I Bleed Blue and White

I was so ecstatic all week about the beginning of the BIG EAST schedule. I was sick of the creampuffs, sick of semi-caring about the games, sick of watching the games on my laptop, or even worse, following them on my phone. I need HDTV, and battles with the big boys on a weekly basis. Villanova Marquette Basketball

After Chapter 1 though, I’m not sure I’m going to make it through the season without an incident. I know Marquette is a lot better than their now 9-5 record. I know The Bradley Center is one of the tougher venues in the conference. I know we’re a young team still sifting its way to an identity. But I’m already missing those comfortable wins.

However, it was great to look back on this game and think about all the good that happened. Maalik Wayns may have just grown up in front of our eyes. In his first conference road game he came off the bench for 16 points, 2 assists and 0 turnovers. Not to mention the countless times he got to the goal, and finished despite being fouled. AND he knocked down his free throws. He played like a senior.

Isaiah Armwood gave this team 14 very solid minutes. He’s playing like a guy who just wants to be on the court. The best thing I can say about him is that he is just an active player. You rarely see him standing around, which is a trait that is sometimes hard to teach. He’ll continue to see the court if he stays with that kinda play.

And can you say enough about Scottie Reynolds? I tweeted at the end of the game that though I shouldn’t be shocked anymore at his heroics, I continue to be. There’s nobody in college basketball I’d rather have at the end of the game. It’s just truly amazing. And I haven’t even touched on the rest of his game, which was remarkable to say the least. A true Wildcat. His jersey will hang from the rafters, and not soon enough.

Some other, random thoughts:

I know some people probably didn’t mind that broadcast team, but the trio of Fran Fraschilla, Doris Burke and Eric Collins nearly got me to mute the game a couple times.
What made this win better – Antonio Peña, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes didn’t really have great games. And yet we still came away with the W. That’s the mark of a good team. Or it’s the mark of a team that has an assassin at the helm.
Reggie Redding was good at times, and at times was making me scratch my head. But it was his first competitive game, so he gets a pass.
We need to be a lot better on our FT’s down the stretch. We gave Marquette a few extra chances at the end when it should have been over.
Quiet day from Taylor King. From what I remember he battled pretty good in his first taste of the BEAST. I was a little concerned, but banging against Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler is a good test of things to come.
Speaking of Hayward and Butler, they’re very good. Especially Hayward. I won’t lie, I thought he was a product of last year’s guards. Not the truth at all. He can carry a team.
We’re 1-0 on a weekend where both West Virginia and Syracuse went down. That feels good.