Game just ended: 9:24 pm eastern time. Villanova Wildcats defeat Cincinnati Bearcats 77-73. Some notes on the game are below.
-After the bludgeoning at Syracuse, many people, including myself, were curious to see how Villanova would respond against the deperate Cincinnati Bearcats on their “Senior Night.” The Wildcats seemed to come out of the gates ready to play; they hit the glass hard and had a nice rhythm on offense early on.
-Two Cats who really stood out in the beginning were Antonio Pena and Corey Stokes. Pena was aggressive on the inside, and Stokes drained a few trey balls, which helped to build a lead of 10 with 8 minutes left in the first half.
-Then, the road squad went cold and looked confused on offense. Cincinnati wasn’t exactly on fire, but the Cats could only muster 5 points over the final 8 minutes of the opening stanza. As a result, the Bearcats were kept in the game, and eventually, they made a run to tie the game at half.
-Does that half sound eerily familiar? Playing well at the start, then being unable to score over a long stretch of time allowing the opponent to storm back. Syracuse game anybody?
-Halftime score: Villanova 31 Cincinnati 31
-Things got a little chippy to open the second half, with Antonio Pena and Yancy Gates exchanging some pleasantries off of a Pena rebound. Both were given technicals, although that didn’t stop Gates from giving Mouphtaou Yarou a little shove soon thereafter.
-The technicals may have fired up the Wildcats, as they went on a 12-1 run to open the last twenty minutes.
-Cincinnati cut the lead to 4 on a couple of occasions, but the playmaking of Scottie Reynolds and the fortitude of Mouphtaou Yarou aided Villanova in regaining momentum.
-The Nova lead reached 16 with about 7 minutes left, but the Bearcats did not pack it in. A couple of missed assignments on perimeter defense by Villanova paved the way for Cincinnati to get right back in the game.
-The Bearcats found themselves down only 3 with 3 minutes left, but a couple of shots from downtown clanged off the iron. After a big trey from Reggie Redding, the Wildcats were up 6, but turnovers by Stokes and Maalik Wayns in the last minute gave Cincy a chance. With Villanova up 2 and inbounding the ball with 3.2 secs left, they got the ball in the sure hands of Scottie Reynolds. He promptly sunk 2 free throws and put the nail in the coffin.
Obviously, Villanova did not play a great game. There were still lots of stupid mistakes, shooting droughts, and defensive lapses. In addition, allowing a team to virtually erase a 16 point deficit with 7 minutes left is inexcusable. In an NCAA Tournament game, Villanova would be going home right now with the aforementioned issues. This is not the NCAA Tournament, though, and the Cats absolutely had to have this game. Just to get back in the win column was so important tonight. The victory will be a huge confidence builder heading into a showdown with West Virginia and then the Big East Tournament. It’s not always going to be pretty, as we all know, because the Big East is a war night in and night out. Any road win is critical, and for this group of Wildcats, who seemed to be on the ropes heading into this contest, this could be the gritty win that propels them into something special.
Vinnie
Esteban D' Amur
Andrew
Chocolate Thunder
Pope of the Hardwoods
Nova Fan '06
March 2, 2010
Brian you said it best a road win in the big east is huge! Listen we may not look like world beaters but its ok we are better at the underdog role. Lets just keep everyone healthy and positive as we go into tournament play. Go Nova!!