I Bleed Blue and White

It’s seriously hard to believe that we are two and a half weeks away from the regular season finale, three and a half weeks until Selection Sunday, and just four weeks away from the start of the NCAA Tournament.  The college basketball season really does fly, so we need to enjoy what’s left of it.  Obviously, the level of enjoyment will depend on how Villanova performs over this next month and a half.  If they continue to play like they did on Monday night against Connecticut, there will be a lot of disgruntled Wildcat fans.  However, I really do not foresee another debacle like that where there was virtually no energy, no passion, no adjustments, and no intelligence.  Practice this week could not have been fun, as Jay Wright must have let some steam out with the goal of getting his team re-focused on the task at hand.  Although a very tough schedule lay ahead, there is no reason to expect this team will not rebound.  One of the hallmarks of Wright’s teams over the years has been to come back with a solid game after a loss.  I expect nothing less this Sunday at the Pedersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.  With a long way until that contest though, here are some interesting articles/video clips to get you through the week.

-All-Access with referee Tim Higgins  (have a feeling this article has sparked some emotion from Big East fans) 

-Andy Katz’s Daily Word: Committee criterion still in eye of beholder

-Forde Minutes: 40 names, games, and minutiae making news in college hoops

-Villanova Video Clips from CSN Philly (this link will take you to the video page for Comcast SportsNet…click on the SPORTSNITE tab and the clips are from 2/15)

Not only did Villanova have to deal with mother nature over the weekend, but they also faced two of the best teams in the country on the road in a matter of 60 hours.  Like I said prior to the Georgetown game, I would have signed up for 1-1 over this stretch.  The Wildcats obliged with the win at West Virginia, and they get a solid 4 days off before a nice pair of home games against Providence and Connecticut.  Before we start focusing on the upcoming contests, let’s wrap up the game from last night.

-Postgame Quotes

-Villanova rallies from Georgetown loss, beats West Virginia

-Villanova beats West Virginia on the road

-Reynolds leads rebound victory for Villanova

-Andy Katz: Quick hitters from around the country

-Jay Wright’s interview with Mike Francesa

WFAN is my favorite sports radio station by far, and Mike Francesa is the best of the best.  One of the things Francesa touches on with Wright is the possibility of expanding the NCAA Tournament to include more teams.  Wright is in favor of a 96 team tourney, but Francesa brings up some good points to not expand the field; he mentions that regular season games will be less exciting, because in theory, it will be easier to make the big dance, so the regular season contests won’t mean as much.  I, for one, agree with Francesa and do not believe the tourney should be expanded.  There are only a few teams at most every year that get snubbed, which is part of the excitement of Selection Sunday.  Even some very mediocre teams get in the field, so there’s no reason to let 32 more average teams get in.  Anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

It doesn’t get much better than this-a 3 day weekend, the NFL Divisional Playoffs (huge game Sunday for my NY Jets), and two Big East college basketball showdowns (Syracuse at West Virginia and Georgetown at Villanova).  Both of these hoops games are featured on Rivals’ “Five games to watch this weekend” and ESPN’s “Weeklend Watch.”

Mike Huguenin, a Rivals’ editor, on the Hoyas-Cats contest: 

This is the first game in a four-game stretch in which the Hoyas play three times on the road: against ‘Nova, Pitt and Syracuse. Yikes. Villanova needs to be worried about stifling Georgetown big man Greg Monroe. Georgetown has two top-notch guards; Villanova has about, oh, 23 or 24.

Dana O’Neil, ESPN contributor, is also psyched up for the game at the Wachovia Center:

OK, I’ll be there, so I’m being selfish. But this classic Big East battle always is good entertainment, and with the way both teams are playing — Villanova won the foul fest at Louisville and the Hoyas topped Connecticut – I doubt it will disappoint this time around. Against the Wildcats’ deep backcourt, Austin Freeman is going to have a much more difficult time going for the unconscious 33 he put up against the Huskies, but Villanova will have its hands full contending with Greg Monroe.

Furthermore, Jay Bilas breaks down this matchup in depth in the ESPN “Weekend Watch,” so take a look at that for some additional opinion and analysis.  Lastly, Andy Katz spoke with Jay Wright in the latest edition of “Katz’s Korner,” but I can’t give you a preview of that since my computer at home is not working properly at the moment.  If someone gets to watch the video, please discuss it in the comments, so we all have an idea of what it’s about. 

I will be at the game on Sunday, and I believe Chris and Jamie will too.  Usually, the best ‘Nova tailgating goes down at the end of the Wachovia Center farthest away from Citizens Bank Park.  If you see us down there, come say hello and we can hype up the Cats while having a few beers.

In college football, you got Texas-Nebraska, Cincinnati-Pittsburgh, Florida-Alabama, and for the Nova Nation, Villanova-New Hampshire.  In pro football, there’s Titans-Colts, Cowboys-Giants, and Vikings-Cardinals.  Finally, in college hoops, Kentucky plays UNC and undefeated St. John’s travels to Cameroon Indoor to face Duke.  To say the least, there are big games galore this weekend.  Hopefully, people don’t forget about another important game with Villanova men’s basketball traveling to the Verizon Center to take on Maryland in the BB & T Classic.  ESPN’s Andy Katz and Jay Williams, and Rivals’ Mike Huguenin, definitely are not overlooking this Sunday night contest.  As one of Katz’s “must-see games,” he writes:

The Terrapins didn’t show all that well in the Maui Invitational and had to gut out a road win at Indiana earlier this week.  Villanova is clicking without many issues.  The Wildcats got inspired play out of Antonio Pena in their drubbing of Drexel on Wednesday night.  This is virtually a home game for Maryland in the BB&T Classic.  The Terps desperately need this more than Nova — Maryland could use something to wave its flag about prior to the ACC season.  And a win here would do just the trick.

Furthermore, ex-Blue Devil, Jay Williams adds:

We’ve all seen Maryland pull off the big upset before.  This past February, eventual champion North Carolina rolled into the Comcast Center on a 10-game winning streak.  But what the Heels didn’t know was that before the game, Greivis Vasquez changed into his Superman suit. He put on a spectacular show.  He led his Terrapins team to an upset with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. But we’ve yet to see the real Vasquez this season.  He’s shooting just 32 percent (28.6 percent from 3).  Will this game be his return to glory?  No. 3 Villanova is far from invincible.  George Mason took the Cats to the wire, and so did Dayton.  The crowd will be behind the Terps at the Verizon Center in D.C., and it should make for a great, tournament-like atmosphere.

Lastly, Mike Huguenin lists Cats-Terps as one of his “weekend 5 to watch,” stating:

Villanova is 7-0 and has as talented a backcourt as any team in the country.  The Terps are 5-2, with losses to Cincinnati and Wisconsin.  This is the Terps’ last chance to get a marquee non-conference win.  It will be fun watching Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez against what likely will be a revolving door of defenders that Villanova throws at him.

Although Maryland has been subpar up to this point in the year, I’m still nervous about this game.  When I made my predictions, I picked this game as the lone nonconference game Villanova would lose.  Maryland is reeling a little, which means there is some desperation, and they have been known to put up some great performances against elite teams in the past.  You’ll have to wait until Pick ‘Em on Sunday to see if my mind has changed on this one.  Nonetheless, a great sports viewing weekend culminates with a crucial showdown down in the nation’s capital. 

Each week throughout the college basketball season, ESPN provides an in-depth analysis of the most recent top players and teams, key games to look forward to in the respective week, and much more.  In the latest edition, Andy Katz mentions Villanova in a couple of different spots.  Katz gives “shout-outs” to Miami (Malcolm Grant is noted), Seattle, and the Wildcats of Villanova.  Katz says about Nova:

The Wildcats won the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic.  They were tested quite a bit in three days and came through to show they can be an elite team.  Those wins against Dayton and Ole Miss — maybe even the tight one versus George Mason — will look just fine in March.

Although Villanova did gut it out to post an impressive championship in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic, it was another Big East team that stood as the “team of the week.”  As you may have guessed, it was Syracuse, who demolished California and North Carolina at Madison Square Garden in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.  Indeed, the Orange did look good in NYC, but it is too early to start crowing them Big East champions, which I have heard from some people. 

The Cats get a nice break this week, with 5 full days of no games.  Their next game is against an improved LaSalle team on Saturday at the Pavilion.  Katz points this game out as one of his “headline destinations.”  LaSalle would love nothing more than to give Villanova a blip on their current Big 5 dominance.  Katz says about the matchup:   

La Salle is supposed to be a sleeper team in the A-10.  Villanova is off to a solid start after escaping against George Mason.  If La Salle wants to be taken seriously in the Big Five this season, knocking off Nova would suffice.  If the Explorers get smacked, it will be hard to take them too seriously.

I agree with Katz’s assessment that the Villanova victories in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic will be resume builders come tournament time.  George Mason shoud contend for the CAA title, just like Dayton will be a threat in the A-10, and Ole Miss will be solid if they can improve their rebounding.  This will probably be my last post until after Thanksgiving, so I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday. 

ESPN writer Andy Katz and Scouts Inc. National Director of Recruiting Paul Biancardi completed a very thorough break-down of the ACC today.  While covering key offseason stories, important players, and primetime freshmen, they also discuss 10 non-conference games they “can’t wait to see” this year.  #6 on the list represents the Maryland Terrapins vs. the Villanova Wildcats, which will take place on December 6th down in Washington D.C. at the BB&T Classic.  Katz, on the game:

The highlight matchup of the BB&T Classic will be Greivis Vasquez versus Scottie Reynolds at the point.  But both teams will want to push the ball and get after each other defensively.  The Terps are a trendy pick for a top-four ACC finish, while the Wildcats should be the Big East favorite.

Other ACC-Big East matchups that Katz points out are Duke at Georgetown (date TBD) and a potential classic if Duke and UConn both make it to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-Off (Nov. 27th).  With the ACC being analyzed today, one would think that the Big East is next on the list so stay tuned.

Remember that soft nonconference schedule Villanova played last year?  Not so much this year.  Personally, I would rather take a few lumps early in the season, if it means being better prepared down the stretch.  Any thoughts?

In the latest post to his blog, Andy Katz lays out 50 guys who could make the initial list for The Wooden Award, which is given annually to the nation’s most outstanding basketball player. Katz lists Corey Fisher among his 50 players to watch, but goes even further with Scottie Reynolds, ranking him 9th out of his Top 15 players for the award.

“9. Scottie Reynolds, Villanova — Reynolds made the shot of the NCAA tournament with a layup against Pitt. If he leads the Wildcats to the Big East title, he’ll be in play.”

…To be fair, we ragged on Katz pretty bad last season, but he slowly grew on us as the year went on after basically refusing to admit we even had a team at the beginning of the year…we forgive you Andy…

…A little shocked Fisher is on this watch list, but then again he really came on strong at the end of last year and he’ll be in the spotlight this year…you never know what can happen…

…As for Scottie, he’s had such a crazy career…unstoppable as a freshman…’down’ by our standards as a sophomore and then part of a Final Four team as a junior…although that team was more about the senior class than him…

…So how does it all end for Scottie?…I hope well…he’s one of my favorite players, even if he does catch it harsh sometimes from ‘Nova Nation…I think a John Wooden Award and a Nat’l Title would sew up his place in the ‘Nova Hall of Fame, don’t you?…

It’s already August, which means only a few more months of me having to endure the misery known as the New York Mets, but more importantly, only a few more months until the college hoops season.  One person who is ready for college basketball year round is the infamous Dick Vitale.  Today, he released his rankings of the top 40 teams for the upcoming season.  Villanova fell in at #7, with Vitale saying,

Jay Wright had to be thrilled when Scottie Reynolds said no to the NBA and came back to the Big East.  Wright has a super class coming in, plus Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes among the returning talent.

Vitale wasn’t the only ESPN contributor posting rankings today, as Andy Katz came out with his top 25 teams.  Katz rated the Wildcats more favorably than Vitale, with a ranking of #4.  Katz says,

Corey Fisher and Scottie Reynolds and a highly touted newcomer class means the Wildcats are the pick to win the Big East.  Losing Dante Cunningham hurts, but Jay Wright has this program rolling.  There won’t be a dip.

Although it may seem far away to you, the college hoops season is drawing nearer and nearer.

Depending on work, I am going to try and get to the “Attitude of a Champion” showing tomorrow night at the Connelly Center.  If I do, stay tuned for my reaction.  I will try not to spoil anything though. 

As the summer rapidly progresses along, we draw closer and closer to the college basketball season.  Today, Villanova learned their Big East home and away opponents for the upcoming season.  Also of note, Villanova will play West Virginia, Marquette, and Georgetown twice, both home and away. 

Without a doubt, Villanova has one of the toughest schedules in the Big East, and Andy Katz agrees with this assessment.  He says,

Already you can see Villanova will have the toughest slate in the Big East if the predictions hold up.

Additionally, Katz breaks down some of the early tournaments, such as the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which Villanova will participate in.  Another ESPN writer, Pat Forde, ranked his most recent top ten rivalries.  Villanova-Pittsburgh comes in at #5 on Forde’s list.  Forde, on why the rivalry is hot now,

If you saw that memorable East Regional final last spring, you know why. Scottie Reynolds snatched away Pitt’s first Final Four in eons with a last-second drive, giving Nova a leg up in the Pennsylvania hoops hierarchy. It also gives the Wildcats a leg up in what many people believe will be the Big East rivalry of the next decade as Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon turn down other jobs and become even more entrenched. Nova could be the favorite to win the league this season, with Reynolds pulling out of the draft and returning to potentially haunt Pitt again. And even after losing the guts of a great team, you cannot discount the perennially competitive Panthers.

The rivalry will continue to heat up as the Wildcats have to travel to Pittsburgh this year to face the Panthers.  Pitt always plays well at home, as the atmosphere is always great for college basketball, but tough for road teams to play in.  We are curious to hear your thoughts on Villanova’s Big East opponents or the Villanova-Pitt rivalry.

Villanova junior guard Corey Fisher has been selected to participate on the United States team for the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia.  Fisher joins 11 others on the 12-man squad, which will be coached by Wisconsin’s Bo Ryan.  It was thought that Fisher may have a tough time making the team, because Kansas’ Sheron Collins was practically a shoe-in at point guard, which meant that Fisher had to compete with Penn State’s Talor Battle and Arizona’s Nic Wise.  Collins backed out a couple of days ago due to family reasons, opening the door for Fisher and Battle to make the squad.  According to ESPN’s Andy Katz,

No one associated with the selection was overwhelmed by the point guard position with Collins out, but Battle and Fisher are expected to suffice, considering the talent at every other position.

The team’s schedule in the Games is as follows: July 3rd vs. Finland, July 4th vs. South Korea, July 6th begins the 2nd round, July 9th begins the medal round, July 11th is the finals.

Do not underestimate the experience that Fisher will gain in this tournament.  Playing against foreign players is a very difficult task, but a very worthwhile one nonetheless.  Fisher will only get better by playing against some of the best players in the world.  Congrats to Corey.