A Blue Christmas for Blue Raiders, As Villanova Tops East Tennessee State At Pavilion, 81-62

Maybe it was too much holiday eggnog. Or turkey. Or even figgy pudding.

Whatever the cause, the Wildcats slept-walked through the first few minutes of their contest with Middle Tennessee State, falling behind 13-4, and the Wildcats led at halftime by just two. They seemed on the verge of nearly delivering the Blue Raiders a belated Christmas gift - and ironically, MTSU did dress a player with the apt name of Keith Christmas.

Fortunately, the Wildcats recovered from their early post-holiday hangover. After the 13-4 deficit, they hit their Southern guests with a quite inhospitable 18-2 run, taking the lead. MTSU stayed close, and 'Nova led at the half by just two. But a strong run to open the second half ended the first-half suspense. Ultimately, Villanova sent the Blue Raiders packing without plunder - or holiday cheer - shrugging off the early torpor with an 81-62 victory. In defiance of the season of giving, the Wildcats were in fact quite stingy. 'Nova gave up just 25 points in the second half - and in a shocking development, yielded just nine turnovers for the game.

Villanova won its fifth straight contest, improving to 6-1 overall; MTSU fell to 7-4 overall, in the first-ever meeting between the schools. Curtis Sumpter was once again awesome, rocketing to a 26 point performance on lethal 10-13 shooting. He also provided five rebounds and didn't commit a single turnover. Other noteworthy contributions came from Allan Ray (15 points) and Randy Foye (14 points). For MTSU, hometown favorite Michael Cuffee - playing in front of his family and friends - led the way with 17 points and six boards in logging 39 minutes. It was Cuffee's 16th straight game reaching double figures, and the 17 points tied a season high. Mike Dean added 15 points for the Blue Raiders.

A three from Nardi gave 'Nova its first lead at 14-13. The Wildcats forced a shot clock violation on the next possession, and Foye followed up with another three to make it 17-13, completing a 13-0 Villanova run. It culminated in an 18-2 run for 'Nova, keyed by a pressure defense that led to some points in transition, and 'Nova had quickly transformed a 13-4 deficit into a 22-15 advantage. The Wildcats would ultimately score 23 points off turnovers and eight fastbreak points.

But at the half, Villanova led by just two, 39-37, as MTSU had hung around for the entire first half. However, Coach Wright made some adjustments at intermission, and 'Nova roared out in the second half, clamping down on defense. The Blue Raiders managed just two points in over seven minutes after play resumed, as a tight contest had degenerated into a rout. 'Nova now led 53-39, after an "and-one" converted by Sumpter, and the Wildcats were not threatened afterward. MTSU never drew closer than eight during the remainder of the contest and trailed most of it by double digits.

Villanova shot an impressive 53% from the floor overall and a torrid 50% from three-point range. The usual trademark defense deteriorated, unfortunately, for the second straight game; MTSU shot well (43%, both overall and from beyond the arc) and Villanova won the battle of the glass by only a small margin.

Putting MTSU on the December schedule is a bit of a change of pace for 'Nova. MTSU isn't geographically close by, located in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Moreover, the Blue Raiders are both sufficiently dangerous (the Blue Raiders are the favorite to win one division of the Sun Belt Conference) and insufficiently RPI-potent to warrant inclusion on the schedule. Long-time members of the Ohio Valley Conference before switching to the Sun Belt, MTSU has received only one at-large bid to the NCAA tournament in school history (and the only one in the history of the OVC). Their deepest-ever postseason run was some modest NIT success in 1988, when a Dana Barros-led Boston College team stopped them one game short of the Madison Square Garden trip, after two NIT victories.

The MTSU Blue Raiders entered the game with a record of 7-3. The Blue Raiders had padded their record with some extraordinarily weak competition, scheduling a string of home games against Lambuth University, Belmont, Tennessee Wesleyan, Tennessee State, and Mississippi Valley State, all of which they won. In an unusual scheduling decision, they actually played MVSU twice in the early going, losing on the road and then winning the rematch on their home floor, the Murphy Center. They also had a loss to Rice. But by going 5-2 to start the season, it was the team's best start since 1997. The Blue Raiders had just come off competing in the San Juan Shootout, where they sandwiched a five-point loss to Auburn with a topping of Toledo and an overtime victory over Delaware.

They are helmed by Kermit Davis, who was at one point the youngest head coach in Division I, when he was named head coach at Idaho in 1987, when he was just 28. (He was a junior college head coach at 24.)

At least one Blue Raider was happy about the lengthy trip: senior Michael Cuffee, a native of Philadelphia. Cuffee averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds in his senior year at the Public League's Simon Gratz High.

In a small lineup shuffle, coach Jay Wright opted to bench Mike Nardi from the point guard spot, and insert Marcus Austin as the starting center. Wright is continuing to search for answers in the post. Chris Charles hadn't distinguished himself in the wake of Jason Fraser's injury revival, and so perhaps Austin was worth a look. Alas, the Big Dog was surprisingly silent in taking advantage of the opportunity, logging 15 minutes and failing to pull down a single rebound, finishing with just two points and a blocked shot. It seems clear that Fraser is going to have to get and remain healthy for Villanova to count on reliable offensive production from the five spot.

Fortunately, there was some good news on the Fraser front. The junior center came off the bench for 22 minutes, a remarkable coincidence for a player who had logged precisely 22 minutes in 'each of Nova's THREE previous games. And he not only played - he was awesome, actually. Despite some foul trouble, Fraser delivered nine points, three blocks and seven boards.

Also, Nardi seemed to take his absence from the starting lineup in stride. The struggling sophomore point guard came off the bench to play 33 minutes, scoring eight points, dealing three assists and most importantly, playing vigorous defense and helping to force some MTSU turnovers. He also helped squelch MTSU's mini-rally in the second half by hitting back-to-back threes.

Villanova resumes City Series action with a New Year's Eve matinee against ancient rival Penn at the Pavilion at 4:00 PM later this week. The Quakers will be coming off a stunning 23-day layoff; Penn hasn't seen action since falling 52-51 at Temple on December 8. But the Quakers have won two of the last three against 'Nova, and are making their first 21st-century visit to the Pavilion - where the Quakers have never won. The Wildcats own a victory over La Salle and a heartbreaking loss to Temple thus far in Big Five action, and can stay in the hunt for a share of the city title with a victory. Their final City Series game comes against St. Joseph's at the Palestra in February.

Wildcats Send Great Danes to Doghouse, Defeating Albany, 86-72, In the Midst of the Christmas Season

Villanova had some trouble in sending the Albany Great Danes to the doghouse on Wednesday night, 86-72, at the Pavilion. However, the Wildcats ultimately sent the Main Line crowd back scurrying to the King of Prussia Mall to finish Christmas shopping, secure in the knowledge that 'Nova is slowly - but surely - priming up for the Big East campaign.

Three Wildcats had tremendous performances. Curtis Sumpter finished with 23 points and nine rebounds on 8-12 shooting. Randy Foye also registered 23 points, on 8-15 shooting, including 4-8 from beyond the arc. Finally, best of all, Allan Ray rocked the Pavilion for 26 points to join the 1,000 point club. For Albany, Jamar Wilson finished with 19 points to lead the way, Lucious Jordan contributed 16 points, and freshman Brent Wilson scored 15 points, including five triples.

Villanova displayed a remarkable holiday spirit to their guests from Albany, surrendering an appalling 72 points. That may not sound so bad in absolute terms, but when you take into consideration that the Wildcats entered the game as the most miserly Scrooges in the nation, ranked first nationally in both points allowed and field goal percentage defense - well, that's disappointing. Moreover, the Wildcats had yet to allow more than 53 points in a game. How did it happen? Basically, unconscious outside shooting from Albany. The Great Danes growled their way to a shocking 52% from three point range and an impressive 54% overall. It was bound to happen, sooner or later.

Albany hung around a lot longer than it should have. After Villanova zoomed out to a 28-18 first-half lead, the Great Danes pulled to just 33-32 at intermission. Villanova once again appeared to have the game in hand, after Ray canned a three roughly midway through the second half to give 'Nova a 68-50 lead. However, the Great Danes were as close as 73-68 with less than five minutes to play, after Wilson made yet another three-pointer. Fortunately, the 'Cats were able to repel the Great Danes' charge, winning by double-digits - Villanova won the rest of the game 13-4.

Villanova improved to 5-1 overall, winning its fourth straight game. The Wildcats haven't lost since December 4, to Temple at the Palestra. Albany fell to 4-4 overall. The Great Danes are currently engaged in a highly arduous road trip, as Albany just played its seventh road game (out of eight total). The trip will also continue with (gulp) a visit to the Carrier Dome on Tuesday.

While Albany was only slightly better competition than the UMBC team Villanova crushed in the season opener, the Great Danes still provided some drama as to the outcome. The Retrievers were picked to finish 10th in the ten-school America East conference, while Albany was a marginally better 8th. (Vermont, the alma mater of former Villanova mentor Rollie Massimino, was favored to finish first.) Albany is coming off a calamitous season in which the Great Danes went 5-23 overall, 3-15 America East, finishing dead last. By Albany standards, they have had a decent season, losing their only home game against Long Island in overtime. Moreover, the Great Danes have BLOWOUT victories at Sacred Heart, Siena (its crosstown opponent), and Army, winning each by 18 points or more, as well as a 12 point victory at Hartford.

This was the first-ever meeting between the schools, which was not surprising in light of the fact that the Great Danes have only competed in Division I, since the 1999-2000 season. Entering the game, Albany had posted a not unimpressive 4-16 record against schools currently in the Big East (although not necessarily as Big East members). However, since Albany joined Division I in the 21st century, the Great Danes have challenged Big East opponents on four prior occasions, three of them against Syracuse. They have never come closer than 19 points in any of them. The best showing they have managed was a 79-60 loss, at the RAC to Rutgers on Valentine's Day, 2000. However, the Great Danes were obviously hopelessly outgunned and on the road in three of those four games. Syracuse actually came to the Pepsi Arena to play Albany in 2001, winning 91-65; it was probably a 3-for-1 deal since Albany has gone to the Carrier Dome twice and will be there again next week. It seems possible, based on tonight, that the Great Danes might have more success against the Orangemen than in the past. Albany is, quite simply, a work in progress. The head coach, Will Brown, is just 33 and already in his fourth season at the helm.

Worth noting: Will Sheridan and Great Dane freshman Joe Dyson were high school teammates at Delaware's Sanford School; Great Danes tri-captain Christopher Wyatt is from the Philadelphia area; he played at Montgomery County's Hatboro-Horsham High.

Ray Watch: The junior guard finally attained the millenial milestone, exploding for 26 points on 10-16 shooting. He is the first Wildcat to join the club since Ricky Wright.

The Wildcats continue this long homestand, when MTSU arrives at the Pavilion right after Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Villanova Fells Fordham, 68-47, at Pavilion

The Wildcats breezed to a wholly expected, but still reasonably well-played, victory over a hapless, overmatched Fordham Rams squad, 68-47, Tuesday night at the Pavilion. Curtis Sumpter roared for a season-high 20 points - plus 11 boards - to lead the Wildcats' efforts. Randy Foye had a particularly strong game, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds, dishing four assists and picking up three steals in 34 minutes of action. Jason Fraser came off the bench once again and delivered a powerful performance, scoring 12 points and collecting seven rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. For Fordham, Sebastian Greene was the only player to reach double figures, registering 11 points.

Villanova continued to play relentless defense this season, as Fordham became the third opponent this year to score fewer than 50 points. The Rams were held to just 31% shooting, on 16-51 from the floor, and 21% from beyond the arc on 3-14 shooting.

Fordham was simply never in this game. The Rams were able to muster only 16 points by halftime, trailing by 13, and it was quite obvious that they were not going to return to the Big Apple with a victory. The Wildcats maintained a comfortable double-digit lead throughout the second half and just put it on cruise control. Overall, Villanova shot well from beyond the arc, nailing 5 of 11 shots (45.5%) and also thumped the Rams on the glass, 41-27.

Villanova upped its record to 4-1 overall, while Fordham dropped to 3-4 overall. It was Villanova's third straight game against Atlantic 10 competition: the Wildcats fell to Temple on December 4, before beating another, La Salle, on Saturday - both opponents are Atlantic 10 members. (Villanova will also face defending regular-season champion St. Joseph's at the Palestra in February).

Surprisingly, it was the first meeting of the two geographically close, academically-oriented Catholic schools in over 33 years - since the second round of the 1971 NCAA tournament, when 'Nova won a 85-75 shootout (a lot of points in that pre-shot clock, pre-three-point shot era). Fordham was a powerhouse then; the team was coached by Digger Phelps (now an ESPN analyst) and completed the season with a 26-3 record. The Wildcats would go on to lose to powerful UCLA in the national title game that year. It was also the first scheduled, regular-season meeting since December 1961, when Villanova won 69-48 at Fordham. By winning tonight, Villanova increased its small lead in the all-time series with Fordham to 11-8; the Rams' last victory over the Wildcats came in 1957. Tonight also marked Fordham's first visit to the Main Line campus since 1949 (Villanova hosted them six times at the Palestra between 1949 and 1960.

Ray Watch: The junior guard entered the game just 26 points away from reaching 1,000 points in his Main Line career. Unfortunately, he was constrained by foul trouble. Ray played just 22 minutes, and finished with just five points on 2-4 shooting. He has an outside chance of attaining the milestone on December 22 against Albany, but it seems more likely that it will have to wait until the December 27 contest against Middle Tennessee State. He'll be the first Wildcat to do so, since Ricky Wright reached it in 2002-03. He will be the 46th Wildcat to clear the plateau.

Fraser Watch: On Saturday, the junior center also passed Ricky Wright (79 blocks) for ninth place on the all-time blocks list, and entered the game with 80, needing two blocks to tie Rafal Bigus for eighth place at 82. He passed Biggie easily, swatting four Fordham shots.

Fordham entered the game with a record of 3-3 - which is rather impressive for a program coming off a 6-22 season- and that dismal record was - incredibly - a four-game IMPROVEMENT over their 2002-03 record of 2-26 (not a misprint). They have had three double-digit losses, to Manhattan, Boston University and Holy Cross, none of whom would be described as powers and all of whom belong to lower-tier conferences. But you have to crawl before you can walk when you're rebuilding from 2-26 two years ago. Coach Dereck Whittenburg is in his second season, taking over after the 2-26 debacle. Whittenburg has some basketball lore surrounding him; he was the guy who fed Lorenzo Charles's miracle dunk to win the 1983 national title for N.C. State, shocking Houston's then-Akeem Olajuwon and Phi Slamma Jamma.

The Rams own victories over St. Francis (NY), Iona, and Fairfield, and are capable of launching a high-powered attack, scoring 83 and 84 points in two of those three wins. Against Fairfield, they achieved something which Villanova may never have done in its long, storied history - embark on an incredible, inconceivable 33-0 run! Holding a modest 24-19 lead with 5:37 to play in the first half, they scored the final 22 points of the first half and also the first 11 of the second half, building a shocking 57-19 lead before letting up and winning just 84-68; Fairfield actually won the rest of the game 49-27. However, they were also capable of horrendous offensive performances, as a 53-39 loss to Holy Cross on the Rams' home floor also demonstrated.

The Wildcats will enjoy an eight-day respite for exams, and will return to action against the Albany Great Danes on December 22 at the Pavilion. The Wildcats will be feasting on a five-game stretch of holiday home cooking, as they don't leave the Pavilion again until traveling to Notre Dame on January 8. In that span, they face two more cupcakes (Albany and Middle Tennessee State), one Big Five rival (Pennsylvania), and a Big East squad (West Virginia).

Wildcats Ground Monmouth Hawks, 70-50, at the Pavilion

In a solid, albeit unspectacular, effort, the Wildcats overcame some atrocious first-half turnovers to ground the Monmouth Hawks, 70-50, at the Pavilion on Tuesday night. 'Nova committed an appalling 11 miscues in the first half, and led by just seven at intermission. However, the Wildcats blew the game open early in the second half and breezed to victory, maintaining a comfortable double-digit lead for most of the second stanza.

The sluggish start may have been due to some letdown after the difficult City Series loss to Temple at the Palestra on Saturday. Villanova improved its record to 2-1 on the young season, while Monmouth fell to 1-5 overall.

Four Wildcats reached double figures in the contest. Allan Ray and Curtis Sumpter each scored 14 points to lead all scorers, while Randy Foye (12 points) and Mike Nardi (10 points) also made significant contributions on the offensive end. Tyler Azzarelli led the Hawks with 10 points.

Villanova filled up the stat sheets very well. The bigger Wildcats crushed the Hawks on the glass, outrebounding them 36-22, and swatting eight Monmouth shots (three of those courtesy of Will Sheridan). 'Nova made 53% of its shots overall and a formidable 46% from beyond the arc, as well as a nearly-perfect 13-14 from the free throw line (93%).

Perhaps more importantly, 'Nova has played very tenacious defense thus far this year. In three games, the Wildcats have yet to yield more than 53 points. UMBC scored 41, Temple 53, and Monmouth 50; that's a good sign for the future. Also, the Hawks weren't strangers to Big East competition; in fact, in their last outing, Monmouth had actually led Seton Hall at the Meadowlands at halftime, before the Pirates fought back and eventually blew them out by 20 - ironically, 70-50, precisely the same score as tonight's contest. However, familiarity and short road trips haven't helped Monmouth against Big East opponents; the Northeast Conference school is now 0-24 all-time against the Big East.

It was Monmouth's first game against Villanova, since the Hawks came to the Main Line for the Pavilion's inaugural season in 1985-86. Villanova improved to 4-0 all-time against the Hawks. (As a New Jersey-based, nearby cupcake opponent, one would think we'd see them more often.) The Hawks also were an opponent of the 1984-85 Wildcats, who went on to capture the national championship; Villanova won a 77-62 decision that year.

The final minute of the first half was interminable, due to a couple of timeouts and a mistake by Randy Foye. Attempting a long pass on an inbounds play with less than two seconds remaining, Foye hit the scoreboard overhanging center court. This 11th and final turnover of the first half gave Monmouth an additional possession, and the Hawks capitalized upon it, with Chris Kenny scoring at the buzzer to trim the 'Nova lead to 29-22.

'Nova's defensive statistics at halftime were awesome. Monmouth was held to a shooting percentage of just 28.5%, on 8-28 shooting, and the Hawks also committed nine turnovers in being limited to just 22 points. Unfortunately, 'Nova's torrid 58% shooting percentage was offset by the 11 turnovers. Allan Ray was leading the way with nine points.

Fortunately, the 'Cats took quick control as soon as play resumed. At the under-16 timeout, VU led 42-30; at the under-12, 'Nova was up 49-32, after leading by just seven at the half. The rest of the game was uncompetitive. The best play came when Foye hit a shot as the shot clock expired at the 8:33 mark, pushing the Villanova advantage to 20. Ross Condon and Mike Grace received some playing time at the end; Condon scooped up a rebound and had an assist Chris Charles dunked, on an assist from Marcus Austin in the final minute. (Coincidentally, Monmouth had a player with the similar-sounding name of Marques Alston, who finished with seven points.)

Allan Ray moved closer to the milestone of 1,000 career points. The junior guard had entered the game 51 points shy of the mark; he finished with 14. With 37 points still to go, It would appear that he'll clear the millenial hurdle on Dec. 22 at the Pavilion, against Albany. He'll be the first Wildcat to join the club since Ricky Wright did so in 2002-03.

One oddity: Mike Nardi had 8 points at halftime, but didn't score again until just after the under-4 minute timeout.

Villanova will resume City Series play at the Palestra on Saturday afternoon, when they take on the La Salle Explorers. Both teams will be seeking to rebound from disappointing losses in last Saturday's 4th Annual Big Five Classic; the Explorers fell to Penn, prior to 'Nova's loss to Temple.

In Villanova's Season Opener, UMBC Retrievers Roll Over for Wildcats at Pavilion, 66-41

Villanova kicked off its 85th season of intercollegiate competition in outstanding form, crushing the Maryland-Baltimore County Retrievers, 66-41. The contest was not as close as the final score indicated. 'Nova led 41-16 at halftime and truth be told, the game was over from the opening tap, when Curtis Sumpter - from Mike Nardi - and Randy Foye each threw down dunks, spurring 'Nova to a 10-0 run to start the game. Villanova's lead ranged as high as 64-30, before garbage time; some diminishing intensity and increasing sloppiness permitted the Retrievers to finish the game on a 11-2 run. Even so, Villanova's lead never fell below 25 during the entire second half. UMBC's Andrew Feeley ended up leading their feeble effort, with 12 points, as the Retrievers fell to 1-1 overall.

Ironically, UMBC's win this season came over Navy, where former VU coordinator of basketball operations Billy Lange just took over as head coach. UMBC's Randy Monroe, also in his first season as head coach, has as deep a Philadelphia pedigree as anyone in basketball. Monroe is a native of the city and played for Catholic League powerhouse Roman Catholic in the 1980s. He played at Textile (now Philadelphia U.) and Cheyney State before heading to La Salle as an assistant during its last glorious run in the late '80s.

This was the second straight season in which Villanova opened the season in stirring fashion. Last year, in the memorable midnight contest, a suspension-depleted Villanova squad shocked everyone by crushing Temple, 73-48, in the season opener.

Allan Ray led all scorers with 23 points, in just 26 minutes of action. The junior, named to the second-team All-Big East squad, demonstrated why: he drained five three-pointers in the first half, scoring 15 of Villanova's first 19 points. He was awesome, quite frankly. Ray shot 9-13 from the floor overall, 5-7 from three-point range, pulled down six boards and had three assists. Mike Nardi did an outstanding job running the point, playing 35 minutes, dealing ten assists against just a single turnover. Randy Foye also turned in a solid performance, scoring 16 points on 6-11 shooting, 4-7 from three-point range. Curtis Sumpter reached double figures as well, registering 14 points on 6-12 shooting and grabbing six boards.

Chris Charles, spelling the not-yet-100% Jason Fraser, was in the starting lineup and delivered a strong performance on the glass, pulling down five rebounds in just 18 minutes and swatting three UMBC shots. Charles also displayed some offensive skills with an impressive one-handed dunk in the second half. Fraser came off the bench to play 12 minutes; he had three boards, but he struggled, quickly sinking into foul trouble (he finished with four) and also committing four turnovers.

The short bench made meaningful contributions. Marcus Austin scored five points and had six rebounds in only 14 minutes, and Will Sheridan logged 25 minutes, scoring two points and hauling in five rebounds. They were major reasons for Villanova's massive rebounding advantage, as the Wildcats pounded the Retrievers on the glass, 42-27.

UMBC was hideously overmatched. The Retrievers are currently selected to finish 10th out of the ten-school America East Conference, and after tonight's performance, the reasons for that fact are quite evident. They tried hard, but they were no match for Big East-caliber players. Villanova clobbered them on the defensive end, holding their UMBC opponents to an anemic 32% shooting from the floor and 23% from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Wildcats shot a respectable 47% from the floor and a strong 42% from three-point range. The only fly in the ointment were the 14 turnovers, but a disproportionate number came during garbage time (the 'Cats had just four at halftime). And they were offset by 17 assists on the 26 field goals.

With Ray leading the way, 'Nova went up 19-9, and then cruised to a huge lead, raising its advantage to 35-11 after Sumpter put in a layup following a steal by Nardi at the 4:27 mark. When Sheridan scored off a Sumpter miss at the 1:30 mark, Villanova held a 41-16 lead, its largest of the game at that point, and they took that into the locker room, punctuated by an Austin block at the buzzer.

'Nova was shooting 60% from the floor and 57% from three-point range at intermission, with 17 points from Ray and 13 from Foye. The team cooled off during the second half, as the teams battled to a 25-25 draw. Nonetheless, do not be deceived by that fact. Villanova had a 34 point lead deep into the second half, and had the proper intensity been maintained, they could certainly have held it. Any time you hold a opponent to just 41 points in this day and age you've had quite a successful contest. 'Nova scored just two points in the final 8:04 - and still won the game by 25 points. Ross Condon, Tom Grace, and Baker Dunleavy made cameo appearances during the final 55 seconds of action.

This was only the second contest between the schools. However, this game was a refreshing contrast to the first one, which took place two seasons ago, with Villanova riding the crest of preseason buzz about the recruiting class of Sumpter, Foye, Ray, and Fraser. UMBC actually LED at halftime of that game, 29-26, before Villanova recovered to win, 72-60. And the Wildcats were outrebounded, 40-39, in sharp contrast to tonight's game.

Villanova will enjoy an 11-day respite over the Thanksgiving holiday. Their second game will not take place until Saturday, December 4, when they travel to the Palestra to take on the Temple Owls in the Big Five Classic. The Owls will undoubtedly be looking for revenge after last year's debacle.