I Bleed Blue and White

Lots at stake on the line tomorrow for both Villanova and West Virginia: #8 vs. #9, NCAA Tournament seeding, Big East Tournament seeding, possible revenge for the Mountaineers.  We have been waiting for this game for awhile now.  Below are some articles in anticipation of the big showdown.

-Villanova’s rematch with West Virginia has large implications

-Villanova story awaits final chapter

-Rested WVU to battle Villanova

-Jay Bilas analyzes the matchup as a part of ESPN’s Weekend Watch

I am excited to be going to the game tomorrow, but I read that Gus Johnson is calling the game on CBS, which pisses me off that I won’t be able to hear him on TV.  Johnson and Bill Raftery have the best college hoops voices by far.  If you have never heard Gus’ “Rise and Fire” youtube video, please do so ASAP; it’s flat out awesome. 

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.

ESPN continues their Summer ShootAround series with a look at the Big East. The article, which contains many aspects concerning Villanova, is a great read, so I highly suggest taking the time to sort through it as it really gives you a good feel of what to expect as the conference turns over a new leaf. Below are the Villanova highlights.

Jay Bilas on Villanova, who he ranks as the best team in the conference:

“The Wildcats are a bit younger, but very talented at every position. Jay Wright has guards that he encourages to make plays, and Villanova is versatile enough to attack mismatches on offense and switch every screen on defense. Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes form one of the nation’s strongest backcourts, and all can get into the lane and to the free-throw line. Freshmen Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns can play right away. But making up for Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson will be a challenge.”

Dana O’Neil on Mouphtaou Yarou, who she believes is 1 of 10 key players in the conference:

“How far the Wildcats go may depend heavily on how quickly the rookie big man succeeds. Jay Wright always has been a guard’s coach, and Villanova has no shortage of backcourt talent again this year. But it is not a coincidence that when the Wildcats finally found a talented inside man — Dante Cunningham — they went to the Final Four. If Yarou, with the help of fellow freshman Isaiah Armwood, can make up for Cunningham’s loss, Nova might be busy on the final weekend of the season again.”

John Stovall on Mouphtaou Yarou and Dominic Cheek, both a part of 10 freshman to watch this season:

Yarou – “He’s big, strong and has solid skills. ‘Mouph’ should definitely have an immediate impact. He’s physically ready to play and skilled enough to have his presence felt right away in the Big East.”

Cheek – “He’s talented enough to be an all-conference player. He has to improve his motor, but once that happens he’ll be heading to the next level. Look for Villanova’s two other recruits — Maalik Wayns and Isaiah Armwood — to make an immediate impact as well.

Dana O’Neil on Villanova vs. Maryland, 1 of 10 non-conference games to watch:

“Two of the most exciting guards in the nation, Greivis Vasquez an Scottie Reynolds, square off in the nation’s capital. The Terps, who return just about everybody, are good enough to give Big East favorite Villanova a run for its money.”

Dana O’Neil on a potential Villanova/Georgia Tech matchup in Puerto Rico:

“This is a big if, because the Yellow Jackets would need to knock off A-10 favorite Dayton in the first round (and Nova has to beat always-pesky George Mason), but this semifinal matchup would feature some of the best freshmen in the country: Mouphtaou Yarou, Isaiah Armwood, Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek for Villanova; Derrick Favors and Mfon Udofia for Georgia Tech. Mix in the fact that Tech coach Paul Hewitt, like Jay Wright, is a Rollie Massimino disciple and you have the stuff for a high-level game in November.”

And finally, ESPN’s ‘quick take’ on Villanova:

“Jay Wright is at the point where he is reloading, not rebuilding. The Wildcats bring one of the top recruiting classes in the country, headlined by Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns, to go with the nucleus from the Final Four team. Senior guard Reggie Redding, arrested for marijuana possession, will be ineligible until mid-December. But with plenty of depth at the guard position, Villanova ought to survive without him.”

…The last part about reloading instead of rebuilding has really been a theme around Villanova’s program lately…I love it…I say it everyday but I really wish the start of the season was closer…

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, a personal favorite of IBBW’s, talks with Rece Davis about the underdogs’ chances in Detroit. Bilas discusses what Villanova must do to pull off the upset, citing Villanova’s defense as a key. Davis tries to get Bilas to bite on something at the end. Too funny.

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The ESPN college basketball analysts have teamed up to writed their ‘Weekend Watch’ column, and to no (okay, some) surprise the Villanova-West Virginia matchup is the headlining story. Jay Bilas, who is a huge fan of the Cats, breaks down the game for us. Here’s a sample.

“Key Matchup: Da’Sean Butler vs. Dante Cunningham
Butler is coming off his worst and most frustrating game of the season. He was in foul trouble from the opening tip against Pittsburgh, and fouled out with over five minutes to go. Butler is a tough matchup and has great footwork. In Big East play, he has been at his best, averaging over 20 points per game’. Cunningham may be the most improved “good” player in the Big East. He went from good to great and has played consistently at a very high level.”

Bilas also discusses the ‘X-Factors’, ‘What To Watch For’, and picks a winner of the game (good for you Jay). It’s a great analysis by Bilas, who is the best there is at ESPN in my opinion. Make sure you check it out, it’s a great guide to this weekend’s action.

The newest ‘Power Rankings’ from ESPN also came out today, and the Villanova Wildcats continue to garner national respect as they move up to #9 despite from “hate voting” from a couple of people (who we’ll mention in a second). Here’s what ESPN had to say about Villanova.

“Villanova’s averaging almost 100 points a game over its last three and is within striking distance of the Big East leaders after beating Marquette at home. Dante Cunningham is putting up All-Big East numbers for the Wildcats, averaging 18 ppg during Nova’s six-game winning streak.”

It’s going to be a crime if Cunningham doesn’t get 1st Team status at the end of the year, especially with how he has led this team to where they are today. Unfortunately, the Big East is full of great big men, and I think Cunningham is going to fall just short, which is a shame.

As for the boneheads with an obvious agenda against Villanova, you’ve got to check out the way that Joe Lunardi, and especially Doug Gottlieb voted. Honestly, I think we’ve all come to expect this from Lunardi. He’s got a bad case of little brother syndrome being from down the road at St. Joe’s, so I don’t really mind. (Oh, and if you ever go into a Joe Lunardi chat, ask him why he hates Villanova. His rants where he just goes off on the person asking the question never get old).

But can anyone explain to me how Gottlieb even gets a vote? This is the clown that was kicked out of Notre Dame for stealing his roommate’s credit card and going on a shopping spree that would rival only the kids in The Mighty Ducks. His ballot could mean two things. (1) That he was severely under the influence or (2) he is in fact an idiot like many of us suspect. UConn at #4 (below Pitt)? Wake at#7? Villanova at #14? Pathetic, Dougie.

Jay Bilas, who I thought called a tremendous game last night (a rarity these days) brought up a great point about Scottie Reynolds. Midway through the second half, Reynolds had a couple of really bad possessions on offense. Bilas remarked:

“Scottie Reynolds is getting away from himself. He’s not a traditional point guard. He’s a scoring point guard and he’s forgetting that.”

Personally, I couldn’t agree more. I think part of this problem has to do with the inconsistency of Corey Fisher running the point. Jay Wright probably feels as if the team is best served with Reynolds running the offense, but I don’t think that’s the truth. Case in point, look at Scottie Reynolds’ freshman season. Villanova had a seasoned point guard in Mike Nardi, and you could really make the case that Scottie Reynolds hasn’t lived up to the expectations he put on himself after that year.

In a perfect world, Corey Fisher really grasps the position and Scottie Reynolds can work off the ball, where he’s most effective. I really do believe that Corey Fisher is closer to becoming the true point guard that this team despartely needs, but he’s not totally there yet. The real problem still lies with Reynolds though.

He’s been put (or put himself) in a position where he feels like he needs to be the guy racking up the assists. That’s not who he is and his overall game is suffering because of it. He’s not looking for his shot consistently and because of this, he’s not getting into a good rhythm. He’s not what you’d call a streaky shooter, but he is a guy that when he gets into a rhythm, he’s nearly impossible to stop.

In fairness, Scottie Reynolds isn’t the reason why Villanova is 2-3 in conference play and hasn’t beaten a good team yet. I think Scottie Reynolds has the ability to take this team to the next level however. Villanova isn’t a team with gifted offensive options all over the court. In reality, they have a one frontcourt threat (Dante Cunningham), a 3 point specialist (Corey Stokes), and one established backcourt threat (Scottie Reynolds). Reynolds is a scorer, and everyone else around him will benefit from him remembering that.

We can all live with Scottie having a 4-12 type of night from the field, because it happens to everyone. What Villanova can’t have is Reynolds consistently having 2-5 types of nights, where he’s not even looking for his shot.