13,000 miles, three different time zones, and all three NCAA Divisions. They don't return to action for nine days, until the December 6 Big Five Classic at the Palestra, where they will take on La Salle. They will return to the grand old building three days later to face Penn.

Villanova Wildcats Bust Broncos of Santa Clara in Overtime, 53-51, in 2nd Round of Maui Invitational

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

In a thrilling game which unfortunately almost no Wildcat fans could watch, due to the lack of TV coverage - the Wildcats rose from a moribund effort late in the second half, rallied to force overtime and ultimately outlasted Santa Clara, 53-51, in the second round of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii.

Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter led the way with 17 and 16 points, respectively, while Kyle Bailey (12 points) and J.R. Patrick (10 points) reached double figures for the Broncos. Villanova improved to 3-1, while Santa Clara fell to 0-2, on the young season.

Villanova will take on Ohio State for fifth place, at 2 PM EST on Wednesday afternoon, in its final game at Maui.

This was a game which somewhat atones for the tough loss to Division II Chaminade in yesterday's first round contest. Villanova had no business winning this game; Santa Clara was ahead for virtually the entire game and seemed poised to advance through the consolation bracket. It was the team's first meeting since 1995, when Steve Nash's Broncos and Kerry Kittles's Wildcats clashed, and only their second ever, with Villanova winning both contests.

The keys to Villanova's victory were a strong resilience and stifling defense. The 'Cats did not give up despite trailing 47-42 with 18 seconds to play in regulation - instead, they battled back, ripped off five quick points, mandating an extra period. And the defense was outstanding. To allow only 51 points in a 45 minute contest is fantastic. Santa Clara's shooting totals were poor: 31% from the floor and 28% from three-point range.

Unfortunately, the 'Cats' shooting wasn't appreciably better. The Wildcats managed only 36% from the floor, and an even worse 21% from beyond the arc. There were plenty of bricks to be seen in sunny Hawaii today. The three experienced players available for today's game - sophomores Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter - went a combined 13-34 from the floor.

After taking a brief 6-5 lead, Villanova would not retake the lead until overtime; there were four lead changes in the first half but none in the second, until 'Nova tied it at the end. Santa Clara built a lead of as much as nine (19-10) after Brandon Rohe hit a triple just before under-4 minute media timeout. It's never good when you have just 10 points with four minutes to play in a half. Villanova started hitting some shots, fortunately, scoring seven quick points in the final four minutes to haul a respectable 23-17 deficit into the locker room at halftime.

Villanova's efforts were further hamstrung when Randy Foye picked up his fourth foul, foolishly. There were about seven minutes left in the game and the Santa Clara player was 25 feet from the basket, and Villanova could ill afford to lose Foye. But to the bench he went. At the 6:51 mark in the second half, an unusual play took place. Mike Nardi barreled into a Bronco, and the officials were split as to whether it should be a block or a charge - one called it, each way. This led to a conference as to what call should stand. The officials decided, in Solomonic fashion, to simply split the difference - it was BOTH. Nardi and the defender were both slapped with a foul, there were no free throws, and Villanova was awarded the ball by virtue of controlling the possession arrow. While I knew that in the case of double fouls, the team with the arrow gets the ball - I had never known it was possible to invoke that rule on a charge/block. By definition, that particular play HAS to be one or the other - it can't be both. (Usually, the double foul rule is invoked when officials have to break up a fight and can't decide which player was the aggressor.)

After that play (perhaps as a result of it), Santa Clara scored, tying its largest lead of nine, at 38-29 with 6:18 to play. Jay Wright called timeout, and it seemed to be all over but the shouting for the 'Cats. But to their credit, they came back with a 10-3 run to force their way back into the game. Their cause was helped when Foye returned (after some gallant fill-in work by Mike Claxton). The run culminated with an Allan Ray 3 at the 2:47 mark, drawing Villanova within two at 41-39.

Both teams seemed intent on giving away the game at the line. While the overall foul shooting percentages were fine (Villanova 67% against Santa Clara's 63%), it appeared that both teams struggled at the line at crunch time. Unfortunately, Ray abetted Santa Clara's poor foul shooting with a critical lane violation, on the next possession. Santa Clara's Travis Niesen made the first free throw and missed the second - but Ray was whistled for the violation (as had Curtis Sumpter, earlier in the contest). Niesen, given another chance, made the second - costing Villanova a crucial point that may very well have made the difference in such a tight game.

Santa Clara nearly put the game away when Patrick escaped defenders and went in for a slam dunk with less than 30 seconds remaining, putting the Broncos up by five, 47-42. Ray countered with a three with just 17.5 seconds remaining, giving the 'Cats new life. Villanova called timeout to set up its defense. Think about it- how often does that tactic actually yield tangible results? (It's the right move, of course, but it usually doesn't pay dividends.) But this time it did - Santa Clara, perhaps suffering from early-season jitters - THREW the inbounds pass away! Villanova was awarded possession with just 16.8 seconds to play, down 47-45.

Foye managed to draw a foul, and hit two clutch free throws with 7.3 seconds to go to knot the game at 47. When Bailey's shot at the buzzer went awry, we were headed to OT.

Overtime was somewhat anticlimactic. While I have no hard evidence to back this up, it seems that the team that FORCES overtime usually isn't successful in it. One reason might be that they use up all of their emotional reserves and adrenaline in forcing overtime, and they are spent. Another might be is that the trailing team is usually the inferior team in talent, and the superior team benefits by extending the game as long as possible, allowing the talent to shine through. Fortunately, in this case the theory didn't hold.

There wasn't much scoring in overtime - which is not surprising in light of how little scoring there was in regulation (the teams had combined for less than 100 points). Nobody scored until a minute and a half had passed, when Mike Nardi scored to give 'Nova its first lead since early in the first half. And nobody scored again, until less than two minutes remained in OT. Nardi was fouled and added two free throws, extending the 'Nova advantage to 51-47. On the next possession, Santa Clara finally got on the board in the extra session, when Bailey hit a two pointer (what would have been a three pointer, except for the experimental three-point arc) to make it 51-49.

'Nova kept grimly hanging on, but couldn't score. Santa Clara finally broke through, taking possession after a timeout with 23 seconds left, and Bailey laid in a shot to retie the game at 51 with just 10.8 seconds remaining. A second overtime appeared imminent. (Nobody wanted to win.)

Villanova would have the last chance to win it in the first overtime. Ray missed a shot, but Sumpter hauled down the rebound and drew a foul with 2.3 seconds remaining. The sophomore delivered, draining both. Santa Clara still had life, though, since the Broncos still had a timeout. They huddled, and got the ball to half-court. But the desperation heave failed, and the Wildcats walked off the court triumphant. Final - Villanova 53, Santa Clara 51.

In the course of a long season, good teams need to win games that they don't deserve to win. This game appeared to be the 'Cats' most ragged effort of their four games thus far. It was profoundly illogical to crush Temple and lose to Chaminade, but all of these things tend to even out in the long run. Villanova outplayed Chaminade but managed to fall short in the end, and the 'Cats turned the tables and did the same to Santa Clara today. Also, obviously, it's tough playing with just six guys. (Only Foye, Ray, Nardi, Sheridan, Sumpter and Claxton saw action today.) Fortunately, the suspensions will all be behind 'Nova soon and we'll see what this team can do at full strength.

A Blue Hawaii for Villanova: Maui Invitational Host, Division II Member Chaminade Silverswords Upset Wildcats, 52-49

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The Lahaina Center in Maui, Hawaii, the host floor for the Maui Invitational, has seen one of the greatest triumphs in Villanova's illustrious history, the 1995 victory over a North Carolina squad featuring the likes of Vince Carter and Antawn Jamieson. Unfortunately, it will now have to share that distinction with one of the program's more embarrassing defeats. The Division II Silverswords shocked Villanova, 52-49, in a breakfast-time game (9 AM tip-off, Maui time) today.

It was Chaminade's first victory in the Maui Classic since 1992, and only its fourth in the 20-year history of the tournament, against 46 losses. The Silverswords had dropped thirty Maui Classic games in a row, prior to today. (Chaminade, best known for its 1982 victory over #1 Virginia and Ralph Sampson, parlayed that exposure into the creation of the Maui Classic, now officially the EA Sports Maui Invitational.) Chaminade's last victory in this tournament came on December 23, 1992, against Stanford. The 'Cats had led by 43-35 with 9:03 to go, and seemed to be in control. But Chaminade rallied to outscore 'Nova 17-6 the rest of the way and pull off the stunning upset.

Allan Ray led the Wildcats (2-1 overall, 2-0 vs. Div. I opponents) with 19 points, while Randy Foye chipped in 12 points, and Chris Charles added eight points, twelve rebounds, and five blocks. For Chaminade (1-0), Roy Stigall III led with 14 points while playing all 40 minutes. Sam Henning had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Kashif Reyes (who hails from Reading, PA) also reached double figures with 10 points, including a big three down the stretch. Villanova will play its second game in Maui at 4 PM EST on Tuesday (11 AM in Maui), against Santa Clara.

It's been quite a while since Villanova has lost to a non-Division I opponent. (It's difficult to determine because schools move up and down between classifications as the years go by.) The most recent non-Division I loss that I can find was during the 1985-86 season, the third game after the miraculous national title. Rollie Massimino's Wildcats were blown out at Lamar, 78-59, on November 26, 1985. (Lamar is currently Division I, but probably was not at the time.)

While the magnitude of the defeat is mitigated somewhat by Villanova's skeleton roster, that will be of little comfort come Selection Sunday, if the Wildcats are on the bubble. The NCAA is not likely to cut them a break, given that the skeleton roster came as a result of a NCAA violation. Fortunately, games against non-Division I teams don't count in the RPI (for the simple reason that there aren't enough of those games for the NCAA to bother doing all of the extra calculations), so Villanova will escape on that score - but this defeat will be noted and held against them on Selection Sunday.

In this tournament, Villanova will have to contend with a couple of experimental rules. The NCAA prefers to use the holiday tournaments as a laboratory, experimenting with various permutations of current rules. (Some of you may remember back in 1999-2000, when they decided to experiment with letting a fouled team keep the ball on the side, rather than being forced to take foul shots. Villanova benefited from this, being able to salt away a Hawaii victory over Wake Forest by never being forced to defend the lead at the line. Naturally, the rule was never implemented in regular season play.) This year, the experimental rules involve standardization of the three-point line and lane to international dimensions: i.e., moving the three-point arc back nine inches and using a wider, trapezoid-shaped lane. In a three-point loss, the lane expansion might very well have made the difference. A wider lane will generally help the smaller team, in this case Chaminade, as the big men can't hover as close to the basket.

Chaminade started out the game on fire, rocketing out to a 10-2 lead, less than five minutes into the contest. Villanova really scuffled during the first half, shorthanded. The Wildcats had trouble overcoming Chaminade's tenacious man-to-man defense, and could never develop much of a rhythm. The Wildcats got hit with ten personal fouls, and the frequent whistles meant that play was choppy and didn't flow easily.

Despite these disadvantages, the Wildcats painstakingly constructed a 18-12 lead at the 8:35 mark, the under-12 minute TV timeout coming late (during a rare span when there were no whistles). But the Silverswords came back with a vengeance, spending the last 8:35 of the half on a 16-2 run. They reclaimed the lead at 21-20 with 2:19 to play on a triple by Stigall, and went into the locker room celebrating a 28-20 lead over the Main Liners. In the first half, Villanova had exploited its relative size advantage, blocking seven shots - although the aggressive contesting of shots was the chief reason for the foul trouble. Will Sheridan and Chris Charles each finished the half with two fouls.

In the second half, Villanova seemed to feel more comfortable, and the Wildcats' shots began dropping: during the first six and a half minutes of the second stanza, Villanova went on a 12-4 run, keyed by three buckets from Foye. The score thus stood at 32 all, and the Wildcats appeared to have overcome their initial obstacles - their talent superiority was beginning to assert itself. Chaminade did pick up some momentum when Ray picked up his second and third fouls within ten seconds, the latter coming at the 11:52 mark and Chaminade holding a 35-34 advantage.

However, Ray stayed on the floor (coach Jay Wright could hardly afford to take him out), and helped 'Nova run out to its first lead in a while. After acquiring those fouls, Villanova outscored Chaminade 9-0 over the next three minutes or so - with seven of the points coming from Ray. The last three came on a triple with 9:03 to play, putting the Wildcats up 43-35, their high-water mark for the game.

Unfortunately, Chaminade kept chipping away at the lead, whittling it down to 44-41 at the 5:32 mark. Sheridan picked up his fourth foul against Henning underneath with 4:49 to go. Although Henning missed both free throws, it still hurt because Sheridan had to curtail his aggressiveness considerably the rest of the way.

Villanova's last hurrah came at 2:35, when Ray hit another basket to make it 46-41. At that point, the Wildcats crumbled, permitting Chaminade to run off eight unanswered points in only 51 seconds. The key play of the game, in retrospect:

With 'Nova clinging to a 46-44 lead, with less than two minutes to play, an errant Chaminade shot bounced crazily around, finally heading to Reyes. Nardi mistakenly (and understandably) thought that Reyes wasn't his man and left him, to cover another Silversword who did NOT have the ball. Reyes - undoubtedly thrilled at the uncontested shot - calmly drained a three to put Chaminade up 47-46 - and as it turned out, for good. As it went through the hoop, the small, pro-Chaminade crowd went crazy at the prospect of an upset over the Big East program.

Wright expertly managed the last 1:44, giving the Wildcats every opportunity to try to steal the game back. Unfortunately, the Wildcats just couldn't find the hoop. And give Chaminade credit: the Silverswords made five of six free throws in that span to ice the game. Nor were they easy shots. All six foul shots came on one-and-one opportunities - and for the Silverswords, these were arguably the biggest free throws of their careers.

Foye was forced to foul with 50.3 seconds to go, after 'Nova failed to score - Chaminade's Henning made both ends of the one-and-one, giving the Silverswords a 49-46 lead. Sheridan managed to make one of two free throws on the next possession, cutting the lead to 49-47 with 32.4 to go - but best of all, Villanova successfully rebounded the miss, giving Wright a chance to call timeout with the ball, trailing by two with 26.1 to play. But 'Nova would never score again - Nardi turned the ball over, trying to drive the lane on the next possession. After being fouled immediately, Chaminade's Reyes again completed a one-and-one with 13.9 seconds to go, giving them a 51-47 lead. With Chaminade playing cautious defense, Chris Charles converted a semi-contested layup with 6.8 seconds remaining, cutting it to 51-49. After being fouled, Stigall hit the first free throw (the REALLY pressure-packed one), but missed the second, giving the 'Cats life. It was still a one-possession game. But Foye's three-point attempt, coming with less than three seconds left, was off the mark, sending the 'Cats down to defeat.

I wouldn't panic, though. Let's face it, the 'Cats had been laughing uproariously in the face of the basketball Grim Reaper thus far this season. They crushed Temple in a game in which - on paper - they had no business even being competitive, let alone winning in a blowout. Less than 36 hours later, they had to travel to California, play a game at 10 AM local time against a Division III opponent on its home floor with its fans and students screaming. And not just any Division III opponent - one that loves to run up and down the floor and score 100 points a contest. And then fly to Hawaii, and play at 9 AM against another lowly opponent whose season (and college legacy) would be made by a victory. And do all of the above with a shorthanded roster, the composition of which fluctuates from game to game, using some players that had never played a minute of college basketball, others who had played only negligible ones. The basketball gods were bound to catch up with them eventually.

Villanova did not play especially badly. (I've seen them - in situations with far more talented and experienced players - play a hell of a lot worse than they did today.) They weren't particularly sloppy and they didn't commit outrageous mistakes. The Wildcats shot a respectable 43% from the floor, while holding the Silverswords to 35%. The 'Cats committed 18 turnovers, but (for better or worse) that's not historically unusual. They just played like what they are- a bunch of remarkably inexperienced players. The Wildcats' entire team consisted of freshmen and sophomores. Only Foye and Ray had any meaningful experience. Chris Charles basically hasn't played basketball in over a year: he redshirted last year, and he didn't even play that much during his true freshman season in 2001-02. (For that matter, his high school career was truncated when his Milwaukee high school abruptly disbanded its program.) Mike Claxton played 14 minutes last season. And when you're forced to play with really inexperienced players, often you will lose.

So the fact that they lost to a Chaminade team which was - to put it mildly - highly motivated, under extraordinarily arduous logistical circumstances, isn't anything to be too upset about. These games are the biggest of the season to a Chaminade player, and for the Wildcats it's just another game on the schedule. Granted, it would have been nice to have pulled victory from the jaws of defeat and have the game just be a footnote, but it didn't work out that way.

Hopefully, the 'Cats can turn it around tomorrow.

Go Wildcats!

Jet-lagged Villanova Wildcats Jump Over Redlands, 114-103

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Villanova continued its remarkably surreal odyssey with yet another victory on Saturday, its second in about 36 hours, but separated by three time zones. After spotting the University of Redlands - a Division III school - a couple of 10-point leads in the first half, the Wildcats roared back to blow open the game in the second half and win easily, 114-103 - the 'Cats scored 65 points in the second half. Allan Ray shattered his career-high, blasting Redlands for 38 points, while Derek Flegal led the Bulldogs with 26. The Wildcats were once again forced to use a shortened bench, playing only seven guys - but all six players who scored set career highs in scoring.

Villanova improved to 2-0 overall in the young season. The Wildcats, fresh after crushing Temple, 73-48, in the wee hours of Thursday night/Friday morning, had crashed at an airport hotel before hopping on a plane to LA on Friday morning.

The Wildcats continue their journey by flying immediately to Maui, where they will return to action against the host of the Maui Classic, the Chaminade Silverswords, at 2 PM Monday (Philadelphia time).

Redlands, located in southern California, about 65 miles outside Los Angeles - plays a highly unorthodox - but intellectually interesting - style: a strict platoon system. Coach Gary Smith shuttles in entire teams of five players, hoping to overwhelm opponents with sheer numbers, and plays a highly uptempo, exciting style, packed with sprints and three-point attempts. They routinely score and allow over a hundred points a contest.

This could have spelled trouble for Villanova today, as its suspension-shortened lineup was in no position to engage in a run-and-gun battle in the Old West, even against a Division III opponent. The game was on Redlands' home floor as well, Currier Gymnasium, a 800-seat bandbox. Obviously, Redlands rarely gets the opportunity to face Division I opponents, and even less often has the chance to face them on their home floor, with their own students in attendance. So this was a dangerous contest for Villanova in a lot of ways.

Villanova did catch a break by insisting on the 10 AM Pacific time tip-off (demanded in order to permit the Wildcats to be back on a plane to Hawaii as quickly as possible), and the hungover students took a while to pack Currier to the rafters. But as the game wore on - even as Redlands' fortunes waned - you could hear, on the radio broadcast, the cheers growing exponentially louder.

(Most atypical cheer: at garbage time, with Villanova in control, 112-101, the crowd began chanting overrated," since the Bulldogs had more than held their own with the Wildcats. They had actually led for a good part of the first half, as well as building a seven point lead early in the second half.)

Villanova trailed by as much as ten in the first half, but Allan Ray finally gave the 'Cats their first lead at the 6:15 mark. The lead seesawed for the remainder of the half, with the Bulldogs clinging to a one-point lead at halftime. Will Sheridan was perfect from the floor at halftime, having gone 7-7 with frequent dunks.

The teams continued to battle toe-to-toe for the first seven minutes of the second half, with Redlands gaining the upper hand. Around the 14:00 mark, Redlands led 71-64, the swelling crowd was really getting enthusiastic, and the Bulldogs seemed to have all of the momentum. Then Randy Foye - one of only two experienced players Villanova had, along with Ray - picked up his third and fourth fouls in quick succession, within 30 seconds. Coach Jay Wright was forced to remove him, and the Wildcats seemed to be in trouble.

But 'Nova came back, outscoring Redlands 44-21 over the next nine minutes or so, and building a lead which eventually peaked at 108-92 with just under four minutes to play. After Foye went to the bench, the 'Cats scored eight quick points to reclaim the lead at 72-71. Then an unusual series of events occurred, illustrating the clash of cultures between Division I and Division III:

This game was probably (although I'm not 100% certain) officiated by Division III officials in California. When Division I teams play cupcakes, usually one of the stipulations is that the game be officiated by officials from the big school's conference (which naturally works to its advantage). However, due to the unusual circumstances under which this game was scheduled, Redlands probably won the right to select the officials.

Smith decided that he wanted a timeout, to switch five-man platoons - but he didn't actually want the timeout itself. He just wanted to stop play to sub, but didn't want play delayed in order to give the outnumbered Wildcats a chance to rest. There seemed to be some confusion as to whether he was allowed to do this, and the officials finally decided to let him do it- but then also decided that since it was the first whistle under 12 minutes, that the official media timeout should come, thus nullifying what Smith was trying to accomplish. That isn't the correct rule: team-called timeouts don't count as whistles for the purpose of triggering TV timeouts. From that, I speculate that they were D-III officials, who usually don't have to deal with those rules (since few D-III games have radio or TV coverage) and assume that's why they weren't applied correctly, initially. (Also: in the first half, coach J had to correct an official who tried to force Villanova to wait until AFTER the TV timeout to shoot free throws, explaining that this wasn't the rule.) This led the Villanova radio broadcast to cut away to a commercial. After the timeout, broadcasters Whitey Rigsby and Steve Pinone explained that the officials had-correctly - decided to overrule their initial ruling, give Smith his perfunctory timeout and then immediately resumed play. (They then valiantly explained what had gone on in the last minute and a half or so while the broadcast had been off the air.)

After all the dust had settled from the timeouts, Villanova began pulling away. By the time the next radio timeout came (without incident) with less than eight minutes to play, 'Nova had built a solid 89-81 lead, which they never relinquished. When play resumed, 'Nova scored nine consecutive points to make it 98-81 with about six minutes to go, effectively ending the game. And they did it all without Foye, who sat on the bench for a long time - until Sheridan made it 100-84 by nailing an alley-oop.

Redlands managed to creep back to 108-98, after Baker Dunleavy committed a foul on a three-point shooter with about 3:27 to go. But they drew no closer. With 2:17 to play, trailing 112-98, Smith tried the same tactic with a timeout, taking it to sub but nothing else - but Jay Wright countered by simply taking the timeout himself, immediately after. The final ended up as 114-103. (To their credit, Redlands didn't try to prolong the inevitable by fouling, and instead, just let the game take its course.)

Villanova shot an outstanding 64% from the floor, and recorded 30 assists on 47 field goals. Four Wildcats had double-doubles:

Ray had a career-high 38 points and 11 rebounds on 17-24 shooting; Foye posted a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds; Sheridan got his Villanova career off to a rollicking start, in only his second game, with a career-high 23 points and 17 rebounds on sizzling 11-12 shooting, many of which were uncontested; finally, fellow freshman Mike Nardi had 19 points and 13 assists for the first double-double of his young career. A number worth noting for Redlands: the Bulldogs took no fewer than 64 (!) three-point attempts- and they made 24, a highly respectable 37.5%.

The Wildcats have thus far gotten off to a stirring start with two victories with their skeleton roster. (Some thought should be given to playing with just seven guys all year...) The 'Cats will receive another opportunity to defy the odds with the game against Chaminade on Monday, with yet another quick turnaround, little time to savor the victory, and another long plane ride (just as with Temple earlier this week).

Go Wildcats!