Yet another major snowstorm approaches the Northeast this weekend, threatening numerous sporting events across the nation.  Regardless of the weather though, the showdown between Georgetown and Villanova at the Verizon Center on Saturday is most likely going to happen.  It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that Washington D.C. will get slammed by almost 2 feet of snow.  Georgetown officials obviously know this, and they are still saying the game is on, so there’s no reason to believe they would posptone the contest at this point.  If you still plan on attending the game, kudos to you, but be prepared to use a mode of transportation other than the Metrorail.  Furthermore, while the entire East Coast will be experiencing a virtual white-out this weekend with the snow, Georgetown fans may try to gray-out the arena.  Not really sure how well that is going to work, considering the Verizon Center will be well under full capacity.  Anyways, please be careful if you are traveling this weekend.

I’ll leave you with some interesting articles surrounding Villanova and the Big East:

-Wildcats living up to lofty expectations

-Big East coaches, including Jay Wright, want a bigger NCAA Tournament

Before we talk about the road ahead, let’s put a bow on the Seton Hall game.  Unfortunately, I did not get to see the game last night, as I had a basketball game of my own, although I did listen to the second half on the radio.  Since I missed the Cats in action, I resorted to a bevy of internet sites to get me caught up on Nova hoops.  Below are some of the things I delved into. 

-Villanova vs. Seton Hall AP Recap

-Villanova vs. Seton Hall Box Score

-Villanova vs. Seton Hall Postgame Quotes

-Reynolds Scores 2,000th Point in Win

-Jay Wright and Adam Zagoria’s Bet

-Villanova Has Championship Feel

-CSN Philly Quick Villanova Basketball Clips  (this link takes you to the CSN Philly video page…click on the SPORTSNITE tab and there is 1 clip from January 31st discussing a possible #1 ranking and 1 clip from February 2nd relaying Scottie reaching 2,000 points)

9 Big East regular season games down, 9 to go.  A perfect start in conference has everyone salivating about what this team could accomplish, but as we all know by now, the second half of the schedule is much tougher than the first.  I never like to look too far ahead, much like the Cats always seem to focus on the “next game,” so I’ll only take a quick glance at a very important game in a few weeks.  The showdown with Syracuse should be a doozy, and the hype is already starting, as the Carrier Dome is sold out and an attendance record will be broken in the process.  But… 

Again, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because over a 2 and a half day span this weekend into next week, Villanova will play road games against #7 Georgetown and #6 West Virginia.  As I ask in the title, is a loss on the horizon?  In my opinion (and I think I may take some heat about this from you Cat fans), I would be very content to come out of these next 2 games at 1-1.  Could the Cats win both?  Sure.  Could they lose both?  Easily.  In the end, coming out of this 2 game stretch with a win and a loss would be solid.  I want to hear what you think, though; would you be ok with 1-1 come Tuesday morning or is 2-0 the only option?

My apologies for the lack of posts.  Being in New York City really took a lot out of me, and the Jets lost, so I’m not in the greatest mood.  Anyways, here are some links to get the week started.

-Villanova vs. St. John’s Postgame Quotes

-Maalik Wayns Receives Big East Rookie of the Week Honors

-ESPN’s Weekly Watch

-Joe Lunardi’s Updated Bracketology

-Wildcats Climb in the New Polls

-Villanova Feels Right at Home in NYC

I will be at the game on Wednesday at the Wachovia Center, so let me know if you plan on attending.

This is always a weird couple of weeks in terms of operating a blog. From whenever the last game before Christmas is, til the New Year, nothing really happens for Villanova basketball. In fact, sometimes I forget I even care. So if you were wondering why you haven’t heard from me in a week or two (I pretty much shut it down after the Fordham game), that’s why.

But hey, BIG EAST basketball (really, one of my favorite seasons – not just for ‘Nova) has already started. Seton Hall ( a dangerous, dangerous team) almost knocked off West Virginia last weekend and Saturday marks the conference opener for our Wildcats. Time to flip the switch back on and jump in the foxhole for the meatgrinder of a conference we play in. And with that, let’s take a look at each our our foes, and what may lie in store for us.

(Note: These are ranked in approximate order of difficulty, and is no way a prediction of finish.)

Syracuse Orange (12-0) – Absolutely the surprise team of the year. We all had them pegged as a middle-tier team, but that was mainly because of the LeMoyne disaster, and because we didn’t know how good Wesley Johnson was. He’s easily the most impressive player in the conference so far. They’ve got a good win (North Carolina) and two wins that look less impressive now (Cal, Florida). They also haven’t left the state of New York yet. Their one “road” game was vs. UNC at Madison Square Garden. But they’ve looked good.

West Virginia Mountaineers (10-0, 1-0) – They’ve got a lot of talent, but they haven’t looked as dominant as they should. They almost blew it at Seton Hall before winning in OT, and Devin Ebanks hasn’t exactly been all there this season. They’ll need better play out of their guards if they want to go far, but their height and length will give a lot of teams problems. And I’m pretty confident saying they won’t lose in Morgantown this year.

UConn Huskies (9-2) – Very talented, but very young and are still learning to play together. The guards are some of the best in the conference, but the frontline is raw and there isn’t a ton of depth. They’ll be scarier later in the year once they begin to gel. Their two losses were to Duke and Kentucky, not exactly anything to be ashamed of. Then again, they’ve struggled mightily with teams they should be cruising past, which is a little something to be worried about if you are Jim Calhoun.

Georgetown Hoyas (9-1) – They have the best big man in the conference in Greg Monroe, who is finally starting to realize his potential, but I’m not sure how much else they have. Just seems like a lot of role players in a system that is tough to play against if you aren’t ready for it. The wins against Washington and Butler are nice, but the loss to Old Dominion is a head-scratcher. They aren’t going to be challenging for the conference title, but nobody is going to want to play them all year.

Cincinnati Bearcats (8-3) – You all have heard about Lance Stephenson, who even I have to admit is starting to look like a semblance of a teammate. But the bigger story is the rest of the team, led by Deonta Vaughn and Yancy Gates. They’re big, physical, and flat-out better than their 3 losses in my opinion. Let’s just say I’m not stoked about having to play at their house late in the year. They’ve lost to Gonzaga and Xavier in OT, as well as UAB on the road. The last one is the only one that makes you curious.

Seton Hall Pirates (9-2, 0-1) – I’m not sure what I’m less shocked by: Jeremy Hazell going off for 41 points against West Virginia or Bobby Gonzalez going light on the punishments. Either way, these guys are good. I have them pegged in the Top 6, but I’m starting to waver a good bit. They lost to the aforementioned Mountaineers in OT and Temple (I’m going to shut up now).

Pittsburgh Panthers (11-2, 1-0) – Definitely going to be a down year for these guys. New set of core players, but same old gritty, grind it out mentality under Jamie Dixon. Another team I wish we were playing at home. Started off the conference slate by easily handling DePaul. They’re tough, and they’ll win a few they shouldn’t because of that. But that loss to Indiana is going to look really, really bad when they’re on the bubble later this year.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-2) – Same thing as always in South Bend. Live and die by the 3-ball and Luke Harangody, and defense is completely optional. We’ve learned this is par for the course under Mike Brey. They’ll knock off a few big boys because of Harangody and their shooting a few times, but their will many more nights like Loyola-Marymount.

Marquette Golden Eagles (9-3) - Ahh, our first opponent (more on them tomorrow). Lazar Hayward and Jimmy Butler have stepped it up in production in the wake of all those seniors who left. They scored a couple nice wins over Xavier and Michigan but then lost to the only other 3 real teams they played after that (Florida State, North Carolina St., Wisconsin). Hayward will carry them as far as they go. Playing them twice in the first week of the conference season is not cool. Then again, getting them out of the way early is kind of cool.

Louisville Cardinal (9-3) – Frankly, they’re a mystery. They lost to UNLV in late November and then the wheels fell off in consecutive losses to Charlotte and Western Carolina. Samardo Samuels and Edgar Sosa are the main inside-out combo, but man, these guys really miss Earl Clark and Terrence Williams. I’m not sure even the great womanizer Rick Pitino has enough to get these guys to the top of the BIG EAST.

St. John’s Red Storm (10-2) – Much better than the last few versions of this team, but who knows if they have enough to really make some noise. They did play Duke and Cornell (not your typical Ivy) tough in close-losses, and scored a nice win over Temple (again, I’m sick). They’re definitely on the upswing.

South Florida Bulls (10-2) – Still sticking with them for a big jump. Gus Gilchrist and Jarrid Famous are a mean pair inside and Dominique Jones can fill it up from his guard spot. Their arena can sometimes feel like a morgue, which is why at least one of the powers will fall there just like Marquette did last season. Be glad we get them at home this year.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-3) – They haven’t exactly been beating the brakes off of the weak teams so far, but then again they gave UNC a decent fight last night in a loss. As a friend put it to me yesterday, Mike Rosario can fill it up as fast as Scottie Reynolds can, but it might take him 20+ shots to accomplish. Verdict: he’s a chucker.

Providence Friars (8-4) – One of my favorite teams to watch when I randomly bump into them on TV. Keno Davis lost too much experience to make a tourney run, but that hasn’t stopped the fun ‘n gun offense out in Rhode Island. The 110-97 victory at George Washington either gave Friars fans an erection or caused irreparable emotional damage. Head on over to FriarBlog to comment on that.

DePaul Blue Demons (7-6) – Enjoy your last days of +.500 basketball Demon fans. What started out as a nice outlook has quickly hit the skids as of late. After barely losing to Tennessee, they went on a bad stretch against some real teams, with the stretch mercifully ending with a loss to Florida Gulf Coast. I’m got my man Brian at VUHoops researching whether this is a real college or some local boys from the YMCA.

So there you have it, just a quick look at what the other guys have been up to as the conference season (for us, anyways) opens this weekend. I have to say I’m mildly surprised at the pretty outstanding OOC records for some of the bottom feeders. Down year? Think again.

One of my favorite things to do is read the quotes from the postgame press conferences following each game.  The script was not available for last night’s postgame press conference at the Palestra, but the following articles provide some reactions from both teams. 

• “Villanova outlasts Saint Joseph’s in Big 5 rivalry” by Mike Kern
• “Against Villanova, Saint Joseph’s hangs around, for 40 minutes” by Dick Jerardi
• “Reynolds, Villanova turn back Saint Joe’s” by Terry Toohey

By the way, there are 16 undefeated teams in Division I basketball currently.  Not surprisingly, 5 of these teams are from the Big East, including Villanova (9-0), Syracuse (8-0)-who is playing Florida right now, Seton Hall (7-0), Georgetown (7-0), and West Virginia (6-0).   

It’s true that not one Big East team has lost yet  (pending tonight’s games of Louisville-Arkansas, Marquette-MD Eastern Shore, DePaul-Columbia), which you may think should be the case up to this point, since the opponents have been generally very weak.  I thought at least one team would have slipped up though by now.  Regardless, there have been some very close calls for a handful of Big East teams, including some of the upper-echilon teams.  Below are the games that have kept the conference undefeated.

-Wofford up 13 early in the second half on Pitt, but the Panthers squeaked it out 63-60

-Seton Hall, on a Eugene Harvey 28-footer at the buzzer, upending St. Peter’s 53-51

-Cincinnati defeating Prairie View A & M 69-62, after trailing by 8 at halftime

-Georgetown’s Greg Monroe hitting a layup with 6.5 seconds to play to edge Temple 46-45

-Red Storm of St. John’s barely holding on to down St. Bonaventure 69-68

-DePaul’s first game is tonight against Columbia, so they have not had a chance to lose yet

Although nothing to write home about, still nice to see the Big East on the winning side of each game.  Anyway, who do you think will be the first Big East team to lose a game this year?  The only Big East team in action tomorrow is Cincinnati at home vs. Toledo.  Maybe DePaul tonight? Could it possibly be Villanova in Puerto Rico?  My bet is on Syracuse, who plays Cal in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament at MSG on Thursday night and then, either Ohio State or North Carolina. 

Whenever a team loses upperclassmen to graduation, someone else has to step up.  For Villanova, that someone is Scottie Reynolds.  This may seem obvious, but with the suspension of Reggie Redding, Reynolds has everyone looking up to him for guidance, which Terry Toohey of the Delco Times points out.

Jay Wright on Scottie’s leadership thus far:

He’s a tremendous leader.  He’s like an NBA veteran.  That’s how much respect he has.  Everyone on the team looks up to him and Scottie takes that responsibility serious.  I was away one day in September and I called him up to see what was going on.  He was in the video room with our freshmen going over our defensive concepts.

Reynolds, discussing that specific day:

That was just something I felt I had to do.  We were doing all these things on the court that they had never seen before so I decided to take them up and show they what we were trying to do.  I showed them the Duke game (from the NCAA Tournament).  We weren’t perfect in that game.  We made mistakes, but we worked hard and we did it together.  That’s what made that group so special.  We knew we were going to work hard and work together.

Reynolds will certainly be a focal point for both teams tomorrow night, as the young Wildcats will be looking to feed off Scottie’s experience, while the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights will definitely try to prevent a big scoring outburst from the senior guard.  Scottie will be a key in just about every game this season, and ESPN’s Andy Katz can’t wait to see Reynolds against Maryland, as this is one of his “25 games you’ll want to see” this year.  Katz also looks forward to the big showdown with the Mountaineers in early March at the Wachovia Center. 

Dec. 6: Villanova vs. Maryland, BB&T Classic (FSN): Villanova is probably overrated, while Maryland isn’t getting enough publicity.  This game in Washington D.C., matches Scottie Reynolds against Greivis Vasquez in one of the better playmaker games.

March 6: West Virginia at Villanova (CBS): The top two teams meet for, perhaps, the Big East title in the last game of the season.  The Big East schedule makers got this one right, just like Pitt and Connecticut last season. 

Overrated according to Katz?  To each their own.  We’ll just have to wait and see. 

Expert bracketologist Joe Lunardi returns for the 2009-2010 campaign with his initial breakdown of the field of 64.  As we all know, this means absolutely nothing, and this bracket will look very different come March.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, Villanova is ranked as a 2 seed in the East (Syracuse) region.

There were a few things that caught my eye right away in terms of the Big East.  First, I don’t think Marquette will be challenging for a bid this year, as Lunardi has them as “one of the first four out.”  Losing Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Mathews is too much to overcome this year in my opinion.  In the “next four out” Lunardi has Cincinnati.  No, this program has not had much success since the Bob Huggins era, but this year’s team has a good chance to make the tournament and even be a decent seed.  They bring back a good nucleus to go along with freshman phenom Lance Stephenson.  Lastly, Pittsburgh was given an 8 seed.  I think Jamie Dixon is a great coach and always admire the toughness of the Pitt teams, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Panthers on the outside looking in.  No doubt, though, they will be very well prepared and play each game extremely hard.

We will see how it unfolds over the course of the season.  The excitement continues to build as we head towards Friday night and the Fairleigh Dickinson game.

Added by Chris:

I do not like Joe Lunardi one bit, and frankly I am surprised to see him give us this kind of respect this early on. I think we would all sign up for a 2-seed right now, especially with the inexperience of some of our team. That projection is entirely dependent on a lot of guys growing up fast.

As for the other Big East projections, I agree that I have a tough time seeing Marquette in the at-large mix. Hayward is a great player but too many new parts to go along with not much experience. If Jimmy Butler can become a go-to-guy though, they could sneak in. Cincinnati is a near lock for the tournament to me. Too much talent. I actually think Pittsburgh will be higher than an 8 seed. Whenever they are highly-rated they underachieve (last year is a good example) and whenever people think they are rebuilding they tend to exceed expectations.

They went to the Final Four last year, so they should return this year.  They have one of the best recruiting classes in the country, so they should be one of the most talented teams this year.  The Big East is weaker this year, so they should be right at the top by season’s end.  These statements have been heard and seen throughout the offseason.  Of course, everyone wants to see another magical season, but it’s not going to happen overnight and no group knows that better than the 2009-2010 Villanova squad. 

As Jay Wright puts it:

How do we handle it?  We’ve got to do what we always do.  It sounds boring, but we’ve got to understand that this is a new team.  This isn’t the team that went to the Final Four.  That’s not a bad thing, but this team has to prove themselves.

Scottie Reynolds adds:

If we can just fight human nature, and stay humble and hungry and focus on the little things that will create big opportunities for us, I think everything will work out.

With the big expectations for this season, there are flaws nonetheless.  Rivals analyzed the biggest flaws of the country’s elite teams.

Jason King on Villanova:

The graduation of Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark has left the Wildcats thin in the frontcourt, where Antonio Pena is the only returnee with significant experience.  Pena averaged 5.1 points off the bench last season.  Villanova is hoping for big contributions from 6-foot-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou, who is expected to start at center.

Mike Huguenin on the Cats:

If coach Jay Wright could enact a rule saying teams can’t have anyone taller than 6 feet 4, I’d bet he would do it.  The Wildcats will have one of the best – if not the best – backcourts in the nation. But the frontcourt is a monster question.  If some freshman big men don’t come through, the Wildcats will finish third or fourth in the Big East.

Don’t freak out by Huguenin’s comments of finishing 3rd or 4th in the Big East.  If they finish 3rd or 4th and end up making a deep run in March and April, I’ll take that all day.  First thing’s first though: Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday.

Thursday night, Villanova plays Kutztown in an exhibition at the Wachovia Center.  For me, this is when the season starts, as the Wildcats will face a team other than themselves in front of a live audience for the first time since the loss to North Carolina.  Sure, official practice started a few weeks ago, but in reality, they are basically practicing year round, so the upcoming exhibition represents the keynote address for the 2009-2010 Villanova Wildcats.  Anyway, here are some “things you already know” articles as we draw closer to the Kutztown contest. 

• Jeff Borzello, a NBE basketball blogger, talks about the season of great expectations for Villanova basketball
• Rivals breaks down the #4 team in their Preseason 347: the Villanova Wildcats
• Rivals breaks down the supposed weaker Big East