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!

Midnight Tip-Off Doesn't Help Temple Owls, As Villanova Wildcats Thrash Them, 73-48

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

In one of the most unusual games in Big Five history - in background, timing and outcome - Villanova shocked the Temple Owls, 73-48, early Friday morning at the Liacouras Center, with Allan Ray and Randy Foye leading the way with 20 points apiece. For Temple, David Hawkins led with 16 points, while Dustin Salisbery was also impressive, scoring 13 points.

It was both the City Series and regular season opener for both teams. In an extremely competitive rivalry, the lopsided margin was stunning: the 25 point advantage was Villanova's largest margin of victory over Temple in 21 years. It marked the Wildcats' first-ever victory at Temple's gleaming building - they fell there in 1999 and in the 2002 NIT quarterfinals. The game was unusual for two reasons:

1. First and foremost, the game was played at the witching hour, due to scheduling conflicts between the two schools, stemming from the aftermath of last year's phone code suspensions. Tip-off came just after midnight and the buzzer went off at 1:45 AM. Radio broadcaster Ryan Fannon signed off his post-game show at 2:12 AM (and sounded as if he wouldn't have minded staying on the air till 6 AM).
2. Due to the aforementioned suspensions, Villanova had only nine players, including:

• - two freshmen (Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan)

• - four walkons (Tom Grace, Ross Condon, Baker Dunleavy, and Mike Claxton);

• - a redshirt freshman (Baker Dunleavy);

Basically, only Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter had meaningful basketball experience, of Jay Wright's entire squad last night- in other words, a trio of SOPHOMORES were Villanova's veterans last night. The other six players had played 14 minutes, combined, all from Claxton. (Jason Fraser dressed for the game but had a boot on, and so he couldn't have played, even if it had been necessary.)

c) City Series games have been played at a wide assortment of venues over the years, and under some fairly bizarre circumstances, but the circumstances of Friday morning's game will rank up there with any of them. And people were stoked about the game - the novelty of the tip time and the nocturnal nature of college students both contributing greatly to the huge crowd. Temple nearly sold out the game and the building was packed with partisans of both squads.

This was Villanova's second straight win over Temple and its third in four tries. The last time the Wildcats devastated the Owls so decisively was on December 18, 1982, at the Palestra. 'Nova triumphed 82-55 in that contest.

It would have been an impressive victory even if Villanova had been playing at full strength. To win at Temple by such a rout - playing with three sophomores and six guys with no college basketball experience - is nothing short of incredible - nearly miraculous, in fact. Undoubtedly, Temple coach John Chaney felt the same way. (His players are going to have a rough day/night: I cannot imagine how unpleasant it must be to have Chaney upset with you at 2 AM, which is undoubtedly WAY past his bedtime and he's already pretty cranky, even when his team isn't upset by a skeleton crew at home. He might have ordered them just to practice right after the game and go straight through to his normal, infamous 6 AM practice.)

And it was a genuine ROUT. Not all 25 point victories are created equal - sometimes, one team just blows it open in the second half. In this case, Villanova breezed to victory from the opening tip. Temple wasn't even remotely competitive, from the time of tip-off till the final buzzer. Temple not only never led, it never even managed a tie beyond 3-3.

Give Jay Wright credit. Due to his short bench and lack of available talent, he was forced to use a zone defense to conserve his players. Wright has shown a distaste for zone; the Wildcats nearly always play man-to-man. Even last year, in similar situations against Pittsburgh, Georgetown and Siena, he played zone - but not anywhere near as much as he did tonight.

And Temple simply had no answer for it. 'Nova stayed in zone for the entire game and strangled Temple's offense. Granted, the Owls were hampered by the unavailability of Keith Butler, who was out with an ankle injury, but his absence can hardly account for such a wipeout.

Villanova shot a blistering 61% (26-43) from the floor, while holding Temple to a pathetic 27% (19-70) from the floor. (There is some inconsistency in game statistics from different sources. The numbers used here are those provided immediately after the contest, which differ from the ESPN box score numbers.) 'Nova shot a fantastic 50% (9-18) from three-point range while Temple was an anemic 25% (10-40) from beyond the arc. A really odd disparity: 'Nova took 18 free throws, making 12; Temple took two the entire game and missed both.

In addition to the stellar performances by Ray and Foye, Curtis Sumpter (14 points) and Mike Nardi (11 points) also reached double figures. It was a highly auspicious debut for the freshman Nardi, who navigated the tough Temple defense as if he'd been doing it for years. In his collegiate debut, Nardi dealt seven assists, against only two turnovers.

Foye, Ray, Nardi, Sumpter and freshman Will Sheridan were the starting five for the Wildcats, and they played the overwhelming majority of the minutes - all but 13 of the 200. Mike Claxton logged 10 minutes, while Baker Dunleavy, Tom Grace and Ross Condon each saw a single minute of action.

The game opened with Nardi's first-ever shot as a Wildcat - a successful three-pointer! It was an omen of things to come.

It took the 'Cats a little while to pull away - they held only a modest 6-5 lead at the under-16 minute timeout, at 15:25. But the Wildcats quickly embarked on a 12-3 run, giving them a solid lead which they never relinquished. A Ray triple and a Foye pull-up jumper gave the Wildcats a 18-8 lead in the early going, forcing Chaney to call a timeout at around the 11:15 mark. At that point, 'Nova had made seven of 11 shots and Temple only 3 of 12 - and the trend continued throughout the game.

Temple crawled back to 21-17 on a bucket by Hawkins, but they never drew any closer. One big play happened near the end of the first half - with 'Nova leading 29-19, Ray went in for what should have been a dunk, but Hawkins made an extraordinary defensive effort and snuffed him, arguably committing a foul. The Temple fans went nuts at the sight, but the officials awarded 'Nova a foul, costing the Owls some badly needed momentum. At the half, 'Nova held a strong 32-22 lead and were in complete control. At that point, Sumpter led all Villanova scorers with eight points, including six from the line. Hawkins led Temple with 10.

To begin the second half, Salisbery drained a three, cutting the 'Nova lead to seven. But that was the ONLY time in the second half that Temple was even within double-digits. Villanova responded with a swift 10-0 run which effectively ended the game. Foye and Ray hit back-to-back threes, and Ray followed it up with a bucket, forcing Temple to call another timeout, trailing 40-25 with 18:21 to play. Coming out of the timeout, the Owls committed a shot clock violation (something which should almost never happen immediately after a timeout). Nardi added a basket to extend the lead to 17.

At this point, the Owls showed their desperation, switching from the trademark zone to man-to-man - something they only do if they're behind by a lot in the second half. It didn't help - Villanova's lead kept ballooning. With around 2:14 to go, Nardi fed Sumpter for a spectacular alley-oop dunk, putting 'Nova up 67-45 and eliciting a huge cheer from the Villanova fans.

And even when Wright emptied his bench in the last two minutes, sending in Dunleavy, Grace and Condon, the lead kept GROWING. The dunk put 'Nova up by 22; the 'Cats ended up winning by 25 in the final tally, their largest lead of the game. Dunleavy was actually able to score two points, Grace hit one of two free throws, and Condon grabbed a rebound. Claxton, who played 10 minutes, managed a free throw as well.

All of the Wildcats were superb. While Sheridan didn't fill up the stat sheet as colorfully as his teammates, he had a strong debut game as well, playing all 40 minutes, scoring four points, grabbing three rebounds and dealing two assists. Foye had a double-double, hauling down ten boards to go with his 20 points.

Unfortunately, it's only the beginning of this road trip and the Wildcats and their coaching staff won't have much time to savor the unexpected victory. They are flying to LA on Friday, doing battle with the Division III University of Redlands (65 miles outside LA), on Saturday morning at 10 AM West Coast time. And that game will not be a slow affair: Redlands likes to run and score 100 points a game. After that game, they head out to Hawaii for three games in the Maui Classic, which begins on Monday.

In summary, it was about THE best possible game that Villanova could have played, under these circumstances. I can't imagine a single aspect of the game, that I would have changed. Hopefully, it will be a harbinger of many other positive outcomes this season.

Go Wildcats!

Villanova Upsets #15 UCLA At Pavilion!

To the Wildcat faithful-

Over three decades ago, the underdog Villanova Wildcats fell to the mighty UCLA Bruins in the national championship game, 68-62. One year ago, the Bruins embarrassed Villanova at Pauley Pavilion, winning 93-65 in a game even more lopsided than the score would indicate. But on Saturday, at the Pavilion, underdog Villanova finally returned the favor to UCLA, 58-57. The upset over the #15 Bruins will always rank among the greatest, most memorable, and most special games the Wildcats have played in the Pavilion...

Brooks Sales, the unassuming, solid senior, had the distinction of hero. For the winning margin, Sales converted a pair of ultra-high-pressure free throws with only 21 seconds left. UCLA's Billy Knight had two chances to tie on the ensuing possession, but neither went down. Ricky Wright grabbed the rebound with 2.5 seconds to play - but the Bruins inexplicably didn't foul him, and thus allowed the clock to expire. Wright and his teammates were soon engulfed by hundreds of court-storming students!

And from a purist's perspective - it was truly a magnificent game to watch. Both teams played well, and it's always cool to see two teams from geographically disparate regions, who rarely face each other. The game was not marred with a lot of whistles: UCLA took only nine free throws and Villanova only four (all by Sales, who made each.) Coach Jay Wright employed a stall to shorten the game against the superior Bruins; the score in the 50s and the pace of the game were a throwback to the classic days of yesteryear. His old boss, Rollie Massimino, would have felt right at home. UCLA coach Steve Lavin - after blowing the Wildcats out of Pauley with the press last year - opted to allow Villanova to set the tempo. UCLA sat in passive defenses all day, pressing on only a handful of possessions. As a result, the Wildcats committed a season-low nine turnovers - half their normal total. (And still won by only a single point.)

Gary Buchanan led the way for 'Nova (13-8), scoring 20 points, sinking six triples along the way. Sales and Wright each chipped in with a dozen; Wright narrowly missed a double-double by finishing with nine rebounds. For UCLA (16-7), Knight and Matt Barnes each had 17 points.

For this particular observer - having attended Villanova games for only five-and-a-half seasons - I've never seen so much excitement in the building. (The 1994 upset over #1 UConn at the building was prior to my arrival, so I can't compare it to that.) Just glancing around the Pavilion, seeing the student section absolutely saturated - there was genuine electricity in the air. It really reminded me of why it's cool to go to a live event, sporting or otherwise. It's that delicious sense of feeling part of something larger than yourself, of seeing thousands of other people eager to experience the same event, to remember it, to influence it with your presence, to be able to say years later, "I was there..."

With the "Rocky" theme blaring, the teams set out on the floor. UCLA started out the game with a box-and-one on Buchanan, not a bad call at all, but for some reason Lavin didn't stick with it. The teams traded baskets in the early going, with Villanova serving notice that it intended to slow the game down. Early in the game, the prototypical Villanova possession took place:

Trailing 5-3, Derrick Snowden ran down the shot clock, and finally took a desperation three that went off the rim. Andrew Sullivan secured the rebound, dished it out to Buchanan, who reset the offense. Finally, with the clock again down low (5 seconds), Sales fired a slingshot into the hole to tie the game at 5.

By the under-16 minute TV timeout, at 14:55, UCLA held a 7-5 lead. Coach J sent Chris Charles into the game early as his first sub, who hasn't played much and his entry may have surprised Lavin. After the timeout, 'Nova went on a 9-3 run and delighted the crowd. The great moment on the run came at the 13:13 mark -

Buchanan faked Jason Kapono out of his headband on the perimeter. Once Kapono committed in the wrong direction, Buchanan calmly drained a three to put 'Nova back on top, 8-7. Sullivan hit a bucket in transition. The crowd loved it. At the 9:32 mark, Buchanan hit another three to put 'Nova up 17-13: the junior now had 11 of the team's 17 points.

At the under-8 timeout, the lead had dropped to 19-18. At that point, the UCLA Bruin and cheerleaders took the floor. It's rare for visiting teams to bring cheerleaders and mascots - it usually happens only for City Series opponents, not schools from 3,000 miles away. The Bruin was female, wearing a dress and a bow in her "hair". (UCLA has both a male and female set of Bruins, which I recall from their occasional TV appearance. Why only the female Bruin made the trip remains a mystery.)

The performance by the UCLA troupe (lustily booed by the Pavilion crowd) was quite good. Due to CBS' long network timeouts, they had sufficient time to perform to the theme from "The Jeffersons": "Movin' On Up." ("Movin' On Up" is not often a song selected for college cheerleaders, and it evoked Sunday night memories of my childhood.)

When play resumed, Buchanan remained on fire. With 6:01 to play, and two seconds left on the shot clock, Buchanan heaved a-wing-and-a-prayer shot at the goal - and it went down for ANOTHER three, putting 'Nova up 22-18. The under-4 timeout was whistled, with 'Nova holding a 27-23 lead. At this timeout, 'Nova recognized some players from the 1980s Massimino era, introducing Chuck Everson (1982-86), Harold Pressley (1982-86), Doug West (1985-89) and Brian Harrington (1981-85). All were applauded. The student section, having spied Michael Bradley behind the team bench, began chanting his name.

UCLA began chipping away at the lead. Snowden allowed Cedric Bozeman to steal the ball, and Bozeman fed Knight for an easy layup at the other end, putting UCLA up 30-29, its first lead since 7-5. Coach J had seen enough and called a thirty-second timeout with 49 seconds left.

Coming out of the timeout, Snowden was able to score on a fast break with 37 seconds to play, and that was the final basket of the half. Villanova could go into the locker room with a 31-30 advantage, a lead that was as unexpected as fortuitous. The halftime numbers looked pretty good for 'Nova, especially in the turnover department - only four. Buchanan had 14 points to lead the 'Cats, while Barnes had nine for UCLA.

At halftime, Villanova honored the members of the 1971 squad, the team which had battled toe-to-toe with John Wooden's dynasty in the national title game. It was great to see all of those players in one place, along with coach Jack Kraft (sporting a unique peach jacket which he clearly did not borrow from Coach J's wardrobe).

The crowd had been a significant factor during the entire contest. (Sign spotted in the crowd, held by a female fan for the network cameras:)

(C) - oach - Will you
(B) e my
(S)weetheart?

Early in the second half, Wright scored four consecutive points to boost 'Nova's lead to 37-30, and the crowd was howling. Unfortunately, Kapono nailed a three on the next possession to take the air out of the crowd. But 'Nova responded with baskets from Sullivan and Wright, pushing the lead to 41-33 and forcing Lavin to call timeout with 15:26 to play.

You know you have a good crowd when the fans are cheering anything positive, even pedestrian accomplishments like hauling down rebounds or knocking the ball out of bounds on defense. That was the kind of crowd present at the Pavilion on Saturday. T.J. Cummings was rejected by the rim on a dunk attempt shortly after, the rim facing the student section, and they let him hear about it.

At 10:22, the most unusual play of the game occurred. I was at the other end of the Pavilion, away from the student section basket, so it was hard for me to see what happened. Here's what I could figure out, after the fact-

Wright came down with a rebound, and was swinging his elbow to clear out, and he inadvertently hit UCLA's Rico Hines in the teeth. Hines fell facedown on the hardwood, while the Wildcats employed a fastbreak at the other end. The instant UCLA rebounded successfully, the officials blew the whistle. No foul was called on Wright, and Lavin was quite agitated. One of his assistants went absolutely ballistic, wildly gesticulating about a foul call, and the players were exchanging words in close proximity. Fortunately, nothing got out of hand.

At the 9:24 mark, a signature sequence occurred. Sales blocked a Kapono shot, and the ball went to Buchanan and Wright on a two-on-one break. Buchanan dished to Wright who slammed the ball home to give 'Nova a 45-39 lead. I have NEVER heard the Pavilion so loud. It was like a wall of sound was coming from the student section. I could feel Palestra-style vibrations in the Pavilion which I never thought possible.

At the under-8 timeout, with 7:49 to play, 'Nova held a 47-42 lead. At that point, the students welcomed future Wildcat Jason Fraser - the top center prospect in America and the jewel of Coach J's heralded recruiting class - with enthusiastic chants of his name...

UCLA took advantage of an intentional-foul call on Ricky Wright (during a UCLA free-throw) which enabled the Bruins to score six points on a single possession. The Bruins, seemingly on the run, had rallied to climb back on top, 48-47, with 6:47 to play.

And it seemed as if momentum was slowly swinging back to the visitors. With just under four minutes to play, Knight stole the ball from Buchanan and converted an easy dunk, giving UCLA a 54-50 lead and inducing a Coach J timeout. The fans were quiet and it appeared that the #15 Bruins would escape with just a good scare. Little did any of us know that UCLA would score only three points the rest of the way.

At crunch time, Kapono made the first of two foul shots to put UCLA up 55-53. He missed the second, but 'Nova failed to box out properly and Knight rebounded, laying it in to extend the lead to four with only 1:40 to play. Lavin quickly called timeout to set up pressure.

On the ensuing posession, 'Nova got the ball up the floor, worked it around properly, and enabled Buchanan to hit another three, cutting the lead to one with 1:18 to play! The cheers sounded to the rafters, and we were headed to a thrilling finish. UCLA, working for a good shot, had the ball knocked out of bounds with only three on the shot clock, and they were unable to do anything. Ricky Wright stole it with 40 seconds to go.

With 21 seconds left, Dan Gadzuric fouled Sales. Lavin didn't call timeout to ice him. And Sales hit the biggest free throws of his Main Line career to give 'Nova a 58-57 lead - the Wildcats' first lead since 50-48. Lavin didn't call timeout to set up a play. The stingy Wildcat defense was able to successfully deny Knight's pair of shots, and when the buzzer went off, pandemonium ensued.

The mass of humanity surged toward the court. Security made an effort to stop them, but there was no force on earth that was going to stop the giddy students from streaming onto the floor. (This was Villanova's first court-storming since February 27, 1999. That day, also in front of CBS cameras, the Wildcats upset #9 St. John's and secured a NCAA tournament berth by doing so.)

At the end of each game, the players and Coach J always go over to "clap" for the students, to thank them for their support. But this is the first time under Coach J that the mountain has come to Mohammed, so to speak. The fans came to them. The players were bobbing around in the crowd; every once in a while you could catch a glimpse of a tall guy in a white uniform, like buoys in a highly turbulent ocean of swaying fans, all jumping up and down and leaping. The Wildcat was in the midst of it as well. Everyone - hopefully - realized that this is a precious moment, one to savor, because you never know when it will come again. The only reason the game was on-campus-

due to the NBA All-Star Game, the First Union Center was unavailable. So Villanova was unable to voluntarily throw away home-court advantage by shifting the game there. But such serendipity can not often be expected from the basketball gods. There is a good chance this is the only time a nonconference opponent of UCLA's stature will visit Villanova's campus, for any time in the foreseeable future. And for that reason, the students who rushed the floor should treasure the experience. This game showed what Villanova basketball has always been about - being scrappy and gallant and refusing to back down in front of a superior opponent. And coming out with an upset in the end, a storybook ending...

After the St. John's game, one observer described the game as "a two-hour, free informerical for Villanova University." And on Saturday, Villanova benefitted from yet another infomercial, thanks to CBS' cameras. It was a joyous sight to see, and not just because I'm a Villanova fan. There is a rarity in college basketball, something that it can offer that no other sport can. To gaze upon the joyous throng, to see that in spite of all of the complexity and sobriety and sorrows and heartaches of life:

there is still something that can compel hundreds of people - some dressed in varying wigs, capes and costumes of blue and white - to propel themselves onto a floor in celebration, all knowing that it's a moment that only comes once in a blue moon... that's life, all packed into a single court-storming. And being a college basketball fan- well it's something where - in the course of a single season, and sometimes even in a single game- you get to experience everything life has to offer, to feel joy and camaraderie, and sorrow and despair and disappointment. And to experience it with several thousand other people at once. And to remember it forever.

You play the season ostensibly for wins and losses, but in reality for memories... and this game is a memory I'll treasure forever.

Storm Cloud

None.

Silver Lining

That Gary Buchanan can really fill it up from outside. UCLA had no real answer for the junior marksman, who almost singlehandedly destroyed the Bruins. Buchanan has scored more points in other games, but scoring 20 of your team's 56 points in a one-point victory is far more meaningful than 30 points in a high-scoring contest. He shone in other areas as well- he played all 40 minutes, dished three assists and nabbed three steals.

Derrick Snowden committed four turnovers, but he ran the offense smoothly and implemented Coach J's goal of reducing the number of possessions. The season-low nine turnovers should be primarily credited to the superb job by the sophomore point guard.

Ricky Wright, after slipping a bit in the last couple of games, was back to his true self on Saturday. Recently, the one-time national leader in field-goal percentage had dropped out the Top 25. But he hit 6-8 from the floor, crashed the boards well, including the game-securing carom in the dying seconds.

Andrew Sullivan did a fantastic job on Kapono. Sullivan relentlessly hounded the Bruin superstar, holding him to 9 points on miserable, 3-9 shooting.

Chris Charles played 15 minutes, mostly in the early going; while his box score line was unremarkable (2 rebounds) he helped create matchup problems underneath and was valuable.

Team defense. UCLA, a finesse-oriented Pac-10 team, never seemed comfortable in their halfcourt offense. Holding the Bruins to 56 points is a great effort for which all the Wildcats should be commended.

It would be nice if the Wildcats could savor the victory for all it's worth, but unfortunately they have another opportunity to play a ranked team Monday night - taking on Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center, in front of ESPN's cameras...

Go Wildcats!

Villanova vs. #15 UCLA Preview

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

The #15 UCLA Bruins travel to the Main Line for the first time on Saturday....

#15 UCLA @ Villanova
Saturday, February 9, 2002
1 PM
TV: CBS Radio: 950 AM, Villanova.com

Facts on the #15 UCLA Bruins

Location: Los Angeles, California

Conference: Pacific-10

Coach: Steve Lavin (6th season)

No UCLA coach since the Wizard of Westwood, John Wooden, has been without numerous critics. The basketball world was shocked when Lavin - who had spent just five years as a Bruin assistant - secured the most prestigious job in college basketball. He is 118-49 at UCLA. I actually like Steve Lavin as a coach. He's an intellectual - his father is a college English professor as well as basketball coach - and he brings a different perspective to the game. Under his tutelage, UCLA employs a variety of offensive and defensive systems, making it difficult for opponents to prepare for them. (This would be in contrast to a team like Providence, which always presses, or Temple, which always plays the match-up zone.)

Also, I'm very impressed with anybody, who can leapfrog entire stories (let alone rungs) in the college hoops hierarchy. (I hope Lavin doesn't get fired!) Rumors had swirled that legendary coach Rick Pitino - who oscillates between college and NBA jobs - would replace Lavin this season.

Lavin suffered through a highly-publicized UCLA flirtation with Pitino, before the legendary coach opted to head for Louisville. Of course, nobody can be sure if Pitino would have taken the UCLA job, even if it had been offered to him. Ultimately, Lavin righted the Bruins' ship and made a Sweet 16 showing, getting people off his back for the time beind.

All-time series vs. Villanova: The Bruins have won the only two meetings. The first meeting came in the 1971 NCAA championship game, when the underdog Wildcats hung with John Wooden's dynasty before falling, 68-62. (Please see accompanying article for more about that game.)

Last season, Villanova was humiliated at Pauley Pavilion, 93-65, in front of
CBS' cameras. It was a milestone for Lavin, his 100th career victory. As I wrote last year:

UGLY @ UCLA
Date: 1/14/2001

After Villanova lost at UCLA, 93-65, on Saturday, Bruins coach Steve Lavin said: "We did a better job of putting this team away. We were able to take it from 19 to blowout level."

Lavin was referring to UCLA's Thursday defeat of #19 Southern California. The Bruins had led by 19 in the second half, but USC crawled back to lose by only five. As he aptly noted, that wasn't a problem against 'Nova; UCLA pilloried Villanova by 28. The outcome was never in doubt. VU coach Steve Lappas also succinctly summarized the contest: "They played great. And we played awful, in every single aspect of the game: which, obviously, they had something to do with." Villanova is now 10-4 overall, 2-1 BIG EAST. In the 1971 national championship rematch - delayed for nearly 30 years - UCLA didn't disappoint the Wizard of Westwood. Former UCLA coach John Wooden - winner of 10 national titles - admired the Bruins' effort from his traditional second row seat, behind the bench. (Talk about being overshadowed...)

UCLA - now 9-4 overall, 3-0 Pac-10 - earned its fifth consecutive victory since Lavin adopted the full-court pressure defense. UCLA relentlessly pressed from beginning to end: Villanova was NEVER in the game. At all. UCLA took a double-digit lead midway through the first half, and never looked back.

The Bruins mauled Villanova to pieces, forcing 26 Wildcat turnovers. Villanova's play nose-dived exponentially, as the turnovers mounted. UCLA led by as many as 31 in the second half, cruising to a lopsided victory. VU center Michael Bradley put it best: "They came out and pressed our brains out. We turned the ball over and the press killed us."

I had estimated that VU had about 30 turnovers. I was surprised to check the box score and see "only" 26. As he did in Tuesday's loss to Providence, senior point guard Jermaine Medley crumbled against the press. He had one of the worst games of his career: he had eight turnovers and no assists, playing only 22 minutes.

For the first time, freshman Derrick Snowden played more minutes than Medley, and Snowden fared considerably better. He logged 27 minutes, recording three turnovers and three assists. Lappas accurately noted, "The turnovers were absolutely horrendous. You have that many and you don't give yourself a chance to win."

Unfortunately for Medley, his poor judgment this weekend wasn't confined to his wretched performance during the game itself.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that "The victory was particularly satisfying for [UCLA guard Earl] Watson because of something that happened before tipoff. He was approached by Villanova point guard Jermaine Medley and berated out of the blue. "I don't know what he was trying to say," Watson said. "It was a lot of cuss words. I was walking in and he was walking in and he said something. I'm not into that one-on-one personal stuff..." Medley.... wasn't available for comment. But the exchange wasn't one-sided; Watson confessed he did his share of talking during the game "and I had some cuss words for him too." Apparently, this was our lone senior's idea of team leadership: entering Pauley Pavilion and insulting a UCLA player. In doing so, Medley's unsportsmanlike behavior reflects poorly on Villanova and our program, and he should be disciplined.

But even if we were sufficiently unprincipled to tolerate such boorish behavior: did he seriously believe that HE was going to intimidate Watson - a senior who has started every game since he arrived in Westwood - in a building with 11 NCAA Championship banners hanging from the rafters?"

2000-2001 season: 21-8 overall, 14-4 Pac-10 (3rd place), RPI rank #11, no conference tournament. Qualified for NCAA tournament as #4 seed, East Region. Defeated Jay Wright's #13 Hofstra in first round, #12 Utah State in second round. Lost to #1 Duke in Sweet 16, at the First Union Center.

Lavin later cited the Villanova demolition as the turning point in the Bruins' season, giving them momentum for a fine season and Sweet 16 run.

2001-02 season: 16-6 overall, 8-4 Pac-10, ranked #15 in AP poll, #18 in ESPN/USA Today poll, RPI rank #14.

The Bruins got off to a rocky, 2-2 November start, falling to Ball State at the Maui Invitational and to Pepperdine at Pauley Pavilion. However, they ripped off nine consecutive wins, among them Alabama and Georgetown. After stumbling @ Southern Cal, they recovered for wins over Kansas and Arizona State. They have gone 3-3 in their last six contests - all Pac-10 affairs -
with the three losses coming against powerful Arizona, Stanford, and Oregon.

The big news: The Bruins are coming off an emotional win in Wednesday's second game with USC. Billy Knight hit a thrilling three-pointer at the buzzer to knock off the #25 Trojans, 67-65, and split the series. The Bruins had held a double-digit lead with less than six minutes to play, but needed Knight's heroic shot to emerge with a victory. Jason Kapono led UCLA with 26
points and eight rebounds.

Lavin uses a nine-man rotation. UCLA has a nucleus as talented and experienced as any in the land. As a team, the Bruins are terrific shooters, hitting 48.1% of their field goal attempts. Kapono, their superstar, leads the team with 18.6 pts/game. One of the most accurate shooters in America, he has converted 47.9% of his overall shots, 46.3% of his three-pointers, and 87.4% of his free throws. And for good measure, he adds 5.7 rebounds per game. Kapono and fellow seniors Knight and Matt Barnes take lots of three-pointers, and all shoot over 44% from behind the arc.

They are among the most lethal outside shooters nationally. Senior Dan Gadzuric is the force underneath, averaging 10.5 pts and 6.8 boards per contest. If UCLA has a weakness, it is at point guard, where freshman Cedric Bozeman took over for long-time point guard Earl Watson this season.

Villanova Update

The atmosphere at the Pavilion will undoubtedly be the most raucous and celebratory, since 'Nova hosted then-#1 UConn on February 15, 1994. With the vast majority of high-profile opponents coming to the First Union Center, it is rare to host a team of UCLA's stature on campus. Fortunately for Villanova's students - and the Wildcats' chances of victory - the NBA
All-Star Game meant that the Center was unavailable for this game. It has been far and away the game generating the greatest buzz among the Wildcat faithful...

Hopefully, the game will evoke memories of February 27, 1999. That Saturday, Villanova clinched a NCAA berth by stopping #8 St. John's at the Pavilion. CBS showed joyful students charging the court, to a national audience - one observer noted that the game "was basically a two-hour, free infomercial for Villanova."

For some reason, the program has been opting to forfeit home-court advantage by playing so often downtown. 'Nova's record at the Pavilion is 139-45. In contrast, the Wildcats' ledger at the Center is only 7-9. While obviously the Center record is against stronger opponents, its cavernous size and 'Nova's inability to fill it are a more realistic explanation of the disparity.

Villanova (12-7 overall, 4-5 BIG EAST, #64 RPI) is facing its third nationally ranked opponent since Saturday. The Wildcats fell to #21 Pittsburgh and #11 Miami earlier this week.

Coincidentally, the NIT - ('Nova's likely March destination) announced Thursday that the usual 32-team field will be expanded to 40 this season.

'Nova's performance against Miami was considerably better than it had been two weeks earlier, in which the Hurricanes embarrassed the Wildcats with a 27-3 run to start the game. At the Pavilion, 'Nova battled during the entire second half, often bringing the Pavilion faithful to their feet often and turning in an entertaining performance. The downside was that Gary Buchanan - who is stellar on the Pavilion hardwood - had the worst shooting game of his career, hitting only 3 of his 19 shots.

Fellow guard Reggie Bryant also struggled from the floor: with 'Nova's two best outside shooters both having an off-night, it was just too much for the Wildcats to overcome. Coach J opted to slow down the game, reducing the number of possessions to try to steal a game from a superior opponent. The tactic nearly worked. It also enabled J to use his starters for nearly the entire game; Bryant was the only reserve to play a lot and even his minutes were reduced.

Regardless of the outcome, it promises to be a highly exciting and exhilarating day on Villanova's campus...

I'll provide a full recap after the game.

Go Wildcats!