People, it’s been great! It’s been great at I Bleed Blue and White with all of you. Hell, we still do bleed blue and white with the rest of you.
But we’ve moved on. Our new home is The Nova Blog on SB Nation. Come on over and hang out with us! Same guys, same passion, but better content moving forward and a better community to talk ‘Nova hoops!
See you there!
Marquette held on late against the feisty home-town Johnnies and will move on to the Quarterfinals to face our Villanova Wildcats. We’ll get into this game more on the new site (!!!!!!) but for now, let’s just say this is going to be a difficult game. Villanova is for all intents and purposes, reeling. We’ve beaten Marquette 4 straight times (all wars) dating back to last year. They will be out for revenge.
Any early thoughts on this game?
This will probably be the final post on IBBW (other than the farewell).
Wesley Johnson of Syracuse. I am absolutely stunned, as I thought Scottie Reynolds was a virtual lock for this award. This honestly may have come down to one shot. If Scottie nails the game-winning 3 ball on Saturday against West Virginia, he adds to his impressive year and probably wins the award. Regardless, though, Reynolds should have won. In the end, think about it this way. This snub should piss the heck out of not only Scottie, but the team, the coaching staff, and the fans. Let’s hope Scottie uses it as motivation and goes out there and proves why he truly is the Big East Player of the Year. If he can get on a roll, the rest of the team should be inspired, which could allow them to gain some momentum. In reality, as Scottie goes, the team goes. Other notable awards coming out of the Big East today were Jim Boeheim for Big East Coach of the Year and Lance Stephenson for Big East Rookie of the Year.
Listen, I know this past week has been rough. I’ve been particularly quiet (partly due to the site-move and partly due to my vile armchair-reaction to Saturday’s loss). But, I woke up today with new hope. The BIG EAST Tournament (the best week of the year) is upon us. Sure, the crappy teams are playing today, but 1 of these games has a direct impact on who Villanova will be playing, and Villanova despearately needs to build some momentum before The Dance starts next week.
So here is your lineup for Tuesday:
12:00 p.m.: #9 South Florida (19-11, 9-9) vs. #16 DePaul (8-22, 1-17) – ESPN2
2:00 p.m.: #12 Connecticut (17-14. 7-11) vs. #13 St. John’s (16-14, 6-12) – ESPN2
7:00 p.m.: #10 Seton Hall (18-11, 9-9) vs. #15 Providence (12-18, 4-14) – ESPNU
9:00 p.m.: #11 Cincinnati (16-14, 7-11) vs. #14 Rutgers (15-16, 5-13) – ESPNU
The UConn-St. John’s game is obviously the most important one for Villanova fans today. The winner will take on Marquette tomorrow, and the winner of that game will face Villanova on Thursday. You all know I grew up a UConn fan and I still have a soft spot for the Huskies. I think they need 2 wins here to feel better on Selection Sunday. But I want no part of UConn on Thursday. For one, they’ve shown they can beat us. And second, I don’t want to see them on a 2-game winning streak knowing if they beat us on Thursday they are definitely going dancing.
Then again, we all know how difficult it is to beat a team 3 times in a season, and we’ve won 4 straight going back to last year over ‘Quette. They’ll be out for blood. So yeah, let’s go Johnnies!
It’s gonna be a great week!
Well, after another loss where the weaknesses stuck out like a sore thumb again, there is definitely a panic inside the Villanova camp. Jay Wright might not admit it, the players might not admit it, fans might not admit it, but this team is spiraling downward at a rapid rate. I’m not going to solely focus on yesterday’s debacle against the Mountaineers, because the problems of this team have been glaring for the last month or so. I’m obviously not an expert, but I feel the need to call out some people, so take a look below.
In no particular order:
1. Jay Wright-The man who has turned this program around is starting to bother me a little. Without a doubt, the officiating has been extremely bad this year, but every time I look over, Jay is complaining about something to the referees. At some point, the attention of the man in charge has to turn to his own players. Instead of berating the refs for the full 40 minutes, even though they usually deserve it, Wright needs to start actually teaching and making adjustments during the game. Second, the rotation has to be cut down to a set 8 or 9, unless dire circumstances warrant otherwise. Playing 11 guys in the postseason is not going to work in my opinion. Nobody can get into the flow of the game, and furthermore, most of the players never know how much they are going to play each game. This may seem like good motivation, especially for the young guys, but I think it’s starting to mess with the chemistry of the squad. One last thing–stop getting technicals Jay. He must have around 8 T’s this season, which is not ok.
2. Maurice Sutton-Plain and simple, he should not be on the floor for meaningful minutes, unless there is extreme foul trouble.
3. Maalik Wayns-The excuse may be that he’s only a freshman, but his reckless play is an issue now. Sure, we saw flashes of brilliance early in the season, and there’s no doubt he has the potential to be a star on the Main Line, but other teams are figuring the youngster out. They know he will force just about any shot and is prone to turnovers. Thus, opponents are more than happy to let him make one spectactular play, which will usually be coupled with multiple turnovers and errant shots. We need him to create, but turning the ball over every other possession doesn’t cut it.
4. Taylor King-There are far more serious concerns with King than on the basketball court. I heard from a friend that King has been suspended for academic reasons, but this may just be a cover up, as he might have got caught smoking weed. Again, this is not confirmed, so don’t hold me to it. On the hardwood, it’s all in King’s head in terms of his offense. His shot is obviously not falling, and it’s screwing up his psyche. If he gets the chance to play again this season, I still think he can be a valuable asset with his rebounding and defense, both of which have been surprisingly stellar this season for a team that has not done well in these categories.
5. Reggie Redding-The senior was never an offensive star in college, but he hasn’t produced at all when the Cats have the ball. He can take it to the hole, we have all seen it before, but not so much this year. I’m not asking Redding to light up the scoreboard, but at least look like you’re a part of the offense and create something for your teammates every once in awhile.
6. Corey Stokes and Antonio Pena-Lumping these two together stems from their lack of consistency. Both are extremely talented players with the ability to take over games singlehandedly, but they never seem to put back-to-back solid games together or even a full 40 minutes. For example, Stokes will hit a couple of trey balls early on in a game, but then he disappears for long stretches. Pena looks dominant one game and then comes up with a dud the next. Stokes probably deserves to be called out more than Pena, but if Villanova is going to get back on track, these two will be need to be vital cogs.
7. Fans in attendance-This includes myself. Each of the games I’ve been to seemed to have a noticeable lack of energy in the building compared to years past. Obviously, there’s a pass for yesterday’s game with the students still on Spring Break, but passionate fans really can energize a team. Now is not the time to desert this team, rather their struggles should motivate us even more to maybe make a difference in propelling the Cats back into form.
Some may think I’m being too harsh or just flat out wrong, but this is just how I see it right now. One person/one issue is not the sole reason for the lackluster performances recently, but when all of the problems are combined, the Cats do not play like we expect them to play. At this very moment, my optimism is dwindling, but I still have hope that this team can turn it around and make a run over the next few weeks. One thing is for sure: we will definitely find out what these group of Wildcats are made of in the very near future.
I’ll end this post on a positive note by mentioning the Wildcats who earned 2010 Big East Honors.
Scottie Reynolds-First Team
Corey Fisher-Third Team
Maalik Wayns-All Rookie Team
So you’ve probably noticed that the coverage around here has been sub-par lately. Well, that is because we’ve been a little preoccupied. The blog is actually moving (again, I know) to SB Nation, a great network of blogs. Some of our friends like The UConn Blog and Casual Hoya are already over there, and we’re very excited to be joining.
(Note: Andrew Geiger from Casual Hoya was actually the one to hook this up, so we’ve got to thank him)
Anyways, the move is for a couple of reasons. I love to write and converse with Villanova fans about the school we love, but I’m actually out of college now with a real life, and I can’t give it the time I’d like to sometimes. Maintaining a website is a lot of work, so joining SB Nation definitely cuts down on the maintenance (they are actually building the new site for me!).
Also, it reaches a much wider audience, which is something we’re always looking to do. Plus, there are a ton more great features such as FanPosts and FanShots that will get you, the readers, much more involved, which is also a huge bonus.
The guys at SB Nation believe that we’ll be up and running by Villanova’s first game in the BIG EAST Tournament, so look for a final farewell sometime this week as IBBW moves to SB Nation (with a new name as well!).
Thank you to everyone who has been a loyal reader here over the past few years! Can’t wait to see you over at the new home!
-Chris
Lots at stake on the line tomorrow for both Villanova and West Virginia: #8 vs. #9, NCAA Tournament seeding, Big East Tournament seeding, possible revenge for the Mountaineers. We have been waiting for this game for awhile now. Below are some articles in anticipation of the big showdown.
-Villanova’s rematch with West Virginia has large implications
-Villanova story awaits final chapter
-Rested WVU to battle Villanova
-Jay Bilas analyzes the matchup as a part of ESPN’s Weekend Watch
I am excited to be going to the game tomorrow, but I read that Gus Johnson is calling the game on CBS, which pisses me off that I won’t be able to hear him on TV. Johnson and Bill Raftery have the best college hoops voices by far. If you have never heard Gus’ “Rise and Fire” youtube video, please do so ASAP; it’s flat out awesome.
Highlights of Antonio Peña’s 2009-2010 campaign, from the much appreciated work of Sean Donovan. Enjoy!
Game just ended: 9:24 pm eastern time. Villanova Wildcats defeat Cincinnati Bearcats 77-73. Some notes on the game are below.
-After the bludgeoning at Syracuse, many people, including myself, were curious to see how Villanova would respond against the deperate Cincinnati Bearcats on their “Senior Night.” The Wildcats seemed to come out of the gates ready to play; they hit the glass hard and had a nice rhythm on offense early on.
-Two Cats who really stood out in the beginning were Antonio Pena and Corey Stokes. Pena was aggressive on the inside, and Stokes drained a few trey balls, which helped to build a lead of 10 with 8 minutes left in the first half.
-Then, the road squad went cold and looked confused on offense. Cincinnati wasn’t exactly on fire, but the Cats could only muster 5 points over the final 8 minutes of the opening stanza. As a result, the Bearcats were kept in the game, and eventually, they made a run to tie the game at half.
-Does that half sound eerily familiar? Playing well at the start, then being unable to score over a long stretch of time allowing the opponent to storm back. Syracuse game anybody?
-Halftime score: Villanova 31 Cincinnati 31
-Things got a little chippy to open the second half, with Antonio Pena and Yancy Gates exchanging some pleasantries off of a Pena rebound. Both were given technicals, although that didn’t stop Gates from giving Mouphtaou Yarou a little shove soon thereafter.
-The technicals may have fired up the Wildcats, as they went on a 12-1 run to open the last twenty minutes.
-Cincinnati cut the lead to 4 on a couple of occasions, but the playmaking of Scottie Reynolds and the fortitude of Mouphtaou Yarou aided Villanova in regaining momentum.
-The Nova lead reached 16 with about 7 minutes left, but the Bearcats did not pack it in. A couple of missed assignments on perimeter defense by Villanova paved the way for Cincinnati to get right back in the game.
-The Bearcats found themselves down only 3 with 3 minutes left, but a couple of shots from downtown clanged off the iron. After a big trey from Reggie Redding, the Wildcats were up 6, but turnovers by Stokes and Maalik Wayns in the last minute gave Cincy a chance. With Villanova up 2 and inbounding the ball with 3.2 secs left, they got the ball in the sure hands of Scottie Reynolds. He promptly sunk 2 free throws and put the nail in the coffin.
Obviously, Villanova did not play a great game. There were still lots of stupid mistakes, shooting droughts, and defensive lapses. In addition, allowing a team to virtually erase a 16 point deficit with 7 minutes left is inexcusable. In an NCAA Tournament game, Villanova would be going home right now with the aforementioned issues. This is not the NCAA Tournament, though, and the Cats absolutely had to have this game. Just to get back in the win column was so important tonight. The victory will be a huge confidence builder heading into a showdown with West Virginia and then the Big East Tournament. It’s not always going to be pretty, as we all know, because the Big East is a war night in and night out. Any road win is critical, and for this group of Wildcats, who seemed to be on the ropes heading into this contest, this could be the gritty win that propels them into something special.
Got a couple emails asking how long pick’em will be going on. The answer is all season until the games are finished. Obviously if we end up with early games in the BIG EAST Tournament/NCAA Tournament those will not count but lines will be getting out earlier so we’ll try to get the thread up earlier. Senior Night in Cincinnati = favorable line for the Cats? Kind of.
The line for tonight’s game is Villanova -4. Fire away.
