I Bleed Blue and White

The first loss for any team is always tough, because it’s a new experience for that particular group.  As we hear many times in not only sports, but in life too, the true test is how you respond when you’re down.  For the 2009-2010 Villanova squad, they are currently dealing with their first failure.  How they respond will take place at the Izod Center on Saturday against the Fordham Rams.  Just like the pro-football team, the Rams are a very weak group this year; they have already fired their coach (their new coach was recruited by Jay Wright while Jay coached at Hofstra) and lost out on key recruits as a result. 

In the end, though, the opponent doesn’t matter.  Villanova will either come out lethargic and let the first loss linger on or they will show up energized and get back to Villanova basketball right away.  I think we will learn a lot about this squad in the first 8-12 minutes of the game on Saturday.  Are they moving the ball?  Are they diving for loose balls?  Are they crashing the boards?  Are they playing tough, physical defense?  These are all questions to take into account in the early part of the game this weekend.  Obviously, we want to see this all the time, but especially after a loss, it’s important to come out hitting on all cylinders.  Just because they are playing a subpar squad doesn’t mean the Cats will respond like the way we want them to.  Personally, I think Jay will have the team ready to go, but we shall see.  This Saturday may not seem like a big game, but it really is for a relatively young squad like these Wildcats.