I Bleed Blue and White

UPDATE: Goodman has upgraded Villanova to #8 after some of the ‘Nova faithful let him have it in the comments section. Still not high enough to warrant praise from me.

The usually reliable Jeff Goodman has me completely puzzled on his latest post. In his list of the best backcourts in the country, he lists Villanova all the way at #10. Goodman on the Wildcats:

Reynolds and the rest of his backcourt mates don't have the hype of some others.

“That’s a lot of talent and depth for Jay Wright & Co. Reynolds has the experience, and Fisher needs to mature in order to become an elite floor leader. Stokes can really shoot the ball, and both Cheek and Wayans have tons of potential.”

It should be noted that Goodman did not include Reggie Redding in his analysis. Why? I have no idea. He’s going to miss 10-12 cupcake affairs before conference play, which is what really matters. Bad oversight by Goodman.

…This is a putrid list…UCLA is ranked above us, and they have absolutely zero backcourt experience, and this is after we took them to the woodshed last year…really I could realistically debate everyone outside of Michigan State and Kansas, because everyone else Goodman seems to assume that freshman are going to be stars (except for ‘Nova it seems)…

…Anyways, I read this and it confused me at first, before I really read the whole thing and it angered me…

…Discuss…

No, I do not believe that. Especially not after Jon Scheyer spent the majority of this beatdown complaining to the refs instead of doing anything of actual significance. But, at least one man believes that the aforementioned Dookie is better than Villanova’s own Corey Fisher. On to the links…

No word on if he was yelling 'rape!'

• Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News would be the man who inspired this post. Not to mention that he left Greivis Vasquez off the list completely. Sheesh.
• The Philadelphia Inquirer talks with Brian Lynch about his wife’s comeback to win the US Open.
• Jeff Goodman of FoxSports says Jay Wright is his choice for the top recruiter in college hoops. As Goodman points out, Wright probably does the most with the least to sell. Personally, bring home Mike Gilchrist and I’ll agree with Goodman.
• ZagsBlog reports that Memphis wants the SEC first, and the BIG EAST if that doesn’t work out. A Rutgers-to-Big 10 and Memphis-to-BIG EAST scenario is posed. Personally, I wouldn’t miss the them.
• The NCAA Tournament is returning to Philadelphia for the 1st and 2nd rounds in 2013. So you can officially mark 3 BIG EAST games down at The Wachovia Center instead of the usual 5 that year.
• Gary Parrish at CBSSports thinks the National Champion will have one of impact freshman. Considering we have at least 3 that look to play a big role, that bodes well for us.
• Villanova 2011 target Tony Wroten Jr. tore his ACL playing football, and will be out for the basketball season. We’ve still got love for you Tony. Get well soon.
• Curtis Sumpter will be playing for BCM Gravelines in France this year after playing for fellow French team Chorale de Roanne last season.

…In all honesty, I love seeing basketball becoming more popular throughout the world, and I love how both Sumpter and Ray are still playing professionally, and doing quite well…keep it up boys…

Take notice, Villanova freshmen. Josh Hewitt of FoxSports doesn’t think that highly of you, listing none of you in his list for the Top 20 impact freshman for the coming season.

Not to disrespect anybody on the list (I sure as heck never got a scholarship to play a sport), but I fail to see how anyone from a consensus Top 3 recruiting class isn’t going to have an impact on a Top 5 team. Especially when there is a lot of PT to be had.

Dominic Cheek, Isaiah Armwood, Maalik Wayns and Mouphtaou Yarou: you now have some added motivation. Prove ‘em wrong.

Jeff Goodman of FoxSports just released his Top 20 transfers for the upcoming season, and a couple of familiar names are on the list. Goodman lists Taylor King at #13 on his list, which includes 7 players who are transferring into Big East schools.

“Taylor King, 6-7, 225, F, Soph., Villanova: The former Dookie will give the Wildcats a perimeter shooter.”

One spot ahead of King is where former Wildcat Malcolm Grant resides. You’ll recall he transferred to Miami (FL) following what I thought was a solid freshman campaign. Grant saw the writing on the wall though, and left for greener pastures.

“Malcolm Grant, 6-1, 185, G, Soph., Miami: After hardly playing at Villanova, Grant will start at the point for Frank Haith and the ‘Canes.”

…There are a lot of questions surrounding King and how he’ll fit in Jay Wright’s system…nobody is denying he can scorch the nets, but he’ll be relied upon to do some of the heavy lifting in the post as well…

…As for Grant, I wish him all the best…I loved him in his short time with us…who can forget that LSU game…he’ll do well in the ACC…