With today’s victory, Villanova’s senior class of Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi now have 100 total wins for their careers. They hold the all-time record for Villanova.
…When I heard this all I could do was smile…so proud to be a part of their class and their journey…
If you missed the game, here is the official recap and box score.
Reading that recap from the AP, the very first line stood out to me. When asked by Jay Wright what was so special about this game, Dwayne Anderson replied, “nothing.”
Except that they leave The Pavilion winning streak in tact.
While that’s what Wright probably wanted to hear, in reality you could tell that this game was very special to the 4 man senior class. Anderson was especially good tonight, in his and his classmates final game at The Pavilion. He poured in 19 points and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in limited action as he dealt with foul trouble. It was a memorable last game at home for Dwayne.
His good friend Dante Cunningham matched him with 19 points and 8 rebounds, and added 3 steals of his own. Shane Clark battled the refs all night and ended his night early with just 3 points and 5 rebounds, but I thought he played well when given the chance. Even Frank Tchuisi came off the bench late and hit a free throw. It was a great night for the seniors.
Scottie Reynolds seems to be gearing up for a late season run however. He scored 23 again tonight and added 4 assists and 4 steals. Reggie Redding recorded a career high 11 assists on what I considered an off night before I read that stat line. 11 assists. I’m sorry I doubted you Reg.
Corey Fisher had 13 points and 4 steals and Corey Stokes found his shot and finished with 11. Antonio Pena looked good for spurts. He looks to be coming around at the right time.
If you’re reading all those stats and noticing the steals, it’s not an error. Despite Providence scoring 80 points (Weyinmi Efejuku had 29), Villanova finished with 19 steals in another superb defensive performance.
Yes, they probably let the Friars have a few too many open looks from outside, but Providence got a lot done at the line (20-30) due to some generous calls from the officials. All in all, it was a great effort on defense, and it was especially good down the stretch when Villanova shut the door on the Friars and opened up a 21 point lead.
So with the win, Villanova has officially locked up the double-bye and the #4 seed in the Big East Tournament. That’s huge, and they’ll play next Thursday at 2:30 at Madison Square Garden.
But tonight, it’s time to appreciate what this team did. Despite foul troubles and a lack of student support (please don’t chant N-I-T guys, we’re above that), the team put on a show tonight.
It was tough to watch Dante and Dwayne and Shane walk off the court and give the V sign to the crowd for the last time. But at the same time, being in the same class as them I appreciate all they’ve given to this school, and the standing ovations they got were phenomenal.
We can’t get too sentimental, however. This Villanova team is good, and they are clicking entering the post-season. Gear up ‘Nova Nation, the Big East Tournament is next.
Every Monday or Tuesday night for the last couple of months, Flip & Bailey’s in Rosemont, PA has hosted the radio show Talking Villanova Basketball with Jay Wright. Last night was the final episode.
VUHoops has an update on the final show, during which Jay Wright dropped a huge announcement on the the fans as he let it be known that senior Frank Tchuisi will be joining the staff next year, mostly in a Graduate Assistant’s role.
The 4 man senior class of Tchuisi, Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson were all special guests on the radio show last night.
…As VUHoops surmises, this could be a huge help in acclimating the incoming Mouphtaou Yarou to Villanova…while not from the same area in Africa, it would certainly help Yarou to have a Tchuisi, who is about to complete the college experience…
…As for how Tchuisi will do as a coach, it’s anyone’s guess at this point…but Frank has always brought passion to the team and from some talk I’ve heard is a great leader…so good for him…
The 4 man senior class of Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi are now officially the all-time winningest class in Villanova basketball history after notching their 96th win tonight.
…Very proud to be in the same graduating class as them…all 4 of them have meant so much to this program and this is a great honor for them to have…let’s get to AT LEAST 100 boys…
If you missed the game, check out the recap and the box score.
"Walter at the Altar: High Mass!"
The score isn’t the prettiest thing that we’ve ever seen, but honestly, who cares? On ‘Senior Night’, Villanova delivered as a team with a win. Yeah, some things could have been better, but all I really cared about was sending the seniors out on a high note with a win over lowly Rutgers.
Scottie Reynolds led the way tonight with what I thought was a quiet 21 points. He was effective and efficient from the field, although he did most of his damage from the charity stripe (10-11). Seniors Dante Cunningham (12 and 6), Dwayne Anderson (8 and 6), Shane Clark (6 and 2) and Frank Tchuisi (2 fouls in the opening 45 seconds), all got the start and all gave us some last memories in The Pavilion. It’s tough to think about Villanova without those 4, but luckily there are (hopefully) many games left to be played.
The bigger story tonight was the play of the super-sophs, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes. Fisher played with such confidence, running a great offense when he was in the game. He finished with 14 points, 3 assists, and most importantly, no turnovers. His classmate Stokes was really feeling it tonight, finishing with 17 points on 5-7 shooting from downtown. When Stokes shoots it like that(and believe me, he shot a few very contested 3’s), the offense becomes so much more dynamic. He’s that good of a shooter where he should be taking 6-8 shots from long range a game.
On Rutgers side, I don’t know. Greg Echenique is either severely overweight or his jersey is 3 sizes too large. I don’t see the hype. Mike Rosario is another story. He reminds me of former Rutgers star Quincy Douby. He can pull up from anywhere and let it fly, and make it look smooth. He’s still young and finding his way, but he’ll be good.
Other than Rosario, however, Rutgers is pretty empty. Anthony Farmer had a pretty good game, but he’s a senior and on his way out. Hamady N’Diaye is big and athletic but goofy and looks lost. They hung around and hit some jumpers, but they don’t strike me as a program on the way up, which is odd considering the area they are in and the talent that is available.
I’ll always have love for Fred Hill for what he did for ‘Nova, but he’s in over his head at Rutgers. He could be fired at season’s end, which is a shame. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, especially a former Villanova coach. Stay strong Freddie.
It a little weird tonight. I’m not sure if it was because I was likely watching my last game in The Pavilion from the student section or what, but the game seemed to pass me by. It wasn’t the strongest performance of the year, but the game just never seemed in doubt, even when ‘Nova was losing briefly in the 2nd half. I don’t know. Maybe it was just the ‘Senior Night’ aspect, maybe not, but I’ll have more on that tomorrow. Enjoy tonight. It’s good to get back to winning ways.
I got to thinking today about Dwayne Anderson’s probable absence for Friday’s game at West Virginia, and what the consequences could be. On the surface, he’s not the #1, 2, 3 or even 4 scoring option, and his defense is good, but not anything the team can’t compensate for. But losing him means going to a 7-man rotation on the road in a tough place to play against a good team, which isn’t good, especially when he is considered a frontcourt player.
Will Anderson's absence expose 'Nova's depth issues?
Then I started to think about what the greatest weakness for this team is. They’ve got the outstanding guards on offense, a legitimate offensive threat down low (for the first time in a while), and they have defended spectacularly well in the post despite the perceived lack of depth and size. They are killing it from outside right now and Corey Fisher has suddenly put it all together and has given Villanova a player that can get into the lane and cause havoc.
So really, what it comes down to in my mind is the depth issues, and the ability to defend the perimeter. Villanova’s lack of depth hasn’t reared its ugly head yet. In fact the only instance I can think of is Dante Cunningham’s foul troubles at UConn, forcing Frank Tchuisi into the game mid-1st half. But even then Villanova was taking it to the Huskies.
So in my opinion, Villanova’s greatest weakness has been perimeter defense. It’s been a struggle for a couple years now. Teams always seem to shoot well from beyond the arc against us, and the “star” guards just seem to have their way. For example, in 3 of Villanova’s 4 losses this year, they have been destroyed by the opposition’s backcourt.
That’s really ugly. Now, in fairness, Corey Fisher has been dynamite on defense lately, but even in the wins vs. Syracuse and Marquette, it felt more like Villanova just couldn’t be stopped rather then them shutting down the opposition. Jonny Flynn and the trio of Marquette guards still found sucess against Villanova.
So in my opinion, if Villanova is going to really continue moving forward, they are going to need to improve the perimeter defense. I know that they trap a lot and have to compenstate down low, but teams are having too much success with their guards.
What does everyone else think? Leave your comments below and we’ll talk about it.
It’s no secret that Villanova has a dangerously thin frontcourt. Dante Cunningham is playing his way into a 1st team All-Big East selection, but after that, what is there? Transfers by Andrew Ott and Casiem Drummond have left just Frank Tchuisi in the “true” frontcourt player category.
We need more of this!
Many Wildcat fans had hoped that Antonio Pena would take a huge step foward this season. We knew what Cunningham was going to bring night in and night (and really, nobody could have projected the season he’s having). But what was Antonio Pena going to do? And after the transfer of Drummond, his development became even more essential.
To date, it has truly been a mixed bag. Pena is averaging 7.7 ppg and 6.5 rpg, which are very good numbers in Villanova’s offense for a clear cut number 2 frontcourt option. But if you’ve really watched the games and not just looked at the stats, his performance has been somewhat frustrating at times.
He puts up 14 and 8 vs. Louisville, but it should have been more like 20 and 12 with all the missed free throws and missed rebounds. He has the ability to disappear for a game; Monmouth, St. Joe’s and Marquette he went scoreless. And he has the ability to put up big numbers; 14, 13, and 12 points against Louisville, St. John’s and UConn, respectively.
He’s stronger than he thinks he is, he’s just as athletic as Dante or Dwayne Anderson, and he’s got some good offensive skills. In my mind, he just hasn’t put it all together yet. The missed dunk at UConn comes to mind. The missed free throws at Louisville. The traveling violations, the bad passes. It’s always something.
But today, I felt like I saw a different Antonio Pena. A confident one. Sure he didn’t have the best stat line (6 points on 2-7 shooting and 1 rebound) but he was actively looking for his offense. I know that I, and several other people, are always yelling at him to tear the rim down instead of gently laying it in. And in fairness, he needs to be better about that. But today, he pumped faked, dropped stepped and delivered a thunderous dunk early in the game.
THAT is the Antonio Pena that Villanova needs. I think he’s coming around and we’ll be seeing more of the good Pena, especially as he realizes that he’s it. There is nobody else behind him. It’s up to him to take control of this situation. So carpe diem Antonio. I know you will.
