I Bleed Blue and White

Game ended around 4pm eastern time.  Villanova Wildcats defeat Fordham Rams 96-58.  Did not get to see or follow the game, so brief postgame notes are strictly on the box score and flow chart. 

-Game was back and forth through the first 9 minutes of the first half.

-Cats eventually extended the lead all the way up to 18 with about 4 minutes left in the half, but the Rams made a run, cutting the deficit to 9 at the break.

-Halftime score: Villanova 46 Fordham 37

-Whatever Jay Wright said at halftime worked, as Villanova dominated the second half from start to finish.  In all, Villanova outscored Fordham 50-21 in the second 20 minutes, allowing Jay to empty his bench at the end.

-With Reggie Redding returning, a number of players played well, including Redding himself.  Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, and Antonio Pena all had 17 points.  Redding scored 15 and grabbed 9 rebounds.  Off the bench, Maalik Wayns put up 12 points.

-Corey Stokes, who was replaced by Redding in the starting five, continued to struggle shooting the ball.  He went 2-11 from the field, but he did notch 10 rebounds.  Starting five was Fisher, Reynolds, Redding, King, and Pena.

-Fordham had 4 players score between 10-12 points, including Chris Gaston, Brenton Butler, Alberto Estwick, and Lance Brown. 

-Cats dominated virtually every facet of the game: 53% vs. 32% from the field, 35% vs. 17% from downtown, 44 vs. 25 rebounds, 19 vs. 6 assists.

A cupcake to say the least.  Fordham seems to be a miserable team.  Either way, nice to start a win streak again and have the veteran Redding back in action.  If you saw the game, please share your insights.   

Finally, Reggie Redding returns as the Villanova Wildcats take on the Fordham Rams at 2pm at the Izod Center.  The Cats need to rebound after last week’s loss and most IBBW pick’em participants (including myself) need a bounceback effort from the Temple game picks.  See rules below and spread just beneath them.

• On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
• In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
• Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
• Anonymous entries will not count.
• Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
• If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
• If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
• The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
• In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.

Two sites I frequently use have Villanova as 29 point favorites, so that’s what we will go with.  Villanova -29.

Sorry for the lack of a preGame post guys. Work has been crazy this week. Villanova is taking on Montana (bunch of inbred hill people) tonight at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2 for the FCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!

Make sure you tune in, as this would make it 2 national titles for ‘Nova in the young athletics season.

…Lets Go Nova!…

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.

In this picture you see a kid that I hate, and a man that is aroused by the kid.

I’ll admit, I’m good for a good overreaction every now and then (for both wins and losses) but following our loss to Temple on Sunday, I kind of just sat back, had to smile, and not worry too much. Yes, it sucked. I was appalled at the performances by several players on the team. I thought Jay Wright got away from what has been working for us this year (i.e. a deep rotation), and I was swearing at Juan Fernandez like he was a felon. But at the end of the day, most of us expected to drop an OOC game for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being that we were young.

So is this really all that bad? Would you rather lose to Temple in a game where everything went right for them and learn from it or would you rather drop a game later one where we really don’t deserve to lose? Because we deserved to lose that game. We played bad, but Temple just executed to perfection. In fact, I’m pretty sure the aforementioned Fernandez is either Satan himself or he made a deal with him.

There are both positives and negatives to take away from this game. Mostly negatives, mind you, but this is probably exactly what this team needed. They had been skating by on good offense and they found out exactly what happened when you don’t shoot it well and you don’t play defense either. Now Jay can break them down all week, and then unleash the hounds against poor Fordham next weekend. I give you my list of pros and cons that I took from Sunday. We’ll start with the bad to end this post on a somewhat positive notice.

The Bad:

• Jay Wright playing 5 guys over 30 minutes, Dominic Cheek for 11, and everyone else under 10. We may be young, but our depth is a weapon. We got away from it and leaned on our experience. We’ve seen Jay do it in the past, but I would have liked to see more subbing yesterday. If we win I probably applaud this decision, but even when we were winning I wasn’t happy about it.
• We have no frontcourt depth. Antonio Peña reverted back to last year’s player and went for a grand total of 2 rebounds in 39 minutes of action, and genuinely looked disinterested in getting after it, something that we haven’t seen from him this year. It was worrisome to say the least. The 16 points was nice but he has looked so good rebounding this year. I don’t know what happened. If he’s not on his game, we’re in for a long night.
• Taylor King’s frustration getting the best of him. Keep it to yourself TK. Still love ya, but just keep your head down and play hard.
• Corey Stokes’ offense. Where have you gone to hide?
• Maurice Sutton looking completely overwhelmed. Don’t know what else to say really.

The Good:

• The officiating was borderline criminal. It’s not an excuse, but I do take comfort knowing that we weren’t getting any calls whatsoever.
• Scottie Reynolds is on a hot streak right now. Hopefully the holidays don’t cool him off.
• Temple shot over 70% during the last 10 minutes of the game. I don’t even have to look up the stats. It felt like it was over 85% so I’ll go conservatively with a number of 70. It’s really hard to win when you play good D for 30 seconds and then they make a shot, which was defended well. It’s demoralizing for a player.
• As I said, Juan Fernandez had some kind of black magic going on. Just one of those days.

And the biggest one…

Reggie Redding officially makes his return on Saturday. It cannot be overstated how big this is for a young team coming off a loss. By all accounts, he has been killing everyone in practice. Nobody can guard him, and nobody can get by him. He’ll take the defensive pressure off of Stokes and Cheek and allow them to be themselves, and he’ll be a stabilizing force for the team at a time when they really need someone to step up and light a fire under their ass. Redding’s the guy.

If you can’t tell, I’m really excited about this.

Game just ended: 5:00 pm eastern time.  Temple Owls defeat Villanova Wildcats 75-65.  Some notes on the game are below.

-The Cats jumped out to a small lead early in the first half and expanded the margin to 14 or 15 at one point. 

-Temple responded with a flurry late in the half though, cutting the deficit to 6 at intermission.

-Scottie Reynolds led the way in the first half, while it was Juan Fernandez as the go to guy for the Owls.

-Halftime score: Villanova 37 Temple 31

-The second half was dominated by Temple, and specifically, Juan Fernandez, who was en fuego. 

-It was close throughout the final 20 minutes until the last 3 minutes, when Villanova could not hit a bucket.   

-For Villanova, Reynolds was the star, as he scored 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.  Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena also played well, with Fisher scoring 14 points and dishing out 8 assists, while Pena had 16 points but only 3 rebounds.  Other than that, it seemed like nobody else showed up, although Taylor King did rebound the ball 7 times.

-Meanwhile, Temple only had 3 players stand out, but they absolutely dominated.  Umm, did anyone guard Juan Fernandez?  He had 33 points including 7 trey balls.  Ryan Brooks added another 20 points, and Lavoy Allen took Villanova to the woodshed down low, putting up 10 points and grabbing 17 boards.

-Keys to the Temple upset: 32-25 rebounding edge and 11-23 from downtown.

You might say that the rebounding differential isn’t that big and Villanova is a smaller team, but during the Jay Wright era, Villanova teams have prided themselves on rebounding regardless of size.  When I was a freshman watching the Foye-Ray-Lowry squad, they always outrebounded the opponent and the Cats used the 4 guard system.  Those guys were so tough and had the desire to rebound the basketball.  As we all know, the defense has been porous this year for the most part.  Giving up 11 threes is just unacceptable.  I think the Reggie Redding addition next week will be a big help, but it takes the whole team to play defense well.  Honestly, I’m not that bothered that the Cat lost.  I always want to see them win, but going undefeated is unrealistic, especially in this era of college hoops.  They were bound to lose at some point, and in the end, this could prove to be a valuable learning experience.  Losing is a feeling that sucks, but a pressure packed situation late in the game will give these guys something to look back on when they are down late in another game this year.  It’s only the first loss and it definitely won’t be the last this year.  These things happen.  I expect Jay to really ream into the team in the next few days, and I would be shocked if they don’t play very well in the next game.    

Sorry for no official preGame post. Been kinda busy this weekend helping out my family with Christmas stuff. We’re treating the …Keep Your Enemies Closer as the preGame report for today. Also, for those of you who have been asking for a standings update, it will be coming following the game today. Quick reminder of the rules:

• On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
• In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
• Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
• Anonymous entries will not count.
• Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
• If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
• If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
• The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
• In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.

The official line is Villanova -3.5. Seems low to me, gambling wise. Fire away!

Some highlights from RFC of the Holy War win by the Cats. Some great Bill Raftery stuff in there as well -- including a random “Squeeze it!”

Following after Wednesday night beatdown of The Hawk, Dave from The Owls’ Nest contacted me about a possible Q&A. Haven’t done one of these since since Dayton, and I was anxious to get back to it. Temple is a storied Philly program who I respect, and despite my displeasure with the Dionte Christmas billboards last year, I agreed to do a little exchange. Below are Dave’s answers to my questions!

Chris (IBBW): Now that Dionte Christmas has moved on from the program, is there another player ready to assume that role as the star? Is is this Owls team going to share the wealth?

Dave (TON): Thus far, the team has gone on to share most of the wealth, as you said. Players like Lavoy Allen, Ryan Brooks, and Juan Fernandez have now had opportunities to learn to utilize their game to better the rest of the team. Since the departure of Dionte, we’ve seen a lot of the divvied up style of play, where any player can explode on any given night to take control. Depending on the teams the Owls play decides really who the player that has the most success is. This year has truly ben more of a team effort, though.

Chris (IBBW): You’ve held the opposing team to 50 points or less in over half your games thus far. What do you attribute this amazing defensive run to?

Dave (TON): There are a number of player that have stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. The team has a nice unity, and we’re seeing more and more of man to man defense. The players have focused so much on their defensive responsibilities, that they can trust one another in covering their own men. At the same time, the Owls have done a nice job with team defense, and helping out when a player gets beat, or might be in a mismatch. Because of this unison, Temple has been able to do a tremendous job on the defensive side of the ball.

Chris (IBBW): Give me that one player that Villanova fans need to keep their eye on on this Sunday.

Dave (TON): Lavoy Allen. I believe Temple needs to develop and establish a post game against this somewhat guard-oriented ‘Nova team.  If Allen is able to make himself known early, there could be problems for the Wildcats. Lavoy’s diversity alllows him to post up a defender, as well as pop out for a jump shot. On the rebounding side of the ball, Allen has done a tremendous job in keeping the Owls alive on offense, as well as get a quick stop on defense. He is a key to holding Villanova to as minimal opportunities as possible.

Chris (IBBW): I’m not very familiar with the A-10 landscape this year outside of Dayton and Xavier. Where does Temple project and what are your hopes of getting back to the Dance this season?

Dave (TON): Several teams that usually are projected at the top of the conference have taken significant hits because of graduation. This has allowed some of the younger teams in the past develop and take congrol. In Temple’s case, we’ve been fortunate to have a player or two step up year in and y ear out to make up for playmakers that have moved on. I believe the Owls once again will have a great chances to win the A-10 tournament, but it’s not going to be easy with the number of competitive and talented teams there are this year.

Chris (IBBW): Since you asked me how Villanova will handle the Owls’ great D, how do you think Temple will attempt to slow down the frenetic pace the Cats have been scoring at lately?

Dave (TON): Temple has been forced to play against almost any type of offensive scheme, one of which being the fast break. Against St. John’s, the Owls needed to deal with the same type of play, except for the fact that the Red Storm brought in fresh legs every whistle. Temple’s defense is going to have to keep the intensity as always, but at the same time keep up with the fast pace that Villanova favors. The biggest problem in this case might be the big men; they are going to need to work hard to get down the floor and stay with the flow of the game, without getting quickly fatigued or in foul trouble.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for the game. Do the Cats sweep the Big 5 again or does Temple pull off the upset that has people talking for weeks?

Dave (TON): Without favoring, I do believe this game is going to be close. It’s too difficult for me to choose a winner, as much as I want to pick the Owls, because VU is such a talented team. I will, though, predict that this game goes down to the sire, and it will come down to whoever’s defense is able to hold up the longest. If either team can force the other to quickly give up possessions, they will have the advantage. There’s going to be a lot of talent on the floor, and it will be interesting to see who is able to take the helm and control the game. This is going to be a fun 40 minutes.

Thanks again to Dave for this! Make sure you visit The Owl’s Nest and give him hell before the game!

One of my favorite things to do is read the quotes from the postgame press conferences following each game.  The script was not available for last night’s postgame press conference at the Palestra, but the following articles provide some reactions from both teams. 

• “Villanova outlasts Saint Joseph’s in Big 5 rivalry” by Mike Kern
• “Against Villanova, Saint Joseph’s hangs around, for 40 minutes” by Dick Jerardi
• “Reynolds, Villanova turn back Saint Joe’s” by Terry Toohey

By the way, there are 16 undefeated teams in Division I basketball currently.  Not surprisingly, 5 of these teams are from the Big East, including Villanova (9-0), Syracuse (8-0)-who is playing Florida right now, Seton Hall (7-0), Georgetown (7-0), and West Virginia (6-0).