11th-seeded 'Nova Upsets #20 Providence in Big East Tournament Quarterfinals

One of the many glorious aspects of college basketball is its
unpredictability. Villanova, which, just a a week ago, appeared ready to fold its tents
after another frustrating season, has rejuvenated itself, after winning a second
game in the Big East tournament, for the first time in seven years. The
11th-seeded Wildcats upset #20 Providence - the third seed - 69-66 in Thursday
night's quarterfinal contest. With the triumph, the 'Cats have virtually assured
themselves of their fifth consecutive NIT invitation, and will extend their
streak of postseason appearances to six: the last time they failed to appear was
1998. It has even led to speculation that the Wildcats could capture one of
the most unlikely NCAA bids in school history, by actually winning the Big East
tournament.

But even if the Wildcats' Cinderella run ends on Friday night, it has already
yielded some benefits, both immediate and historical. The immediate benefits
are the NIT bid and the theoretical possibility of going to the NCAAs with
two more victories. But Villanova has now become the first team in Big East
history to enter the conference tournament with a losing record and still win two
games. And it remains the strongest BE tournament run since 1997, when Tim
Thomas, Alvin Williams and Jason Lawson keyed the top-seeded Wildcats to the
final, where they finally fell to Boston College. Ironically, that was also the
last time Villanova faced Providence in the Big East tournament; they ousted
the Friars in the semifinals.

The victory was particularly sweet in light of the fact that Providence had
humiliated 'Nova at the Pavilion, exactly a month ago on Feb. 11. In that
contest, the Friars handed 'Nova a 100-74 loss, the worst in the history of both
the Pavilion and the 76 game, 68 year history of the series. Providence had
also won at home on Jan. 21, sweeping the season series. But, in general, it's
tough to defeat a talented opponent three times - as Villanova's performance
tonight indicated.

Villanova improved to 16-15 overall, and thus can finish no worse than .500,
even if it loses to #9 Connecticut Friday night in the semifinals. As a
major-conference team at .500 or better, it will receive a de facto automatic bid
from the NIT. Providence is reeling, having dropped three straight games, and
has finished with a record of 20-8 overall. Although their NCAA at-large bid
is 100% assured, their seeding may be adversely affected by a quarterfinal
exit in the first game they were required to play. Also galling to the
Providence faithful is coach Tim Welsh's odd lack of success in the Big East
tournament, where he has fared just 1-6 during his tenure there. This was his first
loss to Villanova in Madison Square Garden.

All-time, Villanova OWNS Providence in the Big East tournament, having now
won six of the seven contests. In fact, the Wildcats have a higher winning
percentage against the Friars in tournament play, than any other BE team (with the
exception of West Virginia, but there have only been two meetings, both won
by the 'Cats.) However, unfortunately, they haven't met much recently; this
was the first time they'd met since 1997, as noted above. In the mid-90s, the
teams clashed in the conference tournament four straight seasons, from 1994-97,
and Villanova won three of those meetings.

All of the hypothetical pieces of the Jay Wright era finally came together
tonight. By far the most important was Jason Fraser, who demonstrated why he
was so coveted as a high school prospect. Fraser had one of the best games of
his career, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds, as he finally
provided Villanova with the interior scoring option it had so badly lacked all
season. And it was particularly crucial because of the way the game was called.
Both teams were mired in foul trouble the entire night. From Villanova's end,
it meant that Allan Ray and Curtis Sumpter, the team's two most important
offensive weapons (both third-team all-Big East players), were forced to the bench
for much of the evening. Sumpter barely played (just 13 minutes) and Ray
played only 26 (after playing all 40 in the victory over Seton Hall the night
before), although he still managed to score 15 points. So someone had to
contribute unexpected offense to replace their usual output. Tonight, it was Fraser.

After his last-second game-winner against Seton Hall, Randy Foye also stepped
up, big-time, scoring 15 points. He also played the lead role in knocking
out Providence down the stretch, when he scored five straight points after
Villanova had fallen behind 58-54 with under four minutes to play, and it appeared
Providence might be pulling ahead for good. And Mike Nardi had a superb game,
scoring 11 points and nailing what turned out to be the game-deciding shot, a
three which broke Providence's spirit in the final minute. With 53.6 seconds
to play, Nardi's triple gave Villanova a decisive 64-58 lead, from which PC
never recovered. Best of all, Nardi played 39 minutes (a huge contribution
with so many guys in foul trouble), dealt seven assists and committed only a
single turnover.

For Providence, Sheiku Kabba was the driving force. Kabba led all scorers
with 24 points on outstanding 9-13 shooting, on a night when most of
Providence's big guns were also hobbled by foul trouble. No other Friar reached double
figures, as Ryan Gomes (a first-team all-Big East selection) and Rob Sanders
each finished with just nine points - both were plagued by fouls. Sanders
played just 23 minutes, prior to fouling out with nearly seven minutes to play in
the second half.

The game was entertaining to watch, although the frequent whistles did mar it
a bit. Both teams were hustling after every loose ball and showed some
spirited character as the lead swung from side to side. The closest either side
had to a decisive lead came near the end of the first half, when a Kabba three
extended the Providence lead to 28-19, the largest it would ever be. But Ray
answered immediately with a three of his own, and Villanova trailed by just one
at halftime, 33-32. Ray's 13 points led 'Nova, while Kabba already had 14
for Providence. The teams were also about as evenly matched on the stats as
they could be.

In the second half, Fraser exploded; he had only three points at halftime but
scored 14 afterwards. The game began to resemble a war of attrition, due to
all of the fouls, as Wright and Welsh began shuttling players in and out to
try to shield them from being fouled out. But neither team could get the upper
hand and neither led by more than five, until Villanova surged ahead during
the final minute. There were a large number of ties and lead changes throughout
the game.

After Foye's five straight points had put 'Nova back on top, 59-58, with 2:31
to play, Sumpter scored his first field goal, pushing the lead up to 61-58,
and setting the stage for Nardi's triple, which ended the game. Thanks to
Nardi's shot, which made it 64-58, Villanova was able to survive both Ray and
Sumpter fouling out in the final minute, as PC never drew closer than four until
a deep (as in three feet behind the NBA line) three at the buzzer cut the
final margin to three, at 69-66.

The key statistic tonight was turnovers; Villanova committed a shockingly low
number of eight, while PC committed 15, undoubtedly one of the rare games
this season (and perhaps the only one) where 'Nova forced nearly twice as many
turnovers as it committed. Kudos must be given to the whole team for this
accomplishment, but the guards, especially.

On Friday night, Villanova will take on #9 Connecticut, the tournament's
second seed- but will probably have the unique advantage of not having to face
Emeka Okafor, the shot-blocker extraordinaire and arguably the best player in
America. Okafor has been struggling with back spasms, and did not play in
Connecticut's victory over Notre Dame earlier today. All indications are that
Okafor will be rested for Connecticut's putative deep NCAA tournament run, and
will not play against 'Nova. Villanova played arguably its best game of the
season in a breathtakingly close loss to the Huskies on Feb. 28.

Worth noting: a Villanova footnote to the demise of #1 St. Joseph's unbeaten
season, which was decisively ended by unranked Xavier this afternoon:

The Hawks' debacle of a defeat, also ironically erased one of Villanova's
many NCAA distinctions. Prior to today, Villanova's 1990 victory over #1
Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, by the score of 93-74, held the distinction of being
the most decisive defeat of a #1 team by an unranked team in NCAA history. But
Xavier's 20 point victory today, 85-65, has eclipsed that mark, by a single
point. And for some reason, that 1990 game didn't even qualify for the VU media
guide's list of the top 21 greatest games in school history.

Villanova Scores Just 45 in Loss at #6 Pittsburgh

The 45 points were a season-low for Villanova; the last time the Wildcats scored
so few points were in last year's Big East tournament against Georgetown, in a
46-41 loss. Villanova jumped out to a shocking 17-3 lead in the early going,
but the Panthers roared back on Pitt's Senior Day. Pitt won the rest of the
game by an equally astonishing 56-28 margin - and three of those VU points
came on Randy Foye's meaningless triple at the buzzer. Not that it was
reasonable to expect a victory - Pitt has only one loss at the Petersen Events Center
in its two-plus years of existence. Until falling to Syracuse last week, the
Panthers had won 40 straight there. And 'Nova has just helped Pitt begin a new
streak.

The loss fixed 'Nova as the #11 seed (that's REALLY painful to write) out of
the 12 Big East tournament qualifiers (two of the 14 conference members don't
qualify for the trip to Madison Square Garden). Although Villanova will play
at 9 PM (in reality, more like 9:30 PM) in Wednesday's final contest, its
first-round Big East tournament opponent has yet to be conclusively determined.
It will be the #6 seed, either Seton Hall or Notre Dame, depending on other
games throughout the weekend. Unfortunately for Villanova, both of those teams
rest precariously on the NCAA bubble and desperately need a strong Big East
tournament showing to impress the Selection Committee. If the 'Cats survive
Wednesday, they would move on to face #3 seed Providence in Thursday's
quarterfinal game.

It's extremely unlikely, although theoretically possible, for Villanova to
win the Big East tournament. Since the byes for the top seeds (of varying
number)
were created, following the entrance of Miami as the tenth member in
1991-92, no team which lacked a bye has EVER won the tournament. (Granted, the
primary reason for that, is the best teams are the ones which receive the byes, but
the bye is a huge advantage, in a tournament where you have to play three or
four days in a row).

Villanova finished its regular season at 6-10 Big East, 14-15 overall. It
wasn't that long ago - at the close of January - that they harbored notions of
knocking off then-#3 St. Joseph's. As the calendar changed to February, the
Wildcats were sitting at a respectable 12-7 overall, 4-3 Big East and were on
the NCAA bubble. 'Nova has won only two games since then. This afternoon's
loss was Villanova's fifth straight and seventh in their last eight games.

For #6 Pittsburgh, in contrast, the future seems glorious. With budding
superstars like Chris Taft, a sparkling new building, state-school money and
plenty of recent success, things can only get better. Today, the Panthers set a
school record for victories with 27, as well as bidding farewell to the
winningest class in school history. A laughingstock and BE doormat as recently as
five years ago, the Panthers guaranteed themselves the #1 seed in the BET as well
as least a share of the BE regular-season championship for the third straight
season. Pitt finished its regular season at 13-3 Big East, 27-3 overall -
the third straight 13-3 mark in league play for the Panthers. Connecticut,
which won three straight regular-season titles from 1994-96, is the only other BE
school to match Pitt's mark of winning or sharing the league title three
straight years. And Pitt did it this year despite having to play probably the
league's most difficult schedule, facing Syracuse and Connecticut twice, while
having to travel to Providence and Seton Hall.

Villanova now clings to a 27-24 advantage all-time over Pittsburgh, but that
does not appear likely to survive the next few seasons. Pittsburgh has now
won the last three and four of the last five. (Worth noting: in 51 games
against Pitt, today's 45 points matched the all-time low for 'Nova offense against
the Panthers, equaled only by the 45 scored in a 47-45 loss on Feb. 11, 1984- a
game which featured no shot clock OR three-point shot.) 'Nova was hoping for
a repeat of last year's finest hour, the 56-54 miraculous, near-upset at the
then-First Union Center. With the squad decimated and distracted by the
newly-broken phone access code scandal, a skeleton Wildcat team played stallball,
and as a result, nearly pulled off a shocking upset of Pittsburgh in front of a
CBS audience.

It seemed, at least in the beginning, that Villanova might have yet another
miracle in them. Last year's final regular-season game was also against a
highly-ranked Pitt team, on national TV - who knows? And this season, 'Nova would
actually have the right to use ALL the players against Pitt....

Allan Ray was the only Wildcat to have a standout performance. The team's
most consistent weapon, Ray poured in 24 of 'Nova's 45 points (well more than
half) and was the only factor even keeping 'Nova in the game during the
disastrous second half. Taft played the same role for Pitt. Scoring eight straight
points after Pitt had fallen behind 17-3, the freshman - likely to be named BE
Rookie of the Year - finished with a double-double: 16 points and 11 rebounds.
However, Ray's prodigious scoring must be balanced by the fact that he shot
only 8-23 from the floor. Chevon Troutman actually led Pitt in scoring with
17 points and added seven boards, and Carl Krauser reached double figures with
11 points, despite shooting an anemic 1-9 from the floor - he went 9-10 from
the line.

Jason Fraser, who had been showing steady improvement as he recovered from
his injuries, badly regressed in this game. Playing just 11 ineffective minutes
due to foul trouble, he scored just two points while finishing with four
fouls (although he did have four rebounds). Foye shot 2-9 from the floor, with
one basket coming when the game had been decided. Curtis Sumpter logged 31
minutes but finished with just two points. With Fraser on the bench, Chris
Charles saw some increased playing time but struggled with fouls as well, finishing
with four fouls in 18 minutes.

As depressing as the context was, I have to say that the game itself WAS
quite entertaining and unpredictable. The Wildcats cowed the sellout crowd at the
Petersen Events Center into silence by opening up a 17-3 lead DEEP into the
first half. When Mike Nardi drained a three at the 8:34 mark, pushing the lead
to 14 - that was the deepest deficit that Pitt had confronted - at any point,
during the entire SEASON. However, despite such unfamiliarity with playing
from behind, Pitt has successfully found its way out of the woods before.
Earlier this season, it trailed at Notre Dame by 13 - and won. At Georgetown, by
13, and won. And against William and Mary, by 10 - and won.

Still, 'Nova had totally dominated play up until that point. When the
under-eight timeout was whistled at 7:57, there had been three TV timeouts and an
equal number of Pitt points. When your scoring output corresponds to the number
of media timeouts, you're usually in big trouble. Pitt had missed 11 of its
first 12 shots, while Villanova went 6-16 from the floor. And coming out of
the under-eight timeout, Pitt was forced to call timeout - its third of the
game just 12 minutes in - to avoid a five-second call. The team resembled the
inept Panthers of the late '90s, far more than it did a national powerhouse and
contender for a top NCAA seed.

When Taft finally scored to cut the deficit to 17-5, the crowd cheered
derisively, as it marked the first Pitt field goal in about ten minutes. But he
didn't stop there. In less than three minutes, Taft singlehandedly brought the
Panthers back into the game, scoring eight straight points. The Wildcats,
which had been playing with confidence - if not technical precision - up until
that point, began to crumble, scoring just five points in the last eight minutes.
That span included two 35 second violations on consecutive possessions. The
second of these was particularly egregious, which came after the ball was
tipped out of bounds with one second left on the clock. Ray accepted the
inbounds pass and seemingly indifferent to the shot clock, did a pump fake and put
the ball on the floor before the buzzer sounded. Villanova would commit 18
turnovers to Pitt's seven, a figure Pitt exploited to Villanova's detriment: Pitt
scored 23 of 59 points off turnovers, compared to Villanova's ten.

Nonetheless, Villanova managed to protect a 22-17 lead by intermission.
Holding the #6 team to 17 points on the road has to be considered a major
accomplishment. Despite the flurry at the end, 'Nova had held Pitt to just 7-24
shooting (29%) and outrebounded Pitt - a strong rebounding team - 18-12. Seven
Wildcats had scored; Taft had eight of Pitt's 17 points. But Pitt had been down
this road before; they already had four wins when they had been held to 50-59
points. So it was far from over.

This fact was clearly illustrated as soon as play resumed, when Pitt grabbed
control of the game and Villanova sank into the collective fog which has so
often clouded their play this year. On the opening possession of the second
half, Ray scored to make it 24-17. Villanova wouldn't score again until the
13:08 mark, on a technical foul. In the meantime, Pitt embarked on a 16-0 run.
They had once trailed 17-3 but were soon up 33-24 - a 30-7 advantage over a 15
minute span, from the eight minute mark of the first half to the 13 minute
mark of the second.

Julius Page was hit with a technical, probably for excessive celebration when
Jay Wright called timeout to halt the run at the 13:08 mark. The technical
seemed to turn things around for 'Nova, as unusual a benefit of a timeout as
has ever been seen. Ray began hitting, finally getting 'Nova back to within
37-36, as he had all 12 of 'Nova's second half points. Nardi tied it at 38, with
a free throw at the 8:12 mark and the teams seemed ready for a dogfight down
the stretch.

Unfortunately, Villanova fell back into its funk and let Pitt dominate play
for the final eight minutes. The 'Cats scored just four points the entire rest
of the game, excluding Foye's final three, which came at the buzzer when the
'Cats were already down by 17. The key play was, ironically, another
technical, this one on Coach Wright. Protesting an out-of-bounds call, he was teed
up, and it sparked a Pitt rally - a 14-0 run which put the game out of reach and
demonstrated why they are the #6 team in America and a legitimate national
championship contender. The technical came at 6:59; 'Nova didn't score ANY
points until the 1:36 mark, when Ray hit a three, but the game was already
hopelessly lost at that point. The triple cut it to 51-40, and the game had been
over for a long time at that point.

Pitt shot free throws on four consecutive possessions, as Wright insisted on
ordering fouls in an already decided game, and the lead swelled to 58-40 at
one point. The only genuinely interesting moment came with 39 seconds to go,
when first-year Pitt coach Jamie Dixon motioned to Toree Morris to return to the
game. Morris, a one-time starter who lost that role this season, started the
game due to Senior Day but came out almost immediately. The crowd had been
chanting his name, and given that the outcome had been a foregone conclusion
for a while, it was odd that Morris hadn't been put back in the game.

Well, Morris refused to go in, deciding to show up Dixon in front of
thousands of people. In the continuing struggle of power between college coaches and
college players, each party holds the upper hand at various stages - but the
coach unquestionably holds the supreme power: what Dick Vitale describes as
"PT, baby!" The almighty minutes. Whatever antics might go on off the court,
players go in the game when told, and come out of the game when told. Public
refusal to do so is considered an act of rebellion against Coach by the player,
and usually carries severe, if unofficial, consequences for the player. Not
that Morris cares, tremendously, at this point. It's a coach who didn't
recruit him - Dixon's predecessor and former superior, Ben Howland, is scuffling at
UCLA right now in his first season. And Morris is a senior, anyway, and
probably felt that it was a good chance to strike back at Dixon for whatever
slights Morris has felt he's suffered this season.

As noted above, Foye hit a meaningless three at the buzzer, his first basket
of the second half, to make the final a bit more respectable at 45.

It seems ludicrous, when 'Nova was sitting on the NCAA bubble at 12-7, to
wonder about qualifying for the NIT - but the bid is in serious trouble. The NIT
officially requires participants to be at least. 500, but they have been
known to quietly take major-conference teams IF their conference tournament loss
drops them below .500 for the year (a strained rationalization, to be sure, but
it increases the money into NIT coffers). Villanova currently sits at 14-15.
Even to have a SHOT at NIT boundless compassion, and sneak in at one game
under .500, 'Nova would have to win the first game against Seton Hall or Notre
Dame, when those teams have everything to play for. Nearby Seton Hall would
also probably enjoy some fan support in the building. To ASSURE themselves of
reaching .500, they'd have to beat Providence, too, after the Friars had come
off a bye. Villanova hasn't failed to reach postseason play since 1998, when a
rebuilding team went 12-17, but it looks more likely than not that the streak
- and the four-year NIT streak as well - is coming to an end.

But that's all 'Nova fans have left at this point to hope for. The Wildcats
have demonstrated this season that they can contend with anyone in the nation,
and they simply have to come to New York on Wednesday, turn the ball over
less than 15 times and play solid defense. If they can do that, they'll have a
shot at getting that NIT bid and continuing the season, and building for the
future.

NIT Streak in Jeopardy as 'Cats Fall to Miami on Senior Night at the Pavilion, 59-56

Villanova's once-promising season now rests in ashes, as the freefalling
Wildcats were embarrassed by an imploding, lame-duck Miami squad on Senior Night -
of all nights - 59-56, at the Pavilion Tuesday night. After a strong start
this season, the Hurricanes had lost 10 in a row, the last four by double-digits. They had absolutely nothing to play for, beyond inflicting some more emotional turmoil on Villanova fans in the final meeting between the schools. Villanova is in serious jeopardy of posting a losing record and thus missing postseason play, for the first time since 1998, and its streak of four consecutive NIT bids is in trouble. 'Nova has now dropped four in a row and six of its
last seven, bearing little resemblance to the gallant squad which nearly upset #8 Connecticut on Saturday. Was tonight's contest closer than John Kerry versus John Edwards, the "other" battle going on at the same time? Absolutely. Was the ultimate outcome basically the same? Yep.

Darius Rice, a thorn in Villanova's side since the day he arrived in South
Florida, scored 20 points to lead the Hurricanes. Villanova was highly
effective in containing Rice in the first half, when he scored just three points.
However, Rice exploded in the second half, scoring 17 points and virtually
singlehandedly turning the tide. Rice's accuracy helped Miami shoot 58% from the
floor, in the second half. Armando Surratt and Gary Hamilton each added ten
points to help the cause. For Villanova, the anemic 56 points meant that only
two players reached double figures. Allan Ray scored 27 points to lead all
scorers, with Mike Nardi chipping in 14. But Nardi's scoring output was
undermined by the fact that he had no assists while committing half a dozen turnovers.

Miami improved to 4-11 Big East, 14-15 overall; they had been 13-5, 3-1, at
one point. Villanova fell to 6-9 Big East, 14-14 overall. The Wildcats will
probably lose at #6 Pittsburgh on Sunday, dropping under .500. Unfortunately
for Villanova, the Panthers had their 40-game home winning streak snapped by
Syracuse on Sunday, and will likely be out for blood as they return to the
Petersen Events Center for the first time since that game. The NIT has been known
to take a team which falls under .500 as a result of the conference
tournament, so it would seem that 'Nova could still sneak into the consolation tourney
WITH a single win in the Big East tournament. One win and one loss would get
them to 15-16 and the NIT has been kind in the past - but even winning ONE game
in New York seems far from automatic. Likely finishing at just 6-10 in
conference play, the Wildcats are going to draw a powerful opponent in the first
round, something which they had hoped to avoid - and odds are that opponent will
be a NCAA bubble team with far more at stake than what 'Nova has to play for.

Thanks to 18 turnovers, Villanova relinquished a 29-21 halftime lead, being
outscored after intermission by a 38-27 margin. When play resumed, the
Hurricanes opened the half with seven quick points to get right back in it. Rice
finally gave the Hurricanes their first lead at the 4:28 mark, 52-51. Miami
secured the lead for good at the 2:23 mark, when Surratt drained a triple to give
the Hurricanes a 57-54 lead. Villanova failed to score a field goal the rest
of the game, as a pair of free throws from Ray were the team's only points.
Even Miami's final minute turnovers provided no window for Villanova to retake
the lead at the end. It's a shame, because Villanova shot very well from
three-point range (11-25, 44%) and logically should have scored a lot more than 56
points.

This game brings a certain end to the Villanova/Miami series, as the
Hurricanes will be swirling out of the Big East and into the ACC next season. In the
final season, the teams split the two meetings; Villanova won, 76-69, at Miami
on January 25. Villanova holds a narrow 13-10 advantage in the all-time
series, which did not begin until Miami joined the Big East in the 1991-92 season.
(Worth noting: the teams never faced each other in the Big East tournament.)
'Nova won nine of the first ten games in the series, but Miami started
catching up in the late 1990s, when it won six straight and eight out of nine,
against 'Nova at one point. Tonight's loss marked Villanova's ninth loss in its
last 13 games against the Hurricanes. The most famous (or infamous) game in
the series took place on Jan. 17, 2000, at the Pavilion, when Miami's Johnny
Hemsley hit a controversial buzzer-beater to send 'Nova down to defeat, 67-66.
After replays indicated that time did in fact expire before the shot was
released, the NCAA made a rare mid-season rule change, authorizing officials to look
at replay monitors in similar situations. Villanova ultimately missed the
NCAAs that year by a single game.

I would like to give full credit to Eric Watkins, who noted some interesting
facts in his article, namely the last time Villanova had:

a) a losing record at home;
b) six wins or fewer, in BE play.

I would like to confirm Eric's suggestion that it was the 1992-93 team,
Lappas' first squad, which finished 8-19 overall, which previously held the
distinction of being the last 'Nova squad to post a losing record on home floors AND
winning six games or less in BE play. That group of Wildcats went 5-6 at the
Pavilion and 0-2 at the old Spectrum (excluding two Big Five losses at the
Spectrum against Penn and St. Joseph's, which were technically neutral-court games
under the then-Big Five agreement), for a total of 5-8. It also went 3-15 in
Big East play.

Some Senior Night observations on Villanova's departing seniors, Derrick
Snowden, Andreas Bloch, and Tom Grace:


Although this was unquestionably the first Jay Wright year, in the sense that
his own recruits for the first time played the bulk of the minutes, it also
represents the last vestiges of his predecessor, Steve Lappas. (Lappas is now
embroiled in a far more disastrous situation in Amherst, Massachusetts, than
the one which he departed on the Main Line three years ago. Rumors are
swirling that he'll be fired at the end of Massachusetts' season.) Snowden and
Bloch's departure basically means the end of Lappas-recruited players, despite the
fact that Wright is only finishing his third season at the helm. Marcus
Austin, who can possibly be redshirted due to his injury this season, and thus
retain an extra year of eligibility, will be the last Lappas recruit left after
this season, regardless of when he ultimately leaves the program. Of the last
Lappas recruiting class (i.e., the ones recruited in 2000-01, his final season
here), Austin was the only one who opted to stay after the news broke that
Lappas was going to Massachusetts to replace James "Bruiser" Flint, now the coach
at Drexel. Brennan Martin and Kyle Wilson, the other recruits, opted to
follow Lappas there. Chris Charles, who arrived the same year as Austin, was
actually recruited by Wright after he came to Villanova from Hofstra.

The class will unfortunately bear the distinction, first blazed by the 2003
class, of being yet another rare Villanova class to graduate without ever
playing in the NCAA tournament. When the 2003 class of Gary Buchanan, Ricky
Wright, and Andrew Sullivan failed to do so, it was the first time a Villanova class
had done so since the late 1970s. It's now occurred twice in a row.

As now happens regularly in college basketball, the class didn't make it all
the way, intact. (And transfers are even more likely when there is a switch
in head coaches.) The class also included Reggie Bryant and Jair Veldhuis
(remember him?) Both left after - and quite probably as a result of - the
coaching change. Bryant was a slasher and offensively gifted player, who suffered
from a chronic injury which limited his playing time. He saw the handwriting on
the wall, after Wright recruited Allan Ray and Randy Foye, and decided to
transfer after his sophomore year of 2001-02. Bryant is now at St. Louis
University, where he has become their star player. He's leading the Billikens in
scoring, pouring in 17 points a game, and has started every game. At 15-10, SLU
will certainly end up in the NIT or (with a strong push down the stretch)
possibly the NCAA tournament. Veldhuis left even earlier, opting to transfer to
Nevada, immediately after the fall 2001 semester concluded. However, he never
played in a game for the Wolf Pack. In December 2002, the Las Vegas
Review-Journal reported that Veldhuis had been dismissed from the team (no specific
reason was given) and had returned to his home in Holland. (And does not appear
to have returned to Division I college basketball, anywhere.)

Snowden was one of the grittiest players over the last decade at Villanova, a
tenacious defender who always seemed to give his all every time he took the
court. He was one of the few holdover players who totally bought into the Jay
Wright way of doing things, with the renewed emphasis on defense and
rebounding. While he never posted eye-popping numbers, Snowden was a solid citizen
for
four years here and ran the offense for a good portion of that time. His
senior year playing time was fatally damaged by the arrival of the
Wright-recruited Mike Nardi, his knee injury over the offseason, and the
phone-access-code
suspension which began the year. After averaging nearly 30 minutes/game last
season, Snowden has seen his playing time cut in half, averaging just over 15
minutes/game this season. By the time Snowden was ready to play, Nardi had
basically ensconced himself at the point, and Snowden was relegated to coming off
the bench. But he embraced the role with enthusiasm and provided key lifts
as a reserve, throughout this season.

Bloch, on the other hand, was one of the most enigmatic players of the modern
era at Villanova. A talented but one-dimensional player, Bloch would have
fit perfectly into Lappas' system, which relied heavily on screens and the
three-point shot. Bloch's forte is three-point shooting, at which he might have
become a tremendous weapon had he been given the opportunity to play. His
bright shining moment came as a freshman, when he helped the Wildcats upset
Connecticut by nailing four triples at the then-First Union Center. Unfortunately
for Bloch, he only got to play for Lappas as a freshman, and he was totally
unsuited for the Wright system, which emphasized penetrate-and-kick, defense, and
rebounding, none of which he was very good at. As a result, Bloch spent
virtually his entire sophomore and junior years on the bench. By the conventional
wisdom of contemporary college basketball, he should have transferred after
his sophomore season. He has no discernible ties to Philadelphia; he's from
Germany, and he went to high school in California. The coach who recruited him
left, and the new one didn't fit his style, and he wasn't playing. At all.

But for some reason, Bloch didn't transfer. Ironically, he has played far
more as a senior, indicating that perhaps he and Wright have arrived a form of
mutual coexistence with his disinterest in playing defense. As the poor guy
who never got a chance to play, he's emerged as a bit of a fan favorite, with
"Bloch! Bloch! Bloch!" chants not uncommon from the student section. To
everyone's surprise, Bloch has seen his playing time more than triple this season,
swelling from the 4 minutes/game he played last season to nearly 13
minutes/game this season. And he's helped to win some games. On balance, he has to
be
considered a bright spot and a pleasant surprise in an otherwise disappointing
campaign.

Grace has been a walk-on, making the contributions of all walk-ons: practice
players who get no credit for their efforts, save for the occasional cameo
appearances at garbage time. Due to the suspensions, however, Grace actually did
get his day in the sun: the chance to play meaningful minutes in a meaningful
game. Back in November, at the University of Redlands, Grace logged 14
minutes and scored three points, as he helped shorthanded Villanova triumph in a
114-103 barnburner. For Grace, who had played only 21 minutes in two seasons
prior to this year, it was a career high in floor time.

Naturally, I would like to extend best wishes to all three seniors, as they
leave Villanova. All have played well, overcome adversity (injuries,
benchings, and lack of playing time), and reflected well upon Villanova's basketball
program and community during their time on the Main Line.

But back to the more unpleasant topic of salvaging something out of this
season. In front of a national ABC audience on Sunday, Villanova will do its best
not to get crushed on Pitt's Senior Day. While the Wildcats demonstrated
last Saturday against Connecticut that they can hang with anyone, they
demonstrated rather conclusively tonight, that they can also get beaten by almost
anyone.

In Overtime, VU Falls to #8 UConn, 75-74, at the Wachovia Center

Add the name Rashad Anderson to the Villanova "enemies list". The Connecticut freshman joins the rapidly expanding list of opponents who have dashed the hopes of Villanova fans: a list which includes BC's Andrew Bryant, Miami's Johnny Hemsley, and Old Dominion's Petey Sessoms. This afternoon, Anderson drained an improbable three-point basket - his only field goal of the game - from the right corner to force overtime, in a game the hated, #8 Huskies went on to win, 75-74.

For 45 minutes on its quasi-home floor at the cavernous Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Villanova gave Connecticut all it could handle. Even in overtime, Randy Foye had a shot to win the game for 'Nova, driving to the hoop as the buzzer went off, but had the potential game-winner swatted away by national Player of the Year candidate Emeka Okafor. Replays indicated that there was some contact on the final play, but it's possible that the buzzer may have gone off prior to the foul, even if it had been called. (And, of course, there's no guarantee that Foye would have made either or both of the free throws.) But no foul was whistled, consigning the Wildcats to yet another February defeat, their fifth in six games. The 'Cats were trying to pull off a reprise of last season's clash there, where Villanova emerged with a 79-70 victory over the hated Huskies, ranked #23 at the time.

Connecticut is seeking a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament, and remained in the
hunt, improving its record to 23-5 overall, 11-3 BE, and winning their fourth
straight. Villanova fell to 6-8 Big East, 14-13 overall, losing its third
straight. The NIT requires schools to be at least .500 by the end of the regular
season to qualify, so Villanova will need to beat Miami on Senior Night on
Tuesday at the Pavilion, or else take their chances on stopping #4 Pitt on the
road (an unlikely scenario), or some big wins in the Big East tournament, to
continue the school's NIT streak, which began in 2000. A NIT bid would also
mark their sixth straight postseason appearance, beginning with the 1999 NCAA
squad.) But in light of the strong performance put up today, it seems reasonable
that the Miami game should be a win, and thus the NIT bid is all but certain.

The Huskies were led by Ben Gordon, who scored 21 points and always seemed to
be there to take a big shot for UConn when it needed it, regardless of the
distance or Villanova's momentum; he also had five assists to lead the team, as
well as logging 43 of the 45 minutes. Okafor had 17 points, six rebounds and
two blocks, with both coming when it mattered. Freshman Josh Boone scored 11
points, including what turned out to be the winning basket, laying in a Gordon
miss on the Huskies' final possession in OT after nobody boxed him out.
Senior Taliek Brown, the BE leader in assists, had 10 points and four assists and
also logged 43 minutes. Finally, Charlie Villanueva, a Villanova recruiting
target, came off the bench to key Connecticut's first-half offense at a
critical point, helping to keep the game close; he finished with eight points and
four blocks, in just 17 minutes

For 'Nova, the effort was spearheaded by Curtis Sumpter and Allan Ray. Each
went 8-18 from the floor, as Sumpter finished with 22 points and Ray with 20,
and both played over 40 minutes. Foye was the only other Wildcat to reach
double figures, as he recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, a
highly impressive total for a guard. Trying to keep up with Okafor (a
daunting task) Jason Fraser was hampered by foul trouble and ultimately played just
26 minutes, fouling out halfway through overtime; Villanova's inability to stop
Okafor inside may have made the difference (although, obviously, any one
factor can be isolated in a one-point game). Fraser finished with solid numbers
in light of how few minutes he played (six points, four rebounds and two
blocks), but Villanova really needed to keep him on the floor longer than it did.

Villanova won the game, tactically. That may seem counterintuitive, since
they didn't dominate the stat sheet. Connecticut actually shot for a slightly
higher field goal percentage overall, and a significantly higher average from
beyond the arc, as well as committing fewer turnovers and dealing more assists.
However, it was one of those games where the numbers don't really tell the
whole story. Watching this game, you could see that Villanova played better
overall, than Connecticut. It was arguably the finest game the Wildcats have
played all season, in spite of the fact that it was a loss. The only other
candidates would have been the Midnight Madness victory over Temple and the
competitive game against then-#3 St. Joseph's at the Pavilion. They played better
five-man basketball (something they don't usually do), hustled for loose balls,
and seemed to get to every spot a split-second quicker than the Huskies. Had
I not known anything about the teams, I would have been stunned to learn that
the team in the white throwback jerseys (not seen since the Feb. 2 loss to
St. Joseph's at the Pavilion) was the team playing for pride and a NIT berth -
while the team in the navy blue was in the hunt for a Final Four and a national
title.

Also, the numbers have to be crunched, with an eye on the specific teams
involved. Villanova had only 12 turnovers, a very low number for this team.
Connecticut was leading the conference in rebounding margin, averaging about ten
boards a game MORE than its opponents - but Villanova OUTREBOUNDED them today,
45-35.

Villanova also seemed poised at various points throughout the game, to
actually pull away and break it open, whereas Connecticut never gave any such signs.
The Huskies generally seemed to be treading water, battling to stay in the
game; they would occasionally burst forward in their traditional transition
game, but only sporadically. They were just trying to hang on, for most of the
contest; it was far from what you'd expect from a nationally ranked team.
Frankly, I expected the Wildcats to be blown out in this game, given that
Connecticut is the most talented team Villanova has faced this season. I was
pleasantly surprised that the Wildcats almost managed to pull a major upset.

Except for the very beginning, Villanova looked great during all 45 minutes.
There were none of the painful droughts which have plagued the Wildcats this
season. They fell behind 5-0 and 15-9, but other wise went toe-to-toe with
the powerful Huskies for the entire 45 minutes. VU took its first lead, 22-21,
with a pair of Sumpter free throws, and held that lead for virtually the rest
of the half. After Okafor retook it with free throws, 'Nova held it till the
32 second mark, when Taliek Brown laid in a basket to put UConn up 36-35, with
32 seconds to play. Chris Charles drew a foul with 0.4 of a second
remaining, and made one of two free throws to give 'Nova a tie at halftime, something
they were certainly eager to take against the #8 team in America.

A remarkable symmetry of halftime numbers:

Both teams shot exactly 13-30 from the floor in the first half (43%).
And 3-7 from three-point range. And a virtually identical 7-8 (VU) and 7-9
(UConn) from the line.

The numbers diverged somewhat when it came to individuals, naturally; Ray led
'Nova with 11 points, while Sumpter had eight and Foye six; Gordon had a
dozen for the Huskies, while Villanueva had eight off the bench.

After a brief flurry by UConn, in which the Huskies boosted their lead to
40-36, Villanova made its strongest charge of the game. Villanova won the next
ten minutes or so by a 21-9 margin, enough to give the Wildcats a substantial
57-49 lead by the under-eight minute TV timeout, the largest lead they would
ever enjoy. At the 15:45 mark, a Sumpter dunk got the crowd excited, and forced
a timeout from Calhoun. About a minute later, Villanueva missed a dunk,
drawing jeers from the crowd, and Sumpter scored at the other end, putting 'Nova
up 47-43; UConn had made only 3 of its 10 second-half shots at that point.
Around the midway point of the second half, back-to-back dunks from Foye and Will
Sheridan put 'Nova up 53-47 and forced another timeout. UConn's shooting had
deteriorated even further, as the Huskies were only 5-17 from the floor since
play had resumed.

After drifting back to a 57-49 disadvantage, Connecticut came back with a 7-2
run of its own, closing the gap to 59-56 with about three minutes left. Then
'Nova kept trying to administer the coup de grace- and Connecticut wouldn't
stay down. Derrick Snowden drained an NBA-length three, but Okafor and Gordon
both replied, Okafor underneath and Gordon with a three with 1:50 to go.
'Nova was clinging to a 62-61 lead.

Eventually, Villanova scored a basket which against most opponents, playing
at home, would have become the memorable play of the game. Holding onto a
64-63 lead with 56 seconds to play, 'Nova held the ball for 35 seconds, and Ray
floated the ball into the basket as the buzzer went off - a psychologically
devastating blow, as the crowd went nuts and 'Nova now held a three-point
advantage with 20 seconds left. And 'Nova had more than just momentum. It had fouls
to give - three to be exact. Logically, Villanova didn't even have to permit
UConn to take a shot. With three fouls to give in 20 seconds, realistically,
Villanova could just keep fouling whenever the Huskies came anywhere near the
basket, and run out the clock.

For some reason - perhaps the rarity of the situation (how often do you play
the entire second half and commit only three fouls?), coach Jay Wright opted
NOT to use this strategy to its conclusion. Only two of the three potential
fouls were committed, and as a result, Anderson had the opportunity to make his
triple with 7 seconds remaining, tying it at 66. Ironically, Foye had a
chance to score over Okafor at the end of regulation as well, but his shot was
swatted away (and the first time, there wasn't any contact). A Villanova putback
attempt went awry, and 'Nova was confronted with its first overtime contest
since Maui, back in November, when the 'Cats topped Santa Clara in overtime.

You know it's a tightly contested overtime, when neither team leads by more
than two, at any stage. The teams kept dueling but neither could build any
kind of a lead, and it seems that whoever would have the ball last would win.
Connecticut appeared to gain the upper hand when Fraser fouled out with 2:46 to
play in overtime, but Okafor also had four fouls and was in danger. (Okafor
also played the entire game while injured to some degree.) After Okafor made
the front end of a one-and-one, with 51.2 seconds to play, giving UConn a 73-72
lead, Sumpter gave 'Nova its final lead at 19.4 seconds to play, scoring to
restore the 'Cats' one-point advantage at 74-73. The Huskies called their last
timeout to discuss the matter.

Gordon took what was intended to be UConn's last gasp, missing a shot - but
Boone, left alone underneath, seized the opportunity to be a hero, putting back
the miss for the winning points with just 5.5 seconds to go. After 'Nova
called its last timeout, Foye made his second effort to overcome Okafor, but
couldn't.

It was a particularly galling loss, because of Villanova's poor record in
close games this season. In games decided by five points or less (in other
words, probably decided in the final two minutes) Villanova is now 2-7, and that
more than any other factor explains why the Wildcats are not on the NCAA bubble,
at the end of February.

The one silver lining, ironically, of Villanova's diminished status this
season is that the razor-thin, adverse outcome today, was less painful that it
would have been, If the outcome had mattered for NCAA purposes. However, the
losses at Seton Hall and Syracuse had already fatally torpedoed any NCAA hopes,
anyhow, so even if the Wildcats had managed to pull off the upset today, it
wouldn't have changed their ultimate fate. Even with a win this afternoon,
Villanova would still have needed to beat Miami AND win at Pitt next week, where
the Panthers will likely have a 41-game home winning streak, AND put together a
strong Big East tournament run, going all the way to the final, and you have
to be realistic.

This marks the first season, since the Big East divisional play started in
2000-01, that the 'Cats and Huskies didn't clash twice a year. With the
abolition of divisional play this year, however, the Huskies weren't one of the three
teams Villanova drew to play twice. Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun
undoubtedly likes the Center, as he has brought Connecticut in there six times and won
on four of them. Although Villanova still holds a 29-23 lead in the all-time
series, the vast majority of Villanova victories came before Calhoun's strong
teams developed. Since 1990, Connecticut has won 19 of 27 meetings between the
schools. Over the last six years, the dominance has only increased, with the
Huskies winning 9 of the last 12 and five of the last six games.

Now that another slate of Wachovia Center games has come and gone, it's worth
examining the historical record at the state-of-the-art, but unfortunately
very spacious and distant, facility. This season, Villanova wisely opted to
play just three games there. It is claimed that the Big East mandates that at
least three Wildcat games be slated there, per season. However, it seems more
plausible that it's a vestige of the old days, when Villanova was able to
attract huge crowds to the building. Nonetheless, Villanova's position is that it
would voluntarily play at least three games there, regardless of the
conference requirement, so the point is moot. Losing to Memphis, Notre Dame, and
Connecticut, Villanova failed to win a single game there this season. In eight
years of using that building, that is only the second time that's happened. It's
also the first time, since the rebuilding year of 1997-98, when the 'Cats
lost all four games there, en route to a 12-17 record (the team's only losing
record in the last 11 years). All-time, the Wildcats are now 10-15 there.
Obviously, in an overtime game which was ultimately decided by one point, could the
additional home-court advantage provided by the Pavilion have made a
difference? Absolutely.

What about attendance? Officially, prior to this season, the Wildcats had
averaged 14,876 per game, a laughable figure which isn't remotely close to
accurate. A good rule of thumb is to subtract about three thousand from the
official figure, to determine how many real, live human beings actually made the
trek down to South Philly. Today's game drew a large crowd, officially deemed at
over 16,000, which even adjusted downward, still means a substantial increase
over the Pavilion capacity of 6,500. But Connecticut, due to its perennial
powerhouse status and national fan base, still draws more fans than most of the
opponents Villanova brings to the building. There is no reason to believe
that hordes of casual fans will show up to see Memphis or Penn State, teams
which Villanova has played there in the past.

Seniors Derrick Snowden, Andreas Bloch, and Tom Grace bid farewell to the
Pavilion forever on Tuesday night, when the freefalling Miami Hurricanes make
their final visit to the Main Line, prior to exiting for the Atlantic Coast
Conference.

Also, best wishes for a speedy recovery, to longtime VU radio broadcaster
Whitey Rigsby, who didn't broadcast the game due to shoulder surgery earlier this
week.

Turnovers Rule As Syracuse Stops 'Nova, 64-59

In arguably one of the ugliest games of the season, Syracuse managed to
extract itself from a turnover-saturated morass at the Carrier Dome to stop
Villanova, 64-59, as the two schools combined for a shockingly sloppy 38 turnovers. Gerry McNamara connected six straight free throws in the last 1:01 to preserve the Orangemen's victory. The defending national champions, are still not a lock for a NCAA bid despite being the last team out of the Top 25 (with an RPI of 29, they top the also-receiving-votes category this week). They needed this win with a tough schedule coming up down the stretch. But for 'Nova, its 21 turnovers led to yet another loss, its fourth in five games, as it prepares for the Big East tournament, its only meaningful hope for a NCAA bid.

Villanova fell to under. 500 in Big East play, at 6-7, while dropping to
14-12 overall. Villanova would need to sweep its remaining three Big East games,
which seems profoundly unlikely at this point, given that two are against
top-10 teams. (And even that still might not get them into the tournament.) The
Wildcats will likely cruise past Miami at the Pavilion on Senior Night, but
look to be defeated by #8 Connecticut at the Wachovia Center and #4 Pittsburgh,
at Pittsburgh. Syracuse improved to 8-5 Big East, 18-6 overall, and is
well-positioned to receive the opportunity to defend its national championship come
March.

As might be expected when only 59 points are scored, no Wildcat scored more
than a dozen points: Curtis Sumpter led the squad with 12 and posted another
double-double with 10 boards. Jason Fraser had 10 points and eight rebounds
prior to fouling out down the stretch, and Allan Ray scuffled to 10 points. Ray
and Foye combined for a dismal shooting night, combining to shoot 6-25 from
the floor, which spells defeat for 'Nova most nights. (Foye also committed
seven turnovers.) Villanova also finished the game shooting just 7-23 (30%) from
beyond the arc, and for a perimeter-based team that lacks a consistent scoring
option in the paint, that can be lethal. For Syracuse, McNamara and
Philadelphia native Hakim Warrick each scored 18 points, with Warrick playing all 40
minutes and just missing a double-double with 9 boards. The pair combined to
go an outstanding 21-24 from the free-throw line. Two other Orangemen reached
double figures, as Josh Pace added 14 while Louie McCroskey had 10.

Villanova missed 14 of its first 18 shots, and consequently had just 19
points entering the final minute, before a flurry of offense. By the under-eight
minute timeout, at 7:32, Villanova had scored just one field goal in over an
eight-minute span, and was trailing 19-11. Even with four points in the final
minute, Villanova still managed just 23 first-half points, shooting a wretched
33% from the floor and 20% from beyond the arc, prior to intermission. With
0.8 seconds to play, and the ball out of bounds under the Syracuse basket,
Nardi lobbed it to Sumpter, who deftly sank it at the buzzer, while also being
fouled. Sumpter missed the rare free throw on an empty lane (a deceptively
difficult thing to try), but the play gave the 'Cats some momentum heading into
intermission, trailing just 27-23. Why was it so close, in light of Villanova's
struggles from the floor? Fortunately, Syracuse wasn't any better, in terms
of field goal accuracy, as the Orangemen were at an equally wretched 33%.

When play resumed, after falling behind 44-35, 'Nova kept hanging around and
pulled to within 44-40 on a dunk by Fraser at the 8:30 mark, leading to a
Syracuse timeout. The run continued, though, and a triple by Ray gave VU what
would be its only second half lead at 49-48, with 4:50 to play, and another
Syracuse timeout.

However, Syracuse rallied and - due to some beckoning by Boeheim - the
Carrier Dome crowd began to engage itself in the game. The Orangemen retook control
with two baskets and by forcing a jump ball, taking possession and triggering
the under-4 minute TV timeout. They led 52-49 and never relinquished the
lead, going on to score six more unopposed points and extending their lead to
58-49 with under two minutes to play, including the shot that probably decided
the game, a huge three by McCroskey at the 2:34 mark. Villanova, in a late-game
storm reminiscent of their oh-so-close near-comeback at Seton Hall Saturday
afternoon, rallied to cut it to 58-54 with 1:21 to play (on an "and-one" from
Will Sheridan) and even 62-59 with 36.7 seconds to go (another basket from
Sheridan), but Syracuse's steadiness at the line was enough to preserve the
victory for the home club.

Coach Jay Wright opted to use just seven players tonight, with bright spots
off the bench being Sheridan, who finished with eight points and four boards
while playing 20 minutes (including the key baskets at crunch time) and Derrick
Snowden. The senior point guard, relegated to the bench by the
Wright-recruited trio of guards and an injury, played 25 minutes of hard-nosed defensive
basketball and helped spark the comeback. (Nardi played just 15 minutes due to
foul trouble, and eventually fouled out.) Snowden's defense was a big reason
why Syracuse shot a miserable 18% (2-11) from beyond the arc. Andreas Bloch
did not see action, while Marcus Austin continues to sit out due to injury.

Worth noting: Syracuse's Jeremy McNeil managed to foul out, despite playing
only six minutes.

Long-time coach Jim Boeheim, who has been at Syracuse for longer than all
players on the court tonight have been alive, improved to 29-23 all-time against
Villanova. Jay Wright lost to Syracuse for the first time ever, against two
victories, both in his first year at the helm. (Wright was whistled for a
technical midway through the second half.) The teams did not play last year, for
the first time since Villanova joined the Big East in 1980-81, due to the
since-abolished BE procedure of missing three opponents per year. The loss was
'Nova's fifth in seventh games to the Orangemen, after winning both meetings in
the 2001-02 season (one in the regular season and one in the BE tournament).
Syracuse now leads the all-time series, 31-23. Villanova leads in
regular-season BE games by a 20-19 margin, but the Orangemen have topped 'Nova eight
times in 11 games in BE tournament play. Surprisingly, Villanova has enjoyed some
success at the Carrier Dome; the loss tonight put the Wildcats at 10-12 there
all-time, which is probably one of the better records there for any visiting
school.

This long-time BE rivalry would have perished in the off-season, except for
the inherent greed of the ACC schools and internal politics of the Commonwealth
of Virginia. Syracuse was one of the original three schools (along with
Boston College and Miami) who flirted with the ACC during the off-season.
However, Virginia - which held the swing vote in the ACC on the issue of extending
invitations - was forced by the state legislature to tie its "Yes" vote on ACC
expansion, to the admission of in-state Virginia Tech, instead of Syracuse or
Boston College. The ACC originally voted, over the summer, to grant membership
only to Miami and Virginia Tech, but a separate deal announced in October
spirited BC out of the BE and down to Dixie as well. All of which leaves
Syracuse in a somewhat awkward position, as the only one of the four schools which
publicly expressed an interest in leaving the BE, but who now has to stay.
Although for public consumption, the remaining BE members are presenting a united
front, it has to be wondered if Syracuse is not still viewed with some
suspicion as a potential defector to another rival conference down the road.
Obviously, BC also publicly pledged its loyalty to the new-look BE and subsequently
decided to bolt for the ACC.

Villanova will enjoy several off-days, before returning to action at the
Wachovia Center, against #8 Connecticut, on Saturday afternoon. It will not be
crowded, which will be a real shame, given that the 'Cats could use the support
in trying to oust a national powerhouse.

Seton Hall Pirates Hang on to Narrowly Sink Wildcats, 70-68

To the Villanova Wildcats faithful-

Four Wildcats reached double figures, led by Allan Ray's 18. Ray had a fantastic first half but stalled badly in the second, as he had 14 by the break. Foye's game was the mirror opposite, as Foye - mired in foul trouble - not only failed to score before halftime, but had NO field goals, before the 6:16 mark of the SECOND half - but ended up exploding for six field goals in the last 6:16, and nearly singlehandedly stole the game for the 'Cats. Curtis Sumpter also had 15 points, while Jason Fraser posted a double-double with 12 points (on perfect 5-5 shooting) and 11 boards.

The victorious Pirates relied almost exclusively on their starters, as the original crew played all but 25 minutes and scored all but five points. Andre Barrett led the way with 16 points, while Kelly Whitney had 15, John Allen and Marcus Toney-El a dozen each, and Andre Sweet 10.

The Pirate crew continued to sail ahead to the NCAA tournament, with a dazzling RPI of 19 entering the game and a now solid record of 7-5 Big East, 17-7 overall. Villanova fell to 6-6 Big East, 14-11 overall, and has dropped three of its last four contests. Unfortunately, the loss probably means the end of Villanova's meaningful NCAA hopes this season (at least for an at-large bid). The Wildcats will need AT LEAST nine Big East wins to merit serious consideration. Their RPI ranking stood at 48 entering today and will drop with the loss (only slightly, though, because of Seton Hall's high ranking). With just four games remaining, three are against ranked teams and none of them are at the Pavilion (Pittsburgh and Syracuse on the road and Connecticut at the Wachovia Center). After losing today, Villanova would need to beat free-falling Miami on Senior Night, as well as at least two of the three ranked schools, to get to nine conference wins. While there's always the chance that a miracle might materialize, Villanova probably doesn't have the talent or experience to beat TWO ranked opponents, away from the Pavilion, over the next couple of weeks. Nor would 9-7 even be a guarantee of a bid; Seton Hall had 10 wins last year and didn't qualify.

Also, while the last five and a half minutes were - certainly - tremendously exciting, it can't obscure the fact that Villanova was SOUNDLY beaten in this game. If Villanova had somehow gotten out of the building with a victory, that would have been a grand larceny. It will go into the record books as a narrow two-point loss, but that is VERY deceptive. The Hall had this game in the bag and somehow nearly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Had this game gone the other way (and had its loss eventually cost them a NCAA bid) this game would have been immortalized for YEARS on the SHU site. After leading by a single point at intermission, the Pirates had begun looting and plundering, hoarding a substantial double-digit lead early in the second half. Their lead remained as high as 65-49 with 5:22 to play and the game was apparently over (and had been, for quite some time), prior to Foye's late-game heroics (he had 14 of his 15 points in the last 6:16!)

Villanova now owns a commanding 54-37 edge over Seton Hall in the all-time series, one of its oldest rivalries. It dates back to 1921 (Villanova's first season), and Seton Hall's program is even older: a floor decal at the Continental Airlines Arena proudly noted that we are in the midst of the 100th season of Pirate basketball.

But most of that 'Nova advantage was accumulated, prior to the P.J. Carlesimo
era at the Hall. 'Nova beat Seton Hall in the first 13 contests as members of the Big East - but since then, SHU has done quite well, winning 17 out of the next 28 from the Wildcats. And it's been even worse at the Meadowlands. Since 1987, Seton Hall has hosted Villanova 14 times, and Villanova has won just three games.

Originally, the game looked like it would be pretty tight, despite Villanova's dismal history in the building. Villanova led 13-11 early, but Seton Hall was matching them at every turn and finally made a charge when the 'Cats went cold. The Pirates took advantage of a severe 'Nova drought, beginning at the midpoint of the first half, going up 27-20. When Sumpter converted a layup with 4:17 to play, it was 'Nova's first field goal since that point. But 'Nova hung on; after Barrett held the ball for the last shot and protecting a 33-30 SHU lead, Sumpter intercepted a misplay by Sweet and was fouled by him on a breakaway at the other end with 1.3 seconds to go; Sumpter's pair of free throws made it 33-32 at the buzzer and gave 'Nova some momentum.

At halftime, Villanova had to feel good about the fact that they had shot 50% from the floor (a strong percentage, especially on the road) and were a perfect 10-10 from the line - but had turned the ball over 11 times already. Ray had 14 points and Sumpter eight, but Foye had picked up two fouls and played just 11 minutes.

It probably helped that Seton Hall does not benefit from much of a homecourt advantage. With no on-campus arena, the Pirate faithful do not turn out in large numbers, even this year, when SHU has a fairly successful team, and as a result, it is arguably the most visitor-friendly building in the league.

Villanova collapsed when play resumed. The Wildcats once again went ice-cold, making just two of their first 15 shots (not a typo) in the second half. The Pirates' lead ballooned to 47-34, then 54-37 (a 21-5 run to start the half). The entire second half appeared to be garbage time, as Villanova seemed to be in a stupor for much of the game play. (At one point, with nine minutes to play, the 'Cats rolled the ball inbounds to save a fraction of a second, perhaps a wise move when you're trailing in the last two or three minutes, but an unpleasantly defeatist display, when you're only down 15 with nine minutes left. And I've always felt that it wasn't worth risking a turnover to do that, anyway.)

Then the inexplicable near-comeback took place, with Foye raining in baskets. 'Nova was still down by as much at 67-52 at 3:49, and 67-54 at the 3:32 mark, before outscoring the Hall 14-3 the rest of the way to nearly sink the Pirate ship, when it appeared to be in a safe harbor.

An NBA 3 from Foye cut the lead to 67-61 with 2:19 to play, leading to a Seton Hall timeout and some serious nerve-wracking moments on their bench. 'Nova got the lead down to 69-68 with 28.8 seconds to go, and after Barrett missed the front end of a one-and-one, had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Foye missed a three, which went out of bounds with 6.8 seconds to play. SHU nearly threw away the inbound pass, but Whitney was fouled with 5.7 seconds left. He made the first one (the really pressure-packed one), but missed the second. Unfortunately, 'Nova had no timeouts remaining and couldn't set up - and although they still would have had plenty of time, the Wildcats couldn't cleanly control the rebound, bobbling the ball. By the time Foye had a chance to fire a badly misguided shot, all the way from midcourt, the shot wouldn't have counted anyhow.

And the schedule only grows more arduous from here. Villanova will return to action at Syracuse's Carrier Dome on Monday night, to take on the defending national champion and 24th-ranked Orangemen. At the same time Villanova was making its comeback, Syracuse survived a shocking scare from ancestral archrival Georgetown at the MCI Center, which required a Gerry McNamara buzzer-beating triple to break a 54-54 tie.