I Bleed Blue and White

I need to start off this post with some horrific news, as this is certainly much more important than anything I have ever blogged about.  Early Saturday morning, my friend and fellow May ‘09 graduate, Eddie Didonato, was shot six times after an altercation outside of a bar in Philadelphia.  Without getting into too many specifics, Eddie is at Jefferson University Hospital in Philly in the intensive care unit trying to recover from this unimaginable act.  Doctors remain optimistic that he will survive this battle, and in an amazing show of will, Eddie has been able to squeeze some of his closest friends’ hands.  Please keep Eddie and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Obviously, the rest of this post means basically nothing compared to the news above, but please feel free to read on.  I knew yesterday was going to be an intense day for myself, with Villanova-Georgetown at noon, Jets-Chargers at 4:30, and the season premiere of 24 at 9:00.  In terms of these 3 things, it couldn’t have gone much better.  A lot of alums were back for the Cats game at the Wachovia Center, even though the weather was less than stellar.  Below are a few of my thoughts on the hoops game yesterday.

-I thought Villanova looked real good in the first half, especially with the intensity of their press and trapping the Hoyas in certain situations.  Leading by double digits at halftime doesn’t hurt, but I received a text from one of my buddies at half.  It read, “what is your ibbw halftime analysis?”  To which I responded, “looking good, but gtown will make a run.”

-The Hoyas came out of the intermission pissed off and determined to make it a game.  Greg Monroe really took over, and the Cats did not shoot the ball particularly well.  The double digit lead dissipated to about 5, and there was still roughly 13 minutes left.

-When Georgetown tied it up with 4+ minutes left, I really thought the Cats were in trouble, because nobody could stop Monroe and Nova was ice cold.  In the end, though, did you really expect Scottie Reynolds to let the Cats lose?  It’s becoming like clock-work that when Villanova needs a big play, Scottie will be there to produce. 

-Four quick additional observations: 1. Wachovia Center was packed but not all that loud in my opinion…2. Our depth is unreal, as every player on the roster logged some minutes except Russell Wooten…3. Greg Monroe = lottery pick…4. What has happened to Corey Stokes this season?

Some links below to wrap up this Big East showdown:

-Villanova-Georgetown Box Score

-AP Recap 

-Postgame Quotes

-Scottie Named Big East and Big Five Player of the Week

-Nova Notebook: The Foye-Reynolds Relationship

-Jan. 18th Updated College Basketball Rankings

-ESPN Contributor Dana O’Neil on Scottie’s Maturation On and Off the Court

Again, please take a moment to pray for Eddie Didonato, a member of the Villanova community.  Thank you.

As you probably noticed, there was never a pick’em post for the Georgetown game today. This is due to my internet completely crapping out yesterday and JUST coming back a few minutes ago. Due to the decreased time frame (along with half of the regular posters being unavailable due to tailgating) we will not be doing pick’em today.

Everyone gets marked down for a win because I’m pissed off at the internet right now.

I am going to post the standings tonight.

Thanks, and enjoy the game today!

Well, well, well. Villanova is FINALLY an underdog. Not by much, but in my opinion (if I really gambled of course) this makes them a pretty good value pick. Then again, everyone here will pick ‘Nova tonight. Who will be bold enough to buck the trend?

• 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 line for tonight is Villanova +3. Leave your picks in the comments.

Ahh, the home court advantage. In football, this is typically worth 3-4 points in the spread. Not so much in basketball apparently, at least when comparing to last weekend.

• 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 spread for today’s game is Villanova -9.5. Let’s have it people.

The Game: #6 Villanova (13-1, 2-0) vs. Marquette (10-5, 1-2)

Location: The Pavilion in Villanova, PA

Time: 2:00 p.m. ET

Broadcast: WPHL in Philadelphia, ESPN-950 AM

Brief Rundown: Wildcats fans enjoyed a relaxing Wednesday by opening a nice bottle or red and treating themselves to a ‘Nova thrashing of DePaul. While that game was over within the first few minutes, Saturday’s tilt with the Golden Eagles will more than likely come down to the last few minutes,  just as their last two meetings with their Wisconsin rivals have.

Marquette on the other hand rebounded nicely after 2 heart-breaking losses to open the season by hanging on to be Georgetown earlier this week. Georgetown, ranked #12 in the country, could be the building block the Eagles need to get back on track and really make some noise in the BIG EAST. They’ll have extra motivation tomorrow as Villanova ’stole’ one from them at their home just a week ago.

Last Time Out: Scottie Reynolds broke some hearts. I think you remember it.

What I Want To See: Jay Wright employed some wild lineups against the Blue Demons, with Mouphtaou Yarou getting his first action since his illness sidelined him. I want to see the big guy get some real BIG EAST competition this time out. In the first contest Jimmy Butler and Lazar Hayward gave Villanova problems on the boards. Yarou can help out in that regard. Overall though, a win is what I’m really looking for, as always.

Links:

• Cracked Sidewalks

One of the first (and best) BIG EAST blogs I discovered was the Marquette blog Cracked Sidewalks. A unique name to say the least, it had accomplished what I hoped to accomplish myself — a bunch of die-hard ‘Quette fans writing and conversing with people like them about what they love most.

I haven’t exactly modeled what I do after them, but it’s totally within reality to give those guys the credit they deserve. They’re good at what they do. So I reached out to Tim Blair for the 1st game this year, and never heard back. Turns out Tim was swamped with work (something that is hurting me as well) but he got back to me for this round and we’ve done our typical Q&A. Below are my questions and his responses. Enjoy!

Chris (IBBW): When is Lazar Hayward graduating? Seriously, get him out of my life. Despite losing all the talented guards around him, he continues to produce and lead this team. He’s severely underrated in my opinion, and is definitely a guy opposing teams/fans hate. Give me your thoughts on his career to this point and his role on this year’s squad.

Tim (CS): It is true that Hayward has been suiting up for the Warriors since Kevin O’Neill took over the program 20 years ago and what a ride it’s been.  Oh, if it could be so.  Hayward has been one of the most interesting and productive players Marquette has ever had.  When Crean brought him to campus he was billed as a great outside shooter who projected to be a big two guard or small forward.  I think it was apparent right away that Hayward lacked the lateral quickness to be an effective guard or small forward, but he found a way to contribute immediately.

Ultimately, despite being undersized and playing out of position for his entire college career Hayward has demonstrated remarkable improvement year-to-year, filling the void at power forward for a program that is continually starved for baseline talent.  Hayward is the toughest player I’ve ever seen at Marquette, refusing to use his height or circumstance as an excuse.  His inspired play against bigger and presumably more talented players is remarkable.  Hayward’s late domination of Greg Monroe earlier this week was particularly noteworthy.  With the game on the line in the final minute Hayward ripped the ball from Monroe’s grasp twice — once on a steal to create a defensive stop, and then a second time on an offensive rebound which was followed by two clutch free throws after the Hoyas fouled him.

Chris (IBBW): Talk to me about the emergence of Jimmy Butler. He seemed to come out of nowhere late last year.

Tim (CS): Butler was an unheralded recruit, in fact his junior college teammate Joseph Fulce was considered the more talented player when both landed up on campus before last season.  While Fulce was slowed by injury last year Butler emerged as a consistent role player for Buzz Williams and blossomed in the final weeks of the season.  Last season Butler was a tremendous offensive rebounder and a remarkably efficient offensive player.  Butler rarely plays out of character, he focuses on his strengths which are high-percentage shots and a knack for the offensive rebound. Hayward needed a wingman this year and Butler is delivering.

Chris (IBBW): How much will revenge play a factor on Saturday?

Tim (CS): I gotta tell you, I’m tired of losing to you guys at the buzzer.  Last season’s BIG EAST Tournament loss was an absolute nightmare — I still want to know why Jerel McNeal decided to leave his man alone under the basket.  Of course Reynolds’ extraordinary skill in splitting a lazy double team last week was equally nauseating.  I sure hope revenge is part of Marquette’s motivation this week.  More than that though, the win over Georgetown in a tight game should do wonders for the Warriors’ confidence.  After losing the first two conference games at the buzzer, MU needed a boost of confidence and they got it.

Chris (IBBW): Good to see you guys finally pulled out a close win over Georgetown. After several tough losses, you deserve it. Does that speak to the resiliency of this somewhat inexperienced team, or it’s coach?

Tim (CS): The win over Georgetown was huge.  When the BIG EAST schedule was first released many folks had MU down for an 0-4 start in league play, so bouncing back after two devastating losses can’t be overstated.  I think that yes, the team is resilient.  While MU is small, Coach Williams has done a good job of establishing roles for his top seven players and those guys play their hearts out.  Despite MU’s vertically challenged roster the guys are tough — they out-rebounded the Hoyas despite being outscored in the paint 32-6.  I think the only way to explain that is a combination of scheme, skill and heart.  Of course with only seven players in the typical Marquette rotation it’s no wonder the Warriors lost close games late to FSU, West Virginia and your Wildcats.  Most Marquette fans are hoping Coach Williams will find a way to extend his bench and find serviceable minutes from freshmen Erik Williams and Yous Mbao.  EWill is a mystery — he was a highly rated recruit who has just not yet cracked the code.

Chris (IBBW): There was some chatter about some possible bad blood between Buzz and Jay after a very brief/cold post-game handshake last weekend. Anything to that?

Tim (CS): I must have missed that.  Coach Williams can be very emotional in tight games — just ask the zebras who officiated MU’s loss to Missouri in last year’s NCAA Tournament.  I’d be surprised if any of that ever spilled over to Buzz’ conduct with his coaching brethren.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for the game. Does Marquette snap The Pavilion winning streak or does ‘Nova get the regular season sweep?

Tim (CS): It’d be easy to view this game as a Wildcat romp, but I do like Marquette’s chances to stay close for most of the game.  That said, I don’t see how MU will pull this one out.  I hope the Warriors can build on the tremendous defensive effort they exhibited late in the Georgetown game, but unfortunately MU is not a strong FG% defense team.  Marquette’s best counter is to force turnovers and to own the offensive glass, which combined with reasonable outside shooting, should keep them in the game. In the end, I expect Scottie Reynolds to rip our hearts out and show it to us before we die — which should be midway through the second half.  Villanova 81-67.

Just want to say thank you to Tim again, and make sure to check out my answers to Tim’s questions before the game tomorrow!

Game just ended: 10:03 pm eastern time.  Villanova Wildcats defeat DePaul Blue Demons 99-72.  Some notes on the game are below.

-The bludgeoning had to start somewhere, and it started about 30 secs in for the Cats.  After DePaul’s Jeremiah Kelly hit a 3 on the first possession, the home team went on a 41-7 (no joke) run. 

-Villanova’s defense was swarming, DePaul’s offense was meager, and the Wildcats were hitting every shot in the first half.  They shot an unreal 61% in the opening twenty minutes, and their percentage in the first ten minutes was probably around 75%.  No doubt DePaul couldn’t match up with the Cats, but it really didn’t matter who was playing defense, as Villanova was just en fuego.

-Halftime score: Villanova 49 DePaul 24

-With a 25 point lead at the half, there obviously weren’t too many dramatic plays and situations in the second stanza, so you can guess what happened the rest of the way.

-Regardless of the score, there were a few things that stood out to me.  First, Isaiah Armood reminds me of Shane Clark in terms of always being active and all of the little things that he does.  Furthermore, Armwood, like Clark, does not have the best offensive skill set, but his length and athleticism are very valuable to this squad.  Next, when I watch Malik Wayns play, I see a lot of Kyle Lowry.  I think Wayns might be a little better shooter, while Lowry was a better defender, but they both have absolutely no fear.  Lowry was never afraid to guard a bigger and stronger opponent or dive in a scrum for a loose ball, just like Wayns appears to be unfazed when driving into the lane over and over again. 

-DePaul may easily go winless again in the Big East this year, but my gut tells me they will get at least 1, maybe 2 wins.  No team should have to suffer back-to-back 0-fers in conference.  I honestly feel bad for DePaul’s Mac Koshwal.  He is the lone threat for the Blue Demons, and his teammates can’t even get it inside to him usually.  On any other team, Koshwal would be recognized and praised a lot more.  He is a stud on a miserable team, which means opponents solely focus in on him night in and night out.     

-Would have liked to see Corey Stokes play, but no reason to give him minutes with a bad hamstring.  Also, nice to see Mouphtaou Yarou get some action and Allan Ray cheering on his alma mater.

I can guarantee that will be the easiest game the rest of the year.  Next up is a huge game on Saturday against what will be an angry Marquette team looking for revenge. 

If you’re a gambling man and you’ve been paying attention to Villanova, you’ve probably noticed that relatively speaking, the spreads have been pretty low for a Top 10 team so far this year. I had aspirations of this being somewhere in the low-to-mid teens. Not so much. You’ll see in a second.

• 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 spread of the game is Villanova -18.5. Fire away.

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.

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.

‘Nova returns to action on Wednesday when they host DePaul at The Pavilion. Game time is 8:00 p.m. Talk to you then.

Game just ended: 5:37 pm eastern time.  Villanova Wildcats defeat Marquette Golden Eagles 74-72.  Some notes on the game are below.

-Marquette started out the game on fire, but to be honest, Villanova’s defense was flat out atrocious.  The Golden Eagles led by 10 midway through the first half, and the Bradley Center was energized.

-The Cats slowly climbed back to in the game, mostly due to the play of freshman Malik Wayns, who was great at getting to the rim. 

-Halftime score:  Villanova 35 Marquette 34

-The second half was the epitome of Big East basketball.  The lead for each team never seemed to be above 4 or 5 points, and fouls were aplenty.

-With that said, we can jump right to the last minute of play.  Lazar Hayward, on a very questionable foul call on Taylor King, made 1 of 2 free throws to put Marquette up 1 with 27 seconds left.  Jay Wright gave the ball to Scottie Reynolds, and he made a “Sportscenter Top 10” play, splitting defenders by dribbling through his legs from behind, drawing contact and making a fade-away ten footer in the process to put the Cats up 1 with 18 seconds left.  Reynolds missed the ensuing free throw, and Maurice Acker made a great pass inside to Jimmy Butler for what looked to be a game-winning layup.  Butler double pumped, though, as Reggie Redding and another Cat changed his shot.  There was a little contact, and I thought Marquette might have gotten the call being the game was in Milwaukee, but no foul was called.  Reggie Redding corraled the rebound, got hacked, and sank 1 of 2 free throws to put Villanova up a deuce with 3 seconds left.  Marquette had one last chance, but Dwight Buycks missed a 3 pointer after the buzzer had sounded. 

-For Villanova, two players stood out.  Scottie Reynolds was clutch yet again, scoring 23 points on 8-12 from the field.  Malik Wayns also played very well, pouring in 16 points, including 6-7 from the line.  Personally, I thought Isaiah Armwood had a nice game, although his numbers were very pedestrian.  Reggie Redding had 11 points and 8 rebounds, but that was not his best game. 

-Only 7 Marquette players logged minutes, and 4 of them played 36 or more minutes.  Jimmy Butler led the way with 19 points and 7 rebounds, while Lazar Hayward was an absolute stud, scoring 17 points and grabbing 14 boards. 

-Listen to Marquette head coach Buzz Williams’ postgame press conference

If Villanova didn’t win this game, it would have been because of their defense.  Especially in the first half, the Cats did not match up at all.  Marquette was taking shots with a Villanova defender nowhere in sight.  This is the main reason the Golden Eagles were shooting lights out in the beginning.  It’s not even like Villanova wasn’t getting back on defense, because for the most part, they were, but it seemed like they had no idea who to guard.  They started to figure it out a little in the second half, but at times, there were still wide open shots, in which Villanova got lucky Marquette missed some of these.  Obviously, the defense continues to be an issue, but since Villanova won, I will show some praise.  Any win on the road in the Big East is huge, and I can’t believe there are 17 more regular season conference games, where most will be just as intense as this one.  Marquette was picked to finish 12th in the Big East, but they are definitely a much better team than that, and this is a good resume win come March.  It also shows the team what it’s going to be like night in and night out.  To see some new faces (Wayns and Armwood) step up in a hostile environment is great to see as well.  Marquette could easily be 2-0 in the Big East right now, so it will be interesting to see how they respond after 2 devastating losses.  The one problem they have is lack of depth, but if they can find 1 or 2 more guys to contribute, they will be a very dangerous team.  With that said, lots of things to clean up for Villanova, but an awesome game and win to start the Big East schedule.