#4 Wildcats Host #11 Georgetown Hoyas on Sunday - A Concise Rivalry History

To the Wildcat faithful-

I thought that it might be a good time, with the #4 Wildcats hosting the #11 Hoyas on Sunday at the Wachovia Center, to take a look at the long history of the rivalry between Villanova and Georgetown, and how it has intersected over the years...
 
The Villanova/Georgetown Rivalry History

Villanova's legendary rivalry with Georgetown is truly remarkable. The greatest game in Villanova history took place on April 1, 1985, when the Wildcats defeated the heavily-favored Hoyas, to capture the NCAA championship. For more on the traditions and rivalry, please keep reading... At the end of this article, I will tell the story of the 1985 game, the most thrilling game I have ever seen, in any sport.

But before I do so, I will describe the rise of the Hoya empire. Villanova's upset is fully appreciated, when one considers what the Wildcats had to face. In marked contrast to Villanova, Georgetown had little basketball tradition, prior to the arrival of John Thompson in 1972.

(N.B.  I'd like to thank Georgetown commenter HoyasWinHoyasWin for his helpful correction, which he shares very candidly in his comment below.  He accurately noted that the post did not include Georgetown's most recent banner season, 2006-07, which saw the Hoyas return to the Final Four for the first time since - well - Villanova/Georgetown in 1985.  I regret the oversight.  This Georgetown history, much of which had been composed in early 2007, had not been updated to include that achivement.  I regret the oversight and error.

Accordingly, you'll see italicized and strikethrough text; italicized reflect his corrections, strikethrough the erroneous text.) 

First - The perennial question: "What Is A Hoya?" I will quote the Georgetown media guide: "In the days when all Georgetown students were required to study Greek and Latin, the University's teams were nicknamed "the Stonewalls". A student, using Greek and Latin terms, started the cheer, "Hoya Saxa", which translates as "What rocks!" The name proved popular, and the term Hoyas was eventually adopted for all Georgetown teams.

Georgetown's colors are blue and gray, and the direct inspiration for them was the Civil War. During the war, Georgetown's location on the Potomac river placed it at the border between Union and Confederacy. Maryland and the District of Columbia were part of the Union. But Virginia, across the river, was the most populous and important state of the Confederacy. In addition to its location, many Georgetown alumni, the "sons of Georgetown", had fought for each side. (It was an all-male school at the time.) 

In light of those facts, Georgetown decided to adopt blue and gray as its colors: the Union soldiers had worn blue uniforms while many Confederate armies had worn gray. Like the nation, the Georgetown community itself had been divided during the conflict. The symbolism was intended as a healing gesture, to reunite after the war.

Thompson, a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, is a genuine legend. Due to his success and his powerful personality, he remains one of the best known college basketball coaches in America. However, Thompson's accomplishments are even more remarkable, in light of the Georgetown program which he inherited. Thompson literally constructed the Hoyas' program, brick by brick, for over a quarter of a century.

Georgetown's program is among the oldest in the nation, as it observed its centennial anniversary last season. The Hoyas' first season (just four games) was 1906-1907: the Hoyas played nearby George Washington three times, and one against Virginia. The program did enjoy some success during the 1920s, posting some strong records. However, the success predated both the NCAA tournament and the NIT. Villanova traveled to Georgetown in the Wildcats' second season of play, 1921-22. But the Wildcats fell, 39-34. Surprisingly, due to the close proximity of the schools, the teams would not play again for 23 years!

In 1943, Georgetown qualified for postseason play, for the first time in school history. Led by Elmer Ripley, the Hoyas went 22-5 and qualified for the NCAA tournament, held at New York's Madison Square Garden that year. The talented Mr. Ripley must have been a great coach: at that time, the NCAA tourney invited only eight teams! Georgetown defeated New York University and DePaul to reach the national championship game. But Wyoming whipped the Hoyas, 46-34, to win the national championship. In the consolation game, Georgetown topped Toledo and thus finished in third place. 

>Note: An anonymous commenter below, has provided some clarification on the history, and shared some interesting facts about the 1943 Hoyas.  I regret the error, and would like to thank him for clarifying the history....

The Hoyas finished as runners-up in '43 (not third place). The win over NIT runner-up Toledo following the NCAA tournament was in the Sportswriter's Playoff, a charity event between the finalists of each tournament.

> The Hoyas have reached the NCAA Elite Eight 9 times (1943, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1996 & 2007); the '43 Elite Eight only represents an invitation to the then-8-man tournament, but the Hoyas did go all the way to the final game that year, as noted above.

Unfortunately for Georgetown, its next two seasons were canceled due to World War II. I speculate that due to the school's DC location, its building was commandeered for military use. For example, in Philadelphia, Penn's Palestra was used for Navy administrative offices. However, no Big Five team's schedule was canceled due to the war.

After the war ended in 1945, Villanova and Georgetown began a spirited rivalry. Three months after the Japanese surrender, Villanova hosted the Hoyas for the first time. The Wildcats won, 40-37. For the next four years, they played each other twice a season, foreshadowing the twice-a-year rivalry in the BIG EAST. Georgetown swept Villanova in 1947, and the teams split the 1948 series. But Villanova swept the Hoyas, during the next two seasons.

For some reason, the series ended after the 1950 season. Three decades would ensue, before the creation of the BIG EAST in 1980. Surprisingly, the teams played each other only three times, over those 30 years.

In 1953, Georgetown made its first NIT appearance: it was still the era when the NIT was probably more prestigious than the NCAAs. The Hoyas went 13-7, and lost to Louisville in the first round. They wouldn't return to post-season play until 1970, earning another NIT bid and losing in the first round to Louisiana State.

Thompson arrived in DC, taking over for the 1972-73 season. He inherited a moribund Georgetown program, which had gone 3-23 the previous season. Georgetown's "tradition" was a grand total of three post-season appearances: two NIT bids and a NCAA third-place second-place finish.

Naturally, nobody expected that Georgetown would become even a respectable program, let alone a powerhouse. The idea that the Hoyas would become one of the most prominent and successful teams in the nation was utterly absurd. But Thompson was the architect and visionary that made it possible. In 1975, Thompson's third season, the Hoyas made their first trip to the NCAA tournament in 32 years. While Georgetown lost in the first round, it began one of the most remarkable eras in college basketball.

The Hoyas won the 1984 national championship, and reached the Final Four in 1982 and 1985 and 2007. Georgetown also has made four five trips to the Elite Eight, the most recent two most recent being in 1996, led by Allen Iverson -  and the Hoyas' most recent trip to the Final Four was in 2007.  Georgetown was one of the eight original members of the BIG EAST, in 1979-1980. Villanova joined as the ninth team, one year later.

That brings us to the miraculous game, on April 1, 1985, when Villanova beat Georgetown and captured the NCAA championship!

That season was the first year that the NCAA tournament consisted of 64 teams, up from 48. At 19-10, it was unclear as to whether Villanova would even receive a bid: the Wildcats received a #8 seed. There is a consensus among national observers, that Villanova made the most unbelievable, miraculous run of any team in the NCAA tournament, before or since. The Wildcats defeated #9 seed Dayton on Dayton's home floor (teams are no longer permitted to play on their home floor.) Villanova then upset the #1 seed, Michigan, to head for the Sweet 16. 

The Wildcats then flew to Birmingham, Alabama, and knocked off ACC powers Maryland and North Carolina. It was Villanova's first Final Four appearance since 1971, when the Wildcats lost to UCLA in the final. (Villanova's games were ultimately forfeited due to Howard Porter signing with an agent, prior to the tournament, rendering him ineligible.)

Two other BIG EAST teams, Georgetown and St. John's, joined 'Nova in Lexington, Kentucky. Villanova surprised Memphis State in the national semifinal, while Georgetown stopped St. John's. Georgetown was considered a virtual lock for the national title. The Hoyas were the defending national champions, and entered the game at 35-2. (Georgetown's only two losses had been to St. John's and Syracuse, by a total of three points.)

Moreover, Georgetown had been routinely thrashing 'Nova, since the Wildcats had entered the BIG EAST in 1981. The Hoyas had won nine of the eleven games in that span, many by convincing margins. In 1985, there was only a slight glimmer of hope. Villanova had battled the Hoyas in two close losses that season: a 57-50 loss at Georgetown and a heartbreaking, 52-50 overtime loss at the Spectrum. Nonetheless, nobody other than Rollie and the Wildcats thought that they had a chance to come out on top.

College basketball observers everywhere agree that Villanova played "The Perfect Game," defeating the Hoyas, 66-64, to bring home the national championship to the Main Line! Villanova shot 22-27 from the floor, an unthinkable 78.6%. The Wildcats took only ten shots in the second half, making nine of them.

Surprisingly, prior to the arrival of Jay Wright, on the subject of the commemoration of the 1985 championship, there was only very minimal acknowledgment of the championship in the Pavilion. Subsequently, under the Wright regime, a fitting and proper mural of the 1985 national championship team has been added to the ground floor of the Pavilion lobby. Nonetheless, there should be a mini-museum to tell the story. The mural was a good start, but more still needs to be done for proper commemoration.

The best illustration of Georgetown's stature: Villanova played The Perfect Game - and only won by two!More recently, there has been another Villanova victory over Georgetown to savor. On January 30, 1999, Villanova pulled off a 93-90, double-overtime, miraculous win over Georgetown at the then-First Union Center. (I attended the game, and it was the most exciting finish that I've ever seen live.)

In the second OT, we trailed 90-87, with five seconds to go. Georgetown was at the foul line. After the Hoya missed two shots, Howard Brown hit a three-pointer from the corner to tie the game with one second remaining. Georgetown carelessly inbounded the ball, it was stolen by Brooks Sales, and Jermaine Medley hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to win it...  

Another worthwhile note: The Wildcats were the first opponent to play Georgetown at the new MCI (now Verizon) Center, in December 1997 - and won.

Various Viewpoints

Also, go get the full roundup on the upcoming game with Georgetown, from the other Villanova sites:

I Bleed Blue and White

greyCat at Villanova By the Numbers

VUHoops.com

Nova News

Go Wildcats!

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

Also, you can e-mail villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com (Important note: This is a different e-mail address than before. Please use this new one.)

White-Out Christmas: Reynolds, #4 Wildcats Still Stayin' Alive Against White Suited-Pitino, 92-84

To the Wildcat faithful -

(Left - the album cover for the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever; the disco group the Bee Gees (the three Gibb brothers) are in the center, and John Travolta as Tony Manero on the bottom.)

#4 Villanova had to travel to Freedom Hall in Louisville tonight, for a truly White-out Christmas - but the glare wasn't coming from snow outside Freedom Hall.  It was in Rick Pitino's wardrobe; "Respect the Suit" has been the 'Ville's mantra this year.

Rick Pitino has always been known for his national championship with Kentucky, his hair, and - most famously - being the best dressed coach in college basketball.

Well, he was - at least until this season.

Pitino wore a bright white suit, with a candy-cane red-striped tie and brown shoes.  It was noted during the opening sequence on ESPN that he has apparently made a habit of it this season, and the sight of Rick Pitino (of all people) dressed like Barry Gibb, is one that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to see.  This should have

But the visiting Wildcats overcame an incredibly sloppy game to triumph, 92-84, and continue the team's torrid start, its best since 1963-64.

Villanova improved its record to 4-0 Big East, 15-1 overall - its best start in 46 years, since the aforementioned squad went 17-1 to start the year.  Louisville fell to 3-1 Big East, 12-5 overall.

This game tipped at 7 PM and didn't end until 9:40 PM.  It was sloppy, choppy, marred with fouls, horrendous passes, turnovers, richochets, caroms, more turnovers, more fouls, and it was marvelous entertainment.  Let's take a look at why:

Each team had 23 turnovers (Villanova had 17, at halftime).

Each team also committed 33 personal fouls.  For Villanova, 10 of the 11 players committed at least two fouls (the lone exception being Maurice Sutton, who played a single minute).  Surprisingly, only Antonio Pena fouled out, though. 

For Louisville, likewise, ten of the 11 Cardinals committed at least one foul, with Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith fouling out. 

A Tale of Two Halves

It's a cliche, to be sure.  However, tonight was one of the rare games, where it's genuinely appropriate.  During the first half, Louisville looked like the 1996 Kentucky Wildcats, also coached by Pitino - a relentless, hounding turnover machine.

But in the second half, the Cardinals looked more like the team that entered the game without a national ranking-  with a 22-point loss to Charlotte and an 8-point loss to Western Carolina - and both of those losses coming at Freedom Hall.

In the first half, Villanova trailed by as many as 17 points, 38-21, at the 5:47 mark; it brings to mind the George Mason victory in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic, where the Wildcats also trailed by double-digits (13 to be exact).  Moreover, they looked atrocious.  The Wildcats were struggling enormously just to get the ball over the midcourt line.  With Louisville scoring tons of easy baskets off turnovers, they were able to reset their press and the cycle continued.  The idea that Villanova would not only rally to win,  but do so by an eight-point margin - and by leading for much of the second half seemed absurd.

The 17-point margin overcome was also the largest successfully overcome by Villanova to triumph, since rallying from 18 down against Clemson, in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament, on March 14 of that year - the Wildcats won, 75-69.

It wasn't the best half for Wright, either, despite his sartorial superiority over Pitino.  (Wright opted to go with his usual dark suit, a purple shirt, with a purple-and-black striped tie).  He uncharacteristically lost his cool, due to what he perceived as missed calls, and began ranting at the officials, and was justifiably assessed a technical foul, a rarity now.  (Wright never accumulated many technicals, although they did occasionally appear, especially during his first couple of years as head coach on the Main Line.)  Analyst Bill Raftery noted that "this is the angriest I've ever seen him", and Raf's assessment was probably accurate.  After gettng the technical, Wright marched onto the floor (only about a foot away from the lane, in fact), and had to be restrained by the staff.  It was not Wright's finest hour.

(Also, Wright hadn't seen anything, yet.  The 33 fouls ultimately called, were the most in a single game, against any Villanova team he has coached, in his eight and a half seasons as head coach.)

It also didn't seem to help matters much.  For the Wildcats, the first half was a mess of bad, cross-court passes, passing only to the obvious target, backcourt violations (including a couple that should have been called, but weren't).  For a team as deep and experienced as 'Nova, it was as bad as a Wright-coached team could look.

To make the situation even more critical - the three best ball handlers - Reynolds, Fisher, and Wayns - were starting to sink into foul trouble, and Villanova was barely getting by, even with the better ball handlers on the floor.  If the forwards had to handle the ball at all, it was an adventure on every possession.

Much credit has to be given to Wright and the staff, for navigating the team through this game, with just Pena fouling out (and by the time he did so, the Wildcats had built a small cushion, and could afford to go with Mouphtaou Yarou the rest of the way.)  Fisher, Reggie Redding, Wayns, and Mouph all ended the game with four fouls, King and Isaiah Armwood with three.  ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, due to the mounting battle of attrition for both team, kidded that "the game will need to be finished with freshmen managers."

Speaking of Mouph, he brought it tonight.  He committed four fouls in his 14 minutes, but had three rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist.  With Pena in foul trouble, Wright badly needed another option to take up some space in the lane and defend.

Early in the game, Bilas called the viewers' attention to a neat inbounds play, where Wayns inbounds the ball to Mouph, from underneath Louisville's basket.  Mouph then gives him back the ball, while staying motionless and serving as a huge screen for the defender.  When they tried the play early in the game, it worked like a T, with Wayns drilling the triple; they tried it again in the second half, but either due to luck, faulty execution, or perhaps Louisville now being aware of it, Wayns' shot didn't go down.

So what happened in the second half?

Villanova stopped throwing the ball all over Freedom Hall.  Once the turnovers dried up, Louisville could no longer score easy baskets.  Their half-court sets were poor, and they encountered enormous difficulty in scoring (as you can see from their shooting percentages, discussed below).  Consider that the terrible totals include many uncontested baskets; their shooting percentage on contested ones would have been considerably worse if it were broken down.

Beginning late in the first half, Villanova went on a 42-20 run (if such a large period could be properly called a "run", but lacking a better term) and converted a double-digit deficit to a substantial single-digit lead in the second half.  The Wildcats, having trailed by as many as 17 in the first half, trailed by just 43-36 at halftime and took the lead for good in the second half.

Looking at the Box Score

Scottie Reynolds was - well - Scottie Reynolds.  Adding to his already endless numbers, he poured in 36 points, a season-high, to lead the Wildcats to a hard-fought victory.  Even by Reynolds' rarefied standards, it was a virtuoso performance.  It was, simply put, one of his greatest games, ever.  In fact, it arguably was his greatest game, ever.  The 36 points were the third-highest total of his career, trailing just his pair of 40-pointers (the first coming @ UConn as a freshman, where the Reynolds legend first began to develop, and at Seton Hall as a junior.)

Reynolds was 9-10 from the floor, hit all five of his three-point attempts, went 13-17 from the line, grabbed four rebounds and a pair of steals in just 30 minutes.  The only negative: his three turnovers against no assists, although there was plenty of blame to spread around, for the team's inability to get the ball up the floor reliably, during the first half.  He did all of this, on the road in a hostile environment, against a good team, and a relentless press.  It seemed that virtually everything he touched, went in.

Plus, he led the team back from a 17-point first-half deficit, when the #4 Wildcats appeared to be on the verge of being run out of the building, on their final visit to storied Freedom Hall, which is closing its doors after this season.

Maalik Wayns gave the Wildcats a 76-72 lead with a free throw at the 6:05 mark.  From that point, Reynolds scored Villanova's final 16 (not six, sixteen) points in the remaining time.  (Who scores 16 consecutive points in the final 6:05 of a close game?!?)

Two Wildcats chipped in a dozen points apiece: Taylor King and Corey Fisher.  King appeared to have suffered no ill effects after his frightening collision with Lazar Hayward, in the win over Marquette on Saturday- described by ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonough as a "stinger".  He played 23 minutes and went 4-6 from the floor, also collecting seven rebounds, screening, defending, and doing everything he normally does...  Fisher was 3-7 from the floor, three assists, four turnovers, three rebounds, and a pair of steals.

Minute for minute, the biggest contributor was Wayns.  Saddled with foul trouble, the freshman point guard saw only 15 minutes - but scored 11 points on 3-7 shooting, along with a pair of rebounds and assists, and no turnovers- a rarity for a Wildcat this evening.

As a team, the Wildcats were 9-13 (69.2%) from three-point range; it was the highest three-point accuracy for Villanova since shooting 14-20 (70%) in a victory over Boston College on January 14, 2004.


The Louisville Side of the Box Score

The Cardinals stayed in it, during the second half, due to their free throw shooting.  Louisville was 39-45 tonight, an incredible total in absolute terms, as well as percentage (86.7%).  It approached the all-time record, in fact, for a Villanova opponent, which was 42-50 by Rutgers on January 9, 1999 (the record for both conversions and attempts).

It helped to offset their dreadful shooting.  Louisville was a pitiful 19-60 from the floor (31.7%) and an even more anemic 7-33 (21.2%) from three-point range.  There's no way to determine this, of course, but it's highly unusual for a team to shoot over 86% from the line on the same night that they're shooting less than 32% of the floor.

Samardo Samuels led the Cardinals in all facets of the game.  He finished with 21 points on perfect 4-4 shooting from the floor and a stunning 13-13 from the line, plus seven rebounds and four blocked shots.  Edgar Sosa added 17 points on 4-11 shooting, plus three rebounds, and Peyton Siva added a dozen points off the bench, in just 11 minutes, prior to fouling out.

Sights and Sounds

Louisville's crowd was very cooperative with the white-out request; some students even wore their own Barry Gibb-esque white suits.  The white-out would be a great idea for Villanova.

Next Up for the Wildcats

Villanova will host the 12th-ranked Georgetown Hoyas, at high noon at the Wachovia Center, on Sunday.  There will be a preview later in the week, so please check back...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com 

#6 Wildcats Escape Second Half Rally, Hand Marquette Yet Another Narrow Loss, 78-76, at Pavilion

To the Wildcat faithful-

For Marquette against Villanova, in their last three games (the 2009 Big East tournament and two early losses this year) - it can be summed up in two words.  As Dick Vitale would say - "Heartbreak City."

Corey Stokes, returning from a one-game absence due to a hamstring injury, scored 16 points to help Villanova narrowly avoid losing a huge second-half lead, on Saturday at the Pavilion.  The #6 Wildcats handed the Marquette Golden Eagles yet another heartbreaking loss, their second in a week at Villanova's hands, 78-76.

Full Story

Villanova improved its record to 3-0 Big East, 14-1 overall.  This is the first season that the Wildcats have started 3-0 in conference play since 2002-03, which ultimately fell short of expectations in Jay Wright's second season.  That team was comprised of a solid nucleus of holdover players recruited by Wright's predecessor, Steve Lappas, with Wright's first full recruiting class added - future greats Allan Ray, Randy Foye, and Curtis Sumpter, and the McDonald's All-American, Jason Fraser, who saw a promising career cut short by chronic injuries.  That team ultimately made it only to the NIT.  But I speculate that 2010 will turn out far differently than 2003 did...

Marquette fell to 1-3 Big East, 10-6 overall.  It was the fifth time in five games that Marquette has lost a contest that was decided by four or fewer points.

This afternoon, the Wildcats needed every inch of their seemingly endless depth, to hold off a Marquette rally.  Five Wildcats reached double figures, with seven players scoring at least half a dozen points.  The Bayonne Bomber had the best shooting stroke on Saturday, getting his 16 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor and an outstanding 4-8 from beyond the arc.

Scottie Reynolds finished with 15 points, including 7-9 from the line, a strong performance which helped stave off the Golden Eagles' rally. 

On a minute-for-minute basis, Antonio Pena and Corey Fisher had the strongest performances, coincidentally ending up with identical totals of points and minutes - 11 points, in just 20 minutes of action.  Pena's total also included a perfect 5-5 from the line, including two huge free throws in the waning seconds, plus four rebounds, a blocked shot and an assist.

Fisher's minutes were limited by foul trouble, as he finished with four.  He was 5-10 from the floor, with four assists and four turnovers, plus a steal.

The fifth Wildcat in double figures was Reggie Redding.  The senior led the team in minutes, with 36, and scored 10 points on 5-9 shooting, plus five rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one turnover.

Off the bench, the big spark was once more Maalik Wayns.  The freshman point guard saw 20 minutes, scoring half a dozen points on 2-2 shooting from both the floor and the line.  The scary moment came when Taylor King's head slammed into a Marquette player's hip late in the second half; the game had to be temporarily halted, as King clearly was in agony on the court.  Fortunately, he was able to walk off the floor under his own power.  He ultimately finished with six points and five rebounds, in just 17 minutes.  Dominic Cheek had three points and five rebounds in 15 minutes.

Mouphtaou Yarou Update

It was noted by analyst John Celestand on the ESPN+ broadcast, that Mouph still isn't 100%, according to Wright.  Due to his loss of 11 games in calendar 2009 due to hepatitis, he doesn't have the stamina to play a ton of minutes and is also a bit behind the curve on the X's and O's, since he couldn't practice, either.  So Wright is easing Mouph back into the rotation.  Had Villanova maintained its lopsided lead, I speculate that Mouph might have seen more minutes than he did.  Mouph played just five minutes, grabbing one rebound, commtting one foul, and did not take a shot of any kind.  So it's going to take some time to get Mouph back into the swing of things.

The Marquette Side of the Box Score

Lazar Hayward finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, before fouling out in the waning seconds.  Darius Johnson-Odom added 16 points, including 3-6 shooting from three-point range, while Jimmy Butler contributed 14 points, including 10-10 from the line.

As a team, Villanova shot 57.1% from the floor, 46.7% from three-point range, and 78.9% from the line, and usually that would be enough for a solid victory.  The Wildcats led 31-19 at halftime, largely due to the fact that Marquette was limited to just 30.4% in the first half; the Golden Eagles rebounded to shoot 53.3% in the second half, including a stunning 9-15 from three-point range, a 60% clip.

As a result of its struggling first half, Marquette trailed 50-28 at the 13:59 mark, after a jumper from Redding.  The game appeared to be out of reach, much like the DePaul game on Wednesday.  But to their credit, the Golden Eagles began soaring.  After scoring just 28 points in the first 26 minutes, they scored 31 in the next 7:27, climbing back into the game.  They trailed just 64-59 with 6:33 to go, and just 66-63 at the 5:13 mark (Villanova had never trailed at any point in the game.)

The Wildcats counterattacked with one of those runs, especially at the Pavilion, where you think the opponent has finally been subdued.  After Reynolds hit a triple at the 2:59 mark, on an assist from Fisher, Villanova's lead had moved back to eight, 75-67, and everyone was breathing a little more easily.  But Marquette still had one last, gallant rally.  The Golden Eagles scored the next six points, pulling to within 75-73 with 27 seconds to play, after two free throws from Hayward.  The key play was that Stokes fouled Hayward on a breakaway, after Hayward had stolen the ball.  It was a textbook example of what the NCAA has properly cracked down upon - no more fouls from behind on breakaways, even if it was a legitimate attempt to play the ball and there was no intent to injure the opponent (two criteria satisfied by Stokes' play).

Accordingly, the official properly called the intentional foul, breathing new life into Marquette, as they now had possession of the ball with 27 seconds left and trailing by just two after Hayward converted the pair.  Buzz Williams called timeout to discuss what Marquette might do to take the game at the buzzer.

Well, Stokes redeemed himself, stealing the ball from Butler with nine seconds to play, and Johnson-Odom fouled Pena with eight seconds left.  Pena was obviously not Villanova's first choice to be at the line, but give him a lot of credit.  He nailed the first one, to put Villanova up by three.

This led to an interesting dilemma for Williams, as he had one timeout left.  He had two options:

Should the timeout be held, hoping that Pena would miss the second free throw, and permitting Marquette to set up a play for a game-tying three-pointer?

Or, should the timeout be used immediately, hoping that it would ice Pena?  The downside to this plan was that if Pena still convert the second free throw, the game was effectively over.  Marquette wasn't going to have time to score twice in eight seconds without any timeouts.

Williams chose the second option - and that scenario was exactly what happened.  Pena, under pressure, also hit the second one, boosting the lead to four and sealing the victory.  Cheek was subsequently sent to the line, hitting one of two to make it 78-73.  Johnson-Odom was permitted then to hit a meaningless three-pointer at the buzzer, rendering the final score 78-76.

So what sparked the Marquette charge in the second half?

I can point to one play.  With Marquette trailing 52-35 at the 11:51 mark, the under-12 TV timeout had been called.  Coming out of that timeout, nobody guarded Joseph Fulce at all - he was alone in the corner.  Hayward found him and Fulce had about as uncontested a dunk as you can have, coming out of a timeout.  The Wildcats' defensive breakdown on the play, gave Marquette a burst of adrenaline, got their bench into the game, and got them thinking, "We might be able to climb back into this one, after all."  The Golden Eagles seemed far more spirited after the dunk.

Sights and Sounds

On the broadcast, I could recognize the Villanova pep band's renditions of, inter alia, "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the main theme from the 2003 film Pirates of the Carribean, and the perennial staple "Land of 1000 Dances".

Football coach Andy Talley, decked out in a suit, was justifiably lauded for his bringing home of a national championship on the gridiron.  He was publicly introduced, to a thundering ovation from the Pavilion faithful.  Talley also was interviewed at length on the ESPN+ broadcast for several minutes; he noted that former football standout Hezekiah Lewis (a Brian Westbrook-era defensive back) is now a professor at Villanova.  (Talley noted that Wright's suits are something he envies; as he put it, "It's always 70 degrees when he coaches- and that's why he can wear Armani."  Jay had some sort of pumpkin/copper shirt on today, with cuff links.)

Next Up for the Wildcats

The Wildcats have little time to savor their hard-fought victory, as they must travel to as-yet-unranked, but still highly dangerous Louisville, at 7:00 PM on Monday night, as part of ESPN's "Big Monday" promotion

I'll have a full report, after the game...

Go Wildcats!

Supernova Explosion: As VU Astronomers Present Supernova to World, #6 Wildcats Bring Doomsday on DePaul, 99-72

To the Wildcat faithful-

Tonight's game story will open, with the following multiple-choice, Jeopardy! style:

Answer: 10 million years. 

What is the correct choice?

A.  How long did tonight's game seem to require for completion, for DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright and the Blue Demons? 

B.  How long it seemed to take Jay Wright, to insert walk-on Jason Wooten into the game (after Villanova held a 41-10 lead in the first half, and a 25-point lead for much of the second half?)

C. How long it seems to have been, since Villanova last lost a game at the Pavilion? 

D. How long it might be for a particular supernova to threaten Earth, according to Villanova University astronomy professor Edward Sion? 

The correct answer is D.  Here's why, according to UniverseToday.com's Nicolas Wethington, in "Could A Faraway Supernova Threaten Earth?"

Supernovae, just like any other explosions, are really cool. But, just like any other explosion, it's preferable to have them happen at a good distance. The star T Pyxidis, which lies over 3,000 light-years away from the Earth in the constellation Pyxis, was previously thought to be far enough away that if anything happened in the way of a supernova, we'd be pretty safe. According to Edward Sion, Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Villanova University, T Pyxidis may be in fact a "ticking time bomb," and potential threat to the Earth if it were to go supernova, which it may do sometime in the future, though very, very far in the future on our timescale: by Scion's calculations, at least 10 million years.

 (Above - The supernova known as T. Pyxidis, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope in 1997 - the subject of the presentation by Villanova University astronomy professor Edward Sion today.  Credit: NASA, via UniverseToday.com.)

First, props to Professor Sion, who gave a presentation on this subject, to the American Astronomical Association today in Washington - and in so doing, garnered plenty of positive media attention - the story was featured on the Fox 29 Ten O'Clock News tonight, which was where I initially saw it...

That having been said, choices A), B), and C) are all plausibly correct questions to the answer of "10 million years."  Here's why: 

A.  How long did tonight's game seem to require for completion, for DePaul coach Jerry Wainwright and the Blue Demons?  

DePaul did not look like it even belonged on the same court as the Wildcats tonight.  The Blue Demons were never remotely in the game.  Villanova took a 41-10 lead, at the 4:48 mark in the first half, and cruised the rest of the way.

This might not seem like a big deal, given the Wildcats' #6 ranking.  But consider this fact: Villanova garnered a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament, and went to the Final Four last season.  In contrast, DePaul became the first team in Big East history to go winless against an 18-game conference slate in the regular season (although they did manage to win their first-ever Big East tournament game, upsetting ninth-seeded Cincinnati in the opening round).

So in light of those facts, one might have thought that last year's Villanova/DePaul game wasn't competitive.  Not the case.  The Wildcats required a 21-5 second-half run, and some last-minute heroics from Scottie Reynolds, to escape becoming DePaul's first (and only) victory last season, at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, winning by just two points.

And with many of this year's Wildcats having been either in uniform or on the bench for last year's close call, nobody was looking past DePaul this year.  And it showed.  The annihilation was thorough and complete. 

B.  How long it seemed to take Jay Wright, to insert walk-on Jason Wooten into the game (after Villanova held a 44-12 lead in the first half, and a 30-point lead for much of the second half?) 

The fact that Wooten entered the game tonight, with just 45 seconds to play, is appalling.  The bench players were on the floor for almost all of the second half, with Villanova up by an insurmountable margin.  And much of the 45 seconds that Wooten did see, consisted of the Wildcats' magnanimously running out the clock, instead of trying to score to clear the century mark.  He should have been on the floor with five minutes left, or at the very least, at the under-4-minute TV timeout. 

C. How long it seems to have been, since Villanova last lost a game at the Pavilion?  

Tonight marked the Wildcats' 34th consecutive victory at the Pavilion.  Their last loss there was ironically, exactly three years ago to the day, and it was to DePaul.  On January 7, 2007, DePaul won, 84-76, at the Pavilion.  But the Wildcats ensured that it didn't happen again tonight.  (Only the current seniors were on the roster at the time.)

The Wildcats improved to 2-0 Big East, 13-1 overall; DePaul continues its struggles in Big East regular season play, falling to 0-3 Big East, 7-8 overall.  It was the Blue Demons' 23rd consecutive loss in the Big East regular season.

Reynolds scored a game-high 21 points on 8-13 shooting, and did so in just 25 minutes.  Maalik Wayns came off the bench to score 18 points, a career-high, on 8-12 shooting and added three steals, in just 20 minutes.  Over the last four games, Wayns has averaged 13.3 points and has become a dangerous scoring option. 

Corey Fisher had a superb performance in 27 minutes, the most of any Wildcat.  He finished with 15 points on 5-10 shooting, six rebounds, and four assists.  Reggie Redding, continuing to impress as he returns to the rotation, also reached double figures with 10 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals.  

The bench played much of the game, with Dominic Cheek receiving 22 minutes and responding with nine points and half a dozen rebounds, while Maurice Sutton saw nine minutes.  One regular bench player, Isaiah Armwood, made his first career start tonight; he responded with a career-high five steals, all in the first half; he finished with half a dozen points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes. 

Mouph Returns 

The game was also noteworthy for the return of Mouphtaou Yarou.  The freshman center had missed the last 11 games due to his contraction of hepatitis.  He hadn't played since the Penn game, back on November 24.  (Once his condition was diagnosed, Mouph had been sent home from Puerto Rico prior to the tournament and did not play in any of Villanova's three games there over Thanksgiving weekend.)

Mouph was being brought back slowly, and logged 14 minutes tonight.  He did not start, but he entered the game at the 16:01 mark, receiving a considerable ovation from the packed Pavilion crowd.  (He wore long white sleeves, which I speculate was due to his need to stay warm while recuperating.)

Take a look at commenter Werner's observation on Mouph's sleeves (referenced in the comment below the post....)

they actually weren't long sleeves on mouph...it was his usual t-shirt, plus shooting sleeves (with elbow pads) on both arms...maybe he's trying to start a new trend 

Give him some props for being out there tonight; he didn't appear to be at 100%, especially when sprinting up and down the court, as he seemed to be straining.  Nonetheless, he scored four points, with a pair of rebounds, a formally recorded blocked shot, and a couple of altered DePaul shots that he didn't get credit for.  Welcome back, Mouph!

Mouph's presence happened to coincide with a rebounding explosion; Villanova clobbered DePaul on the glass, 38-22.

The one stray 'Cat was Corey Stokes; the Bayonne Bomber was out of commission with a hamstring tweak.  However, he must have taken some wardrobe advice from Wright, as Stokes was finely attired in a Villanova-blue suit on the bench.

DePaul was led by Mac Koshwal, who led the Blue Demons in both points (17) and rebounds (11) - he got his double-double, while playing all but two minutes.  Will Walker also had a double-double, with 13 points and 11 assists.  Two of DePaul's walk-ons came off the bench to reach double figures as well: Nate Rogers had 14 points in 23 minutes, while Ryan Siggins had 11 points in 31 minutes.

Villanova returns to action against Marquette, on Saturday afternoon at 2 PM at the Pavilion, one week after foiling an upset bid by the Golden Eagles in Milwaukee. 

And take a look at the other fine Villanova blogs on the sidebar, for their respective takes...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com 

Villanova / DePaul Series History, As the Wildcats and Blue Demons Battle at Pavilion on Wednesday

To the Wildcat faithful-

With the #8 Wildcats' home opener at the Pavilion, against the DePaul Blue Demons, on Wednesday night, here's an extended look back at the series history:

All-time, Villanova leads, 12-8; as members of the Big East, the Wildcats lead, 4-2.

Given DePaul's distant location in Chicago, the schools have met surprisingly often.  The first battle was all the way back on January 21, 1939, at the now-defunct Convention Hall/Civic Center in Philadelphia's University City neighborhood.  DePaul won, 36-29.  The schools then did not meet, for almost a quarter of a century...

However, despite the distance between Chicago and Philadelphia, the schools met regularly, from 1963 through 1979.  On March 14, 1963, Villanova defeated DePaul in the NIT at Madison Square Garden, 63-51, at a time when the NIT was still highly prestigious.  It was highly selective, as well; there were only 12 teams invited, and the entire tournament was in Madison Square Garden!

The top four teams received byes, and both Villanova and DePaul were part of the remaining eight, who had to play an opening round game.  The Wildcats' victory advanced them to the quarterfinals; where they upset the top seed, Wichita State.  The run ended in the semifinals, however, when they fell to the fourth seed, Canisius.  Bu the Wildcats took third place, topping Marquette in the consolation round.

That 1963 team was coached by Jack Kraft, in only his second season at the helm.  The starters were Eric Erickson, Wali Jones, Jim McMonagle, Jim O'Brien, and Jim Washington.

Some Regular Season Home-and-Home Series Were Played From 1965-79

Perhaps because of the 1963 NIT, the schools consistently faced each other in a home-and-home series, for the next 15 years.  At the time, Villanova was playing nearly all of its prominent opponents at the historic Palestra, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania; the Blue Demons made half a dozen visits there.

Villanova won the first two regular-season games, lost the Palestra game in December 1966, and then reeled off five straight victories - at that point, Villanova had won seven of the eight regular-season contests.  But then the tide turned, and Ray Meyer's DePaul teams began to dominate the series.  There were four meetings between 1973 and 1979, all won by DePaul, including two at the Palestra.

The series lay dormant for over 25 years, from 1979 until 2005-06, when DePaul joined the Big East.  I speculate that the formation of the original Big East in 1979, which Villanova officially joined in its second season, was the reason for the demise of the long working relationship with DePaul - the games just weren't available any longer, due to the conference slate to which Villanova was now committed.

So looking at the more recent series history, as Big East foes:

Saturday, February 11, 2006 - Allstate Arena - #4 Villanova 61, DePaul 51

The #4 Wildcats enter the game at DePaul's Allstate Arena, with a glittering record of 19-1 overall, 8-1 Big East.  The host Blue Demons did not appear to be much of a challenge, as they entered the contest with a record of 2-8 Big East, 9-12 overall.

And add to the mix, the fact that #1 Connecticut was visiting the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia for a showdown, just two days later.  Avoiding a look past DePaul would be difficult for the Wildcats.  And so it proved.

It was a tough game for Villanova.  Although the Wildcats managed a 61-51 victory, it was not without pitfalls.  The Wildcats had opened a 17-point lead at one point, despite not having Mike Nardi available, due to tonsillitis.  But DePaul fought its way back into the game, and trailed just 40-37 midway through the second half, after an 11-0 run culminated in a dunk from Wilson Chandler.

The Wildcats turned to sophomore Kyle Lowry, who keyed a 15-3 run, to permit Villanova to retake control.  Lowry ultimately finished with 15 points and seven rebounds; Randy Foye scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Wildcats.

Villanova shot only 35.6% from the floor and had only six assists; DePaul's cause was not helped by their 37.5% from the floor, or their dismal 10-23 performance from the line.  Leading the way for the Blue Demons was Karron Clarke, with 14 points and 15 rebounds; he was the only DePaul player to reach double figures. 

January 6, 2007 - The Pavilion - DePaul 73, Villanova 65

As I wrote at the time - here is my full story from that game....

DePaul was paced by Sammy Mejia's 23 points, Wilson Chandler's double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds), as well as 13 points from Draelon Burns (a great name!). For Villanova, Scottie Reynolds continues to play well, scoring 25 points. Curtis Sumpter (15 points) and Mike Nardi (13 points) also reached double figures.

March 7, 2007 - Madison Square Garden - Big East Tournament Opening Round - #8 seed Villanova 75, #9 seed DePaul 67

This was the first-ever Big East tournament game for DePaul, even though it was their second season in the conference, as the Blue Demons hadn't qualified for the conference tournament during their rough, initial voyage.

As I wrote at the time - here is my full story from that game....

Villanova’s victory was steady, well-played, and fundamentally sound. The game plan was clear: get the ball to Scottie Reynolds (playing in his first BE tournament) and Curtis Sumpter (playing in his last). The duo took 35 of the Wildcats’ 46 field goal attempts and combined to score 33 of the 42 Villanova points that did not come from the line. Reynolds finished with 29 points, Sumpter with 25. Dante Cunningham was the only other Wildcat to reach double figures, scoring a dozen points, but 10 of those 12 came from the line. He just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.  

January 3, 2008 - Allstate Arena - DePaul 84, #16 Villanova 76

The Blue Demons pulled an upset at home, downing the 16th-ranked Wildcats as 2008 began, in the Big East opener for both teams.  DePaul was only 5-7 entering Big East play, the worst record among the entire 16-team membership, but triumphed nonetheless.  No fewer than six Blue Demons reached double digits: Burns (20 points), Clarke (14 points), Wesley Green, Will Walker, and Cliff Clinkscales (12 points each), and Mac Koshwal (11 points).  For Villanova, then-freshman Corey Fisher scored 23 points, Dante Cunningham adding 16 points, and Scottie Reynolds contributing 11.

January 16, 2008 - The Pavilion - #25 Villanova 76, DePaul 69

The Wildcats overcame a huge, 16-point first-half deficit and avoided a second upset by DePaul in just 13 days at the Pavilion.  DePaul still led 57-50 with 9:49 to go, but Villanova, now ranked #25, used a 15-0 run to seize control of the contest in the second half.  Leading the way was Reynolds, whose 21 points included a dagger triple with 30 seconds left to give Villanova a 72-66 lead, and two free throws with 13 seconds to play.  The other standout Wildcats were forwards Antonio Pena, who scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, and Cunningham, who added 14 points and 13 rebounds.

For DePaul, Burns exploded for a 27-point night; Dar Tucker added 18 points off the bench.

February 25, 2009 - Allstate Arena - #10 Villanova 74, DePaul 72

As I wrote at the time in "#10 Villanova Escapes Ignominious Upset @ Big-East-Winless DePaul, 74-72":

Nobody would wish a winless Big East slate on anyone, particularly when it hasn't happened in 15 years. Unfortunately, the #10 Wildcats came unpleasantly close to permitting DePaul from escaping that ignoble record on Wednesday, February 25, in Rosemont, Illinois. The Wildcats were down eight at halftime and still down by one with as late as the 12:23 mark in the second half, prior to escaping Chicagoland with a far-too-suspenseful victory over woeful, winless DePaul. The Blue Demons entered the game trapped in the Hades of the Big East, with a 0-14 conference slate, 8-19 record overall...

Villanova "improved" - if that can be said - its record to 11-4 Big East, 23-5 overall, and should remain in the top 10 with a victory over Georgetown on Saturday. DePaul "fell" - likewise, if that can be said, in light of the fact that they lost a two-point game to the #10 team nationally- to 8-20 overall, as the team's nightmare season continues. Although the Wildcats' five-point lead was shaved to two by a three-pointer by Dar Tucker at the buzzer, the narrowness of the score accurately reflects the margin of the game, one in which DePaul led for a good portion of play. And while it's still a loss, it's a game that DePaul can view as a highlight of an otherwise very arduous season, in the nation's toughest conference.

As for Wednesday's Pavilion clash - there will be a preview, so please check back...

Go Wildcats!

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

Marquette Suffers Another Heartbreaker to Villanova, as Reynolds, #8 Wildcats Escape, 74-72

To the Wildcat faithful-

Full story coming...

UPDATE - Full story is now here...

The Marquette Golden Eagles, when they face Villanova, must wonder what they must have done to offend the basketball gods.  On March 12, 2009, the Wildcats - in one of the most thrilling endings in school history - ousted Marquette in the Big East tournament quarterfinals at the buzzer, as Dwayne Anderson's shot rolled in...

Fast forward to 2010.  A new year, and along with it - perhaps a new fate against Villanova.

Granted, Marquette had lost three of the best players in school history, all ranked in the top eight on the all-time scoring list.  Likewise, the Wildcats were ranked #8, heading into the game.  But unlike last year, this game was in Milwaukee, in a very difficult environment for a visitor.

And although there was a new calendar, the first game of 2010 for both teams did little to assure the Marquette fans that anything had changed.  Villanova imposed yet another - as one of the Marquette bloggers put it last March - "soul-crushing loss" on the Golden Eagles, on Saturday, January 2, 2010...

Anderson may have graduated - but his departure wasn't enough to save Marquette from another heartbreaking loss.  This time, Marquette knows how Pittsburgh felt last year in the Elite Eight.  The Wildcats rallied down the stretch to escape, 74-72, on yet another big shot from Scottie Reynolds...

What makes the loss even more unbearable, is the fact that Marquette is now 0-4 this season, in games decided by less than four points.

In light of the above-

The only genuine solace for Marquette, is the fact that they will receive another crack at the Wildcats, on Saturday, January 9, at the Pavilion, as the two teams have an opportunity to face each other twice this season.  They ended up facing each other three times last season, twice in the regular season (each team winning at home), and then, of course, in the aforementioned legendary Big East tournament quarterfinal.

(It seems puzzling as to why the Big East would schedule two teams to face each other twice in a week, particularly since they are so geographically distant from each other.  It would be more understandable, if it were Villanova/Seton Hall, or Villanova/Rutgers, or Villanova/St. John's, in the course of a week...)

Another scheduling quirk came from the fact that this was the second consecutive year, that the two schools have facing each other in the Bradley Center, in the first game of the calendar year - in fact, last year, it was on New Year's Day of 2009.  In that game, Marquette triumphed, 79-72.

And so Villanova improved to 1-0 Big East, 12-1 overall; Marquette fell to 0-2 Big East, 9-5 overall.  Adding to Marquette's woes, was their narrow loss @ ranked West Virginia in their Big East opener.  Marquette appears to be a bubble team this season.  Accordingly, wins over two ranked conference opponents, would have added a great deal of weight to their case to the NCAA selection committee, come March. 

Looking at the Box Score

The senior star was once again the leader for the Wildcats.  Reynolds had an outstanding afternoon.  He led all scorers with 23 points, on 8-12 shooting from the floor, including 3-5 from three-point range - and he did it, in only 30 minutes. By his standards, he did have a slightly subpar 4-6 from the line - with one miss coming after his game-winning shot.  Had it dropped, it would have given the Wildcats a three-point rather than a two-point advantage, something that would have been enormous, given that Marquette was only going to be able to take a three-point shot at the buzzer.

Had it not been for the heart-stopping ending from Reynolds, the main storyline of the game would have - unquestionably - been the surprise explosion from freshman Maalik Wayns.   Once off the bench, Wayns simply detonated inside the Bradley Center, scoring 16 points, on 5-8 shooting from the floor, and a near-perfect 6-7 from the line.  He was Villanova's second-leading scorer after Reynolds, his 16 points matched his high for his young career - and he did it all, in just 26 minutes of action.

The offense from Wayns was particularly welcome, given the Wildcats' struggle to score in the early going, as Marquette took an early lead.  Entering the game at the 15:17 mark, he had already reached double figures by halftime, with 10 points.

The third Wildcat to reach double figures, was senior guard Reggie Redding.  Redding, playing in just his third game, due to his first-semester suspension, added 11 points, and more critically, eight rebounds (a fantastic total for a guard), plus three assists against one turnover.  He didn't have much accuracy this afternoon from the floor, shooting just 3-11 and missing both three-point attempts.  But he did convert five of his eight free throw attempts, including some badly needed in the final two minutes.

The strong performances from Reynolds, Redding, and Wayns, helped to overcome the struggles by some of the other Wildcats.  Antonio Pena, who is being looked at more and more as a scoring option underneath, scored only four points in 26 minutes of action.  He did so on just 2-6 shooting and a missed free throw, although he did collect five rebounds.

Taylor King and Corey Stokes were both saddled with foul trouble - both finished with four fouls -  and neither had their usual impact as a result.  There was also a sharp contrast in the two players, while they were on the floor.  King played well when he was on the court- half a dozen points and rebounds in only 20 minutes.

However, Stokes did not.  The Bayonne Bomber - in his 19 minutes - scored just two points.   He was just 1-5 from the floor, missed his only three-point attempt, and did not reach the line.  He added two rebounds, an assist and a steal, but the Wildcats really need him to provide some scoring punch.

ESPN2 analyst - and former St. John's coach - Fran Franschilla accurately noted that Corey Fisher was not seeing much action in the second half, despite the fact that King and Stokes were in foul trouble, and Fisher himself was not.  Fisher saw only 21 minutes and played well, scoring half a dozen points on 3-7 shooting, grabbing four rebounds and dealing four assists.  It seems fair to say that Wayns was getting some of Fisher's minutes - which was logical, given the torrid pace Wayns was setting.

Looking at the rest of the bench:

Freshman Isaiah Armwood did see some significant time - 14 minutes - and added four points on 2-3 shooting, plus a pair of rebounds.  Fellow freshman Dominic Cheek saw only seven minutes, scoring one basket, and also had a pair of rebounds.  Redshirt freshman Maurice Sutton made a cameo appearance for a single minute, but did not record any statistics.

The Marquette Side of the Box Score

The Golden Eagles have a very short bench: only seven players saw action, and only six played more than nine minutes.  It's a lot of pressure on the starters, but Marquette had a very well-distributed offense.  No fewer than four Golden Eagles finished in double figures:

• Swingman Jimmy Butler led Marquette with 19 points on 5-12 shooting and 8-9 from the line, while playing all but one minute;
  
• Forward Lazar Hayward nearly pulled it out for Marquette, finishing with a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds;
• Guard Dwight Buycks scored a season-high 15 points, although he did it on just 5-14 shooting;
• Senior guard David Cubillan scored 10 points on 4-7 shooting; it was just the third time this season that he has reached double figures.
  

Looking at the team statistics:

Turnovers were a rarity - Villanova had only seven, while Marquette had just eight.

Villanova - in a rarity for a Jay Wright squad - eschewed the three-point shot Saturday afternoon.  The Wildcats took only ten triples, a season-low; the lowest previous number had been 15, against Drexel.  They also converted only three, also a season-low. 

Although they struggled from beyond the arc, the Wildcats did shoot the ball very well in the interior, making 47.5% of their field goal attempts.  They were able to win the game at the foul line down the stretch, going 15-22 (68.2%) for the contest.

What really hurt Marquette as a team, was their struggle to hit three-pointers.  The Golden Eagles took 24 attempts and made just seven- 29.2%.  They did offset it by an exceptional performance at the line, where they went 21-26 - 80.8%.  They also outrebounded Villanova, 36-33.

The Game Action

The game was very well played and very exciting to watch, as both teams turned in strong performances.  There were 11 ties and 13 lead changes throughout the contest.  In just the second half, there were 10 lead changes.  The two teams were never separated by more than four points, at any point, in the final 29 minutes of the game.  Despite its victory, Villanova's largest lead was only four points, 55-51.

The tightening was made that much more exciting, because of the lead to which Marquette rocketed, early in the contest.  The Golden Eagles led 23-13, with 13:43 to play in the first half, but the Wildcats responded with a 13-2 run, and King gave Villanova its first lead at 26-25, with 5:47 to play until halftime.  Villanova clung to a 35-34 lead at intermission.

Next Up For the Wildcats

Villanova plays its first home game of 2010, as they host the DePaul Blue Demons on Wednesday, January 6, at the Pavilion.  Tip-off is at 8 PM.

Go Wildcats!

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

#8 Wildcats Give Fans Early Christmas Gift - Redding Blasts Blue Hens at Pavilion, 97-63

To the Wildcat faithful-

The Christmas time cupcakes at the Pavilion, are always played in the midst of the holiday season, with fans often distracted with the assorted assembly of activities, essential to the Christmas season.  There are more no-shows than normal, at the perpetually-packed Pavilion, as the ticketholders are - and with full justification - often at the Court of King of Prussia, rather than the Pavilion court.

And when the opponent is a cupcake - and the game isn't even on TV - the game is often overlooked.  And the opponent was Delaware - the archrival in football, but not a power in basketball.  Delaware entered the game with a 3-7 record, and has never beaten a Top 25 team.

And, moreover, the basketball Wildcats are in a rarely encountered situation - being overshadowed by the national champion football Wildcats, who captured their first title on December 18.

Finally, this was the final Wildcats game in 2009, as well as the final non-Big East opponent.  The Wildcats will enjoy a nine-day Christmas break, not returning to the court until the Marquette game on January 2.

And so, with all of these distractions...

Early in the second half, the game seemed overlooked even to the Wildcat players on Wednesday, as the Delaware Blue Hens rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit, to trail by just eight points, 48-40, early in the second half.  But the Wildcats took it from there, ultimately walloping the Blue Hens by 34 points, 97-63.

Reggie Redding, in his second game back from suspension, impressed with 16 points on near-perfect 6-7 shooting, along with half a dozen rebounds.  The #8 Wildcats won their 33rd consecutive game at the Pavilion, and also triumphed in their final non-Big East game of the season (until the NCAA tournament in March, of course.)  Scottie Reynolds led the Wildcats with 22 points and six assists.

Although perennial rivals on the gridiron, Wednesday marked the first time that the Wildcats and Blue Hens had clashed on the hardwood, in nearly a decade.  The last previous meeting was in the 2000 NIT, at the Pavilion.  In that first-round contest of the traditional tournament, the Steve Lappas-led Wildcats overcame the disappointment factor to triumph, 72-63.  There were many empty seats, as the Wildcats had fallen just one game short of an at-large bid, after a loss to a superior St. John's team, in the Big East tournament the previous week.  It was the final Pavilion game for Malik Allen, Brian Lynch, and T. J. Caouette.

Finally, it's worth noting that a decade after rejoining the Big Five round-robin, Villanova faced more Greater Philadelphia teams this year, than in many a season.  In addition to the four City Series opponents, the Wildcats also hosted Drexel and Delaware, making it six regular-season games against other schools in the Philadelphia sphere of influence.  And the Wildcats did quite well, winning five of the six contests.  The sole loss was to Temple, and as discussed in previous posts, the Wildcats' 3-1 mark will likely be enough to capture a share of the Big Five crown (unless Temple goes 4-0).

Merry Christmas to All!!!! 

Go Wildcats!!!!! 

E-mail: villanova.viewpoint@yahoo.com

"All Hail, Szczur - Veni, Vidi, Vici" - #2 Wildcats, Szczur Are Emperors of I-AA / FCS Division For First Time Ever, Marching Past #1 Montana, 23-21, in Chattanooga!!!!

To the Wildcat faithful!!!

Veni, vidi, vici.

Left - statue of Julius Caesar, St. Petersburg, Russia -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdfalk/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

In Latin, that means - "We came.  We saw.  We conquered."

Correction: In Latin, that means - "I came.  I saw.  I conquered."  - Thanks to frequent commenter Seamus (see comment below the post) for noting that the phrase signifies the first person singular, not plural.  In light of the number of Latin courses I took, and enjoyed enormously - I can't believe that I made such an elementary error!  The quote was reportedly attributed to the first Roman emperor, Julius Caesar, in 47 BC.  

And it was, truly "All Hail, Szczur," on Friday night, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The football Wildcats have now won a national championship, the first one in school history.  (It came 24 years, eight months, and 17 days after the basketball Wildcats so memorably captured theirs, in Lexington, Kentucky - April 1, 1985.)

Villanova receiver Matt Szczur's name is derived from the honorary title claimed by the ancient Roman emperors (and pronounced idenitcally), was the driving force behind the Wildcats' first ever conquest of the United States, I-AA / FCS Division....  In a thrilling contest, the Wildcats marched past top-seeded Montana. 23-21...

This is the summary article.  I'll be adding more content, so please check back!  

Congrats to the 'Cats!

Go Wildcats!

Massive Snowstorm, #8 Wildcats Avalanche Fordham, 96-58, at Izod Center, the Meadowlands, New Jersey

To the Wildcat faithful-

The #8 Wildcats, along with a massive East Coast snowstorm, avalanched a plucky but overmatched Fordham Rams, 96-58, in the Izod Center (the Meadowlands), New Jersey, on Saturday afternoon....

The Wildcats led by just nine at halftime, but won the second half, 50-21, as the Rams made just six of their 31 field goal attempts after intermission.  The game marked the return of Reggie Redding from his suspension.

This is the placeholder article - I will be adding more content, please check back for the full game story...

Also, this weekend, the focus should be on the football Wildcats, who brought back their first-ever national championship last night... here's my story on the victory over Montana...

Go Wildcats!

#2 Wildcats vs. #1 Montana Grizzlies in FCS Championship - Preview of Villanova's Attempt to Capture First-Ever Football National Title

To the Wildcat faithful-

I'll be shifting gears to football, in order to preview the biggest game in Villanova football history.  On Friday night, the football Wildcats - the second seed of the 16-team field - will take on the undefeated, top-seeded Montana Grizzlies, on the ultimately neutral site of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Here's a preview...

First, I'd like to reprint the preview from frequent commenter Seamus, which he had appended to the Temple game story.  Seamus clearly did some research, and had many intelligent things to say about the upcoming gridiron clash - here's his comment in its entirety:

On the Montana game, they take their football very seriously in Montana. (Montana has a lot of 7-man football leagues in its small rural high schools; so high school graduates have a lot of playing experience, often on both sides of the ball.) This is experienced program that's been to national title game several times and came home with trophy twice, I think. They play in very harsh winter conditions in front of 20,000+ fans a game; and seem to be capable of throwing the ball effectively in those conditions.

On most offensive and defensive categories, I think we lead them, but they lead FCS, I believe, in passing attack and they have a 1,400-yard runner. I assume we can stop the run, but defensing their passing game will require our attention and let's hope our secondary has matured over the course of the year.

I take this team very seriously as I'm sure Andy does. His reported comment that Montana can't be tougher than the teams the 'Cats have already played may be effort to get criticism from Montana fans directed his way, instead of at the team.

Look forward to your preview.

Seamus

Back to me, once more... 

The Viewpoint on the Montana Grizzlies

The Grizzlies carry an undefeated, 14-0 mark into the contest.  They are the champions of the Big Sky Conference, sweeping all eight games.  They will be seeking their third I-AA title (the old name for what is now the FCS).  Montana won it all in 1995, as well as 2001.  Last season, the Grizzlies reached the title game in Chattanooga, but lost to Richmond, 24-7, after they trailed the Spiders 21-0 at the break. 

In addition to their pair of national championships, Montana has also qualified for the I-AA playoffs in every season since 1993, a streak of 17 years, and one which is unmatched in I-AA history.

The Grizzlies' lone touchdown a year ago in Chattanooga, seems even more surprising, given the potency of the team's offense this season.  Montana led the FCS in points per game, averaging over 36; offensive yardage, with 427.57 yards a contest; and points per game, during the three previous rounds, with 45.3.  Their three previous playoff games were remarkable, and worth noting in detail:

In the first round, facing the #16 seed, the Jackrabbits of South Dakota State, the Grizzlies made an incredible second-half rally to avoid the upset; South Dakota State was 8-4, and for them to upset Montana, would have been shocking.

The Jackrabbits (what a great nickname!) lived up to that moniker, racing off to a 48-21 lead with 5:40 to play in the third quarter.  Montana not only rallied from 27 points down, they actually won the game by 13 points!  The Grizzlies ultimately triumphed, 61-48, scoring 40 unanswered points.  The game had its share of drama, as South Dakota State, now trailing 54-48, had the ball and potentially could have scored to retake the lead.  But Montana picked off an errant pass, and returned it 32 yards, for a touchdown, making the final margin somewhat misleading.

After having sweated out the Jackrabbits contest, Montana fans didn't need to worry in the next round, against Stephen F. Austin.   Montana forced ten turnovers and crushed the lower-seeded squad, 51-0; it was 38-0 at halftime.  (Montana likely wasn't complacent, since they had come back from 27 down with less than 21 minutes to play, the week before.)

Montana faced its second stiff challenge from Appalachian State, a I-AA power which won back-to-back-to-back national championships from 2005-07.  The Grizzlies trailed 17-14 at the end of three quarters, but rallied for 10 fourth-quarter points to advance, by the score of 24-17.

Another Preview

Mike at VUHoops offers Meet the University of Montana.

Go Wildcats!  Bring home a football national title!