I Bleed Blue and White

Villanova DID beat St. John’s yesterday, by the score of 81-71 at Madison Square Garden. We had a rare breakdown in coverage, mainly due to the fact that Brian, Jamie and I all attended the game. I had hoped Mark may fill in, but when you get a text mid-game that says “F*ck, I missed pick’em again. How we doin?”, you realize that nobody is manning the fort. Anyways, it was a great day that I’ll briefly recap now, before my attempts to forget it are successful.

The day started off at The Ainsworth in Manhattan, where the VUAA had organized a pre-game reception. Jamie, 2 of our non-’Nova friends, my father and I were some of the first people there, causing my friends proceed with jokes for the next 10 minutes about ‘Nova Nation. Real wise guys, those two. Eventually, the place did fill up nicely, and it was a good few hours of seeing old friends and meeting some new ones.

From there, we went to the game and watched the Wildcats overcome some tremendous shooting and their own poor play in the 1st half to make it 7-straight to start the conference season as they dispatched the Red Storm behind the tremendous trio of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns.

Following the game, their was the mandatory McSorley’s trek and then an “incident” which nearly saw Jamie have the cops called on him by the Metro-North conductor. We’ll leave that be. Some other random thoughts from what I saw yesterday:

• Was it just me or did our team do a great job of blocking shots yesterday? It’s hard to rely on box scores, but they’re listing 10. That sounds about right, and is a rarity for our team. Let’s enjoy that.
• As I mentioned up top, Reynolds, Fisher and Wayns were outstanding. Not just their ability to get to the hoop, but their ability to finish while drawing the foul was incredible. They were instrumental in turning that game around.
• Isaiah Armwood had just 2 baskets, but they were the 2 loudest of the game. The first dunk especially was something out of a video game. He’s an athletic specimen, and I love his ability to finish on the break.
• I thought Jay Wright mismanaged the game early on, rotating guys too quickly and not allowing the team to hit a rhythm. I love the 11-man rotation, but for a good portion of the 1st half it was happening too fast.
• Dominic Cheek had a rough first few minutes of burn, and then was relegated to the bench. A shame coming off the best game of his career. Oh well, he’ll bounce back.
• Loved how Jay Wright was still going offense/defense up 15 late in the game. As my Dad said, it’s about discipline, and it will pay off later this year when we really need it.
• Hopefully that’s the worst shooting performance we’ll ever see out of Taylor King. Yikes.
• I continue to think Mouph Yarou is looking stronger and stronger every game. Seems like the game is finally coming to him. That breakout game is coming…
• Thought Antonio Peña had a solid game down low, and thought Reggie Redding, like Cheek, was just off. Can’t be great every night, unless you’re Scottie Reynolds. At least that’s the way it feels.

Villanova is off until Wednesday when they host Notre Dame at The Wachovia Center. Wednesday night Wac game? Thanks schedulers. I’ve now missed the first two of the year. Feels like a sin.