One of the common topics of conversation in this relatively young Big East season has been the logjam in the middle of the conference. There are several teams who are hovering somewhere between just above .500 and just below .500, including Villanova.
We may be starting to see some separation. The difference has been avoiding losing to the perceived “bottom dwellers.” That is something that Villanova has been able to avoid with victories over St. John’s, Seton Hall, and USF. On the other hand, it has been a plague for Georgetown, with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the same Cincinnati team that Villanova faces on Sunday.
While not in the same class as Rutgers or USF, Cincinnati is a team that most likely doesn’t have the horses to make a strong finish to its Big East slate. With the exception of a 34 point loss to Marquette, they’ve competed well in conference play, no matter the opponent. Currently, they stand at 4-4 and are right in the thick of things in the aforementioned logjam.
The Bearcats are led by Deonta Vaughn, a junior guard who is averaging almost 16 points and 5 assists per game. If you remember the game last year, Vaughn was instrumental in upsetting the Wildcats in Cincinnati. He had 25 points to upstage Scottie Reynolds and his 32 point outburst.
Reynolds was blocked with 27 seconds left before Rashad Bishop made his only basket of the game (a 3 pointer from the wing) to give the Bearcats the win.
A lot has changed in a year though. For Villanova, the same squad (minus Malcolm Grant and Casiem Drummond) returns, and they’ll play in the comfy confines of The Pavilion. Even though it’s a Sunday matinée, the Wildcats have energized the fanbase with their recent win over Pitt.
On Cincy’s side, Deonta Vaughn returns, but the other characters who hurt Villanova last year are gone. Vaughn’s main running mates are Mike Williams and Yancy Gates, two players who did not see time last year against Villanova.
While Cincinnati is a dangerous team (as Villanova is well aware), this one sets up to go smoothly for Villanova. Dante Cunningham came back strong against Pitt, Reggie Redding is on an unrivaled hot streak and as a team, Villanova is looking very good.
They cannot afford to look past this game to their match-up with the upstart Friars of Providence, and I don’t think they will. They’ve done a great job of staying focused and not succumbing to the typical let-down game, and I don’t believe that’s going to change on Sunday.
Liza
January 31, 2009
So … predictions for Nova’s record the rest of the way? I’m feeling pretty good about the rest of the season, not just because of the Pitt game; also because the performance of Louisville and Marquette recently has made those losses look less bad, and because some of Nova’s future opponents (Georgetown, Notre Dame, Syracuse) look less scarey as a result of recent defeats, and finally becuase I always felt a bit better about this team than did some of the doubters. So, my prediction: 8-3 the rest of the way for a 24-7 overall record.
Anyone else?