I Bleed Blue and White

Is it really that easy to get suspended these days or maybe it’s just too hard to follow rules?  Who knows, but today, Pittsburgh suspended redshirt junior Gilbert Brown for the fall semester due to academic problems.  So let’s see, that’s Joe Mazzulla (WVU), Darryl “Truck” Bryant (WVU), Reggie Redding, and now Brown to add on to the list of Big East players being suspended at one point or another.  Most of these players are upperclassmen as well, but evidently, they don’t get it.  In fact, Brown was honored after the season with one of the Pitt team awards.  No, this is not a joke, but he actually received the “Academic Excellence Award” after last season.  Academic excellence leads to suspension for academic reasons.  Interesting.

Overshadowed by DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Levance Fields last year, Brown was expected to step up and be a key cog for the inexperienced Panthers this year.  Pitt’s nonconference schedule is not incredibly difficult, but is certainly no cakewalk.  They play Iowa in late November, Wichita State and/or Texas in late November, and Indiana in early December.  Brown will be eligible for reinstatement on December 20th, just before Big East play begins.

Added by Chris:

…You may also know this man as the guy that Scottie elevated over for the game winning shot in Boston last year…for more on the suspension, check out Pitt Blather’s reaction…

I rewatched the win over Pittsburgh for the first time tonight, and I can’t tell you how enjoyable it was. Not only to see the game from a different angle, but you just pick up on so much more than when you are there. At the game, I was an out of control lunatic screaming and jumping and cheering. I couldn’t analyze what was happening at all. Now I finally can. Here are some more thoughts.

• With 12 minutes left in the 1st half, Shane Clark had outscored Pitt 9-8. I cannot overstate how huge he was early in the game. His three triples deserved a Puuurrreee call from Gus Johnson. None of them touched the rim.
• With just over 8 minutes left in the 1st half, Sam Young scored to get Pitt within 5. Jay Wright immediately called timeout. Great job there to stop things before Pitt made a huge run.
• We did not shoot well at all, and still put 78 points on Pitt, and won. I’m very, very impressed by that.
• We stopped attacking the rim near the end of the first half, and that is why we were losing at the half.
• Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery did a phenomenal job calling this game, although I thought the last play could have been better called.
• At the game, I thought Sam Young killed us. After watching him play, he destroyed us. We harrassed him, double teamed him, poked him in the eye, stepped on his toes, everything. He was just that good.
• I will not miss Levance Fields, Sam Young, and possibly even DeJuan Blair at all. Good luck to them, and good riddance. I hated playing them. They are freaking good.
• Corey Stokes made one three, but it was a big one.
• Dwayne Anderson was ice cold all night, and then came up huuuuuuuuge down the stretch.
• The last play will be played for years and years. I’ll never forget that moment. It was pure heroics by Reggie Redding, Dante Cunningham and most of all Scottie Reynolds.
• I love this team.

(Note: This is more than likely going to be the longest thing I have ever written on here. So if need be, print this one out and take it to “the office” or a place where you can sit back, relax, and relive the memories.)

As I drove back to Villanova this morning, I was listening to Evan Roberts and Joe Benigno on WFAN. Benigno repeatedly used the phrase “one of the all-time great games” to describe Villanova’s monumental win over Pittsburgh to send the team to the Final Four. Every time he said that, all I could think of was that this was one of the all-time great weekends. If you were lucky enough to be there, it was special. And even if you weren’t, and you were at one of the various alumni functions, or just on your couch, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life.

My weekend started on Thursday morning when I left Villanova, picked up Liz at Newark Airport and proceeded up to Boston. We got into town around 4:30, picked up our tickets at 5:30. and headed over to The Greatest Bar, where ‘Nova alums gathered. Not knowing we needed to register for this event, we weren’t allowed in, and instead headed next door to DJ’s and grabbed a few drinks. A few hours later, we got into The Greatest Bar, and that is where the night really began.

We began to meet up with friends, whether they were current students, recent graduates, our friend’s fathers, and alums we’d never met. It was out of control. Everyone was buzzing about the game and the atmosphere was flat-out incredible.

With about 20 minutes to game time we headed over to The Garden and found out seats, which were about 5 rows from the court behind the basket. We had been talking about this all night, but the Thursday night crowd felt like it was 80-20 in ‘Nova’s favor. The fans were everywhere. We ourselves had a great section of Villanova fans, and Boston fans in general who just wanted to see us knock the snot out of Duke.

The crowd, including an amazing student section in the upper tank, was out of control all game. It felt like we were at home, but better. Villanova home crowds rarely get that wild, much less when we’re on the road. But ‘Nova Nation came out in droves and took over Boston all weekend.

Anderson loved the beatdown of Duke (AP/Winslow Towson)

Despite our proclamations all week that we were going to kill Duke, I have to admit the nerves set in as the opening tip was thrown into the air. But a monster dunk by Dante Cunningham set the tone for the night — we were not going to lose. Our defense swarmed the Dukies all night. They looked like they had never seen anything like that. At one point a Celtics fan behind me remarked, “They don’t just look scared. They are legitimately afraid to do anything.” And it was true.

Duke, led by fearless Jon Scheyer couldn’t muster the courage to take the ball into the lane. Maybe they had seen our dismantling of UCLA and feared for their lives, but I’ve never seen a team look like a deer in headlights like the Blue Devils. Gerald Henderson and Kyle Singler, two players who were lauded all week, were taken completely out of the game. With about 10 minutes left, I yelled out, “It’s over!” to the delight of everyone around me except for Liz, who slapped me and was convinced I had jinxed us.

But it didn’t matter, that game was in the bag. With each play, the crowd got louder. We could feel it. When it was over, we went wild. About two rows in front of us, our friends Ted, Thomas, Keith and Brian had been going ballistic all game. I posted it before, but as Brian continually belted out,”There’s something special about this team!” you could begin to feel the people in the arena really starting to believe it.

At Hurricane O’Reilly’s after the game, it was a party. We were living the dream. But in the back of our minds we knew a greater challenge awaited us. We weren’t going to get a soft scared team on Saturday night. We were going into the trenches for a war.

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When Saturday morning rolled around, even more people had come up to Boston. For whatever reason, be it work or other obligations, nearly everyone knew some other person or group who was making their way up for what was going to be an epic night.

We were wiser this time around, opting to register for the alumni pre-game reception. There was such a big turnout on Thursday that the Boston Alumni had to rent out a 2nd bar to host everyone. We made it to Hurricane O’Reilly’s at about 3:45, and were greeted with 100 people standing outside ready to start the festivities.

What occurred in that bar was nothing short of spectacular. Alumni of all ages, as well as current students, and even future Wildcats began to party like we had already won. People offered toasts, cheers, drinks, etc. It was a great afternoon with great people (most of whom I didn’t even know). But the fact that we were all ‘Nova fans brought us all together.

Finally, it was time for the game. I had been saying all morning that I just wanted it to start. I couldn’t wait. And now, it was here. Liz and I made our way down to our seats, and then realized that the pro-Nova section we had on Thursday was completely dominated by the Pitt fans. Damn. No matter, because we’re here and we’re going to make the best of it.

I know that everyone who reads this blog saw the game, so I’m going to skip to the last 4 minutes. This game was a war. That’s really all that needs to be said about the first 36 minutes.

With just under 4 minutes left, and ‘Nova and Pitt trading baskets and stops, Pittsburgh made a mini-surge and built a 4 point lead. The Pitt fans exploded. The ‘Nova fans were stunned. Could this really be the end?

Pitt brought the ball up the court with a 4 point lead. And then the crowd noise rose. Jermaine Dixon had nowhere to go. And then boom! Dwayne Anderson is taking off in the other direction with the ball, and he gets hacked, and STILL manages to lay it in! The Garden was going bonkers. My ears hurt from the noise, and even as I tried to yell as loud as I could, I couldn’t hear myself. It was insanity.

Then another turnover (this time by Sam Young)! Reggie Redding finds a slashing Corey Fisher for the layup! We have the lead back! I’m shaking a random Bostonian next to me, and he is shaking me back.

Pitt scores again, but it’s short lived. Anderson drains a 3 from the top of the key. The building is shaking. Fans from both teams are on their feet and losing their minds. Just 90 seconds left. I’m praying for the clock to move faster, but it won’t. Young jacks up a 3. Missed, but Levance Fields snags the board and dishes it to DeJuan Blair. Blair turns it over! Now the place is really rocking. We can feel it. We’re going to do it.

Corey Fisher steps to the line with under a minute to go. He had a rough first half, but now it’s his time. He calmly drains both free throws. We’re up by 4, and we can feel. And just like that, we’re quickly shut up as Sam Young drills a 3 with Shane Clark draped all over him. I’m upset, scared, angry and impressed all at the same time. What is going on?

Pitt fouls Fisher. He drains both shots again. Does this kid have ice water running through the veins or what? Now we’re up just 3. Villanova isn’t giving up another 3 again. They are pressing at the top of the key. Fields launches a 3 but it’s no good! I’m now about 4 rows from my actual seat just jumping around and going nuts.

The team celebrates the win( AP/Winslow Towson)

Reggie Redding steps to the line. A Pitt fan realizes ‘Nova is perfect from the stripe. “They’re due to miss” he yells out. And he’s right. Redding’s first attempt rattles in and out. It’s okay, just make the next one and make this a two possession game. Redding puts it through.

No 3’s, no 3’s. We’re all screaming. Villanova overplays Fields, who finds a wide open Blair for a layup. Now I’m nervous again. With 10 seconds left, there is plenty of time.

After a timeout, Redding is inbounding the ball. He looks and looks. Nobody is open. Cunningham is streaking down the court. Reggie decides he’s Peyton Manning and launches a home run pass. It’s overthrown, and Pitt is rushing back the other way. Fisher tries to take a charge, but is called for the block. Fields to the line. That kid is a warrior. Before he even steps up I know that both are going in.

With 5 seconds left, ‘Nova Nation is stunned. Are we really going to overtime? Redding with the ball again. He’s looking far down court! Please don’t heave it deep again, Reg. He finds Cunningham, who hands it off to a streaking Scottie Reynolds! This is the Scottie Reynolds who never saw a big-time shot he didn’t like.

He’s in the open court! He’s crashing into the lane and getting hacked by Pitt players. 3 seconds. 2 seconds. He’s starts to rise and gets met by Gilbert Brown.

The ball is at the rim with 1 second left, and it falls through. Don’t ask me what happened next, because I don’t remember. All I know is that I had a random 10 year old boy hoisted over my head. His father didn’t mind at all, and was even jumping up and down next to me.

There was one final heart attack as Levance Fields decided he was going to hoist a 70-footer and miss by 1 foot, but we did it. We’re going to the Final Four!

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The team was rushing the court. Players, coaches and fans embraced. Magic was in the air. The cutting of the nets was something I’d never seen, and it was incredibly special. Nearly all the fans stuck around to witness this piece of history, but the night was young.

We headed back to The Westin at the Waterfront, which just so happened to be the official hotel of Villanova’s trip to Boston. Hundreds of fans gathered in the lobby. Drinks flowed everywhere. You could tell this party was going to go on all night.

After about 45 minutes, and countless cheers whenever the TV’s showed Reynolds’ last shot, a police motorcade approached the hotel. Fans streaked to the front doors. Slowly, chants of “Let’s Go Nova” poured out. And finally, the team entered to cheers even louder than the ones at the game.

Chatting with Rollie was one of the highlights of my trip (AP/Winslow Towson)

Players hugged fans, and fans cried. This felt more like war heroes returning from the battlefield than a basketball team returning from the hardwood, and I guess in some ways, it was.

Jay Wright stood up and thanked everyone for all the support. Dwayne Anderson said it was a night he’d never forget. And finally Dante Cunningham reminded everyone that we had not 1, but 2 more games left to win.

That brought the house down, and then ‘Nova Nation partied all night.

Congrats to everyone everywhere, this was one weekend that we’ll never forget.

Jack McCallum of Sports Illustrated followed Syracuse around for a stretch of games to learn just how tough the Big East can be on the players of a ‘good’ team. MaCallum’s trip showed the struggles that Syracuse went through in road trips to Villanova and UConn before finally pulling out a win against Georgetown last weekend.

“Our bottom teams would be middle to top tier anywhere else in the country, including the ACC,” says Pitt point guard Levance Fields, whose Panthers are ranked fourth behind UConn, Oklahoma and North Carolina in the latest AP poll. “Quality teams like Georgetown and Notre Dame are struggling because of how tough the league is.”

McCallum’s article details the struggles that Paul Harris is experiencing, as well as the growing leadership of Jonny Flynn and how Andy Rautins came here with the knowledge that it would be like this.

…This is without a doubt one of the best articles I’ve ever read…McCallum does a great job of showing how the toughness of this league can way on not only a player, but an entire team…after reading that I have a newfound appreciation for just how well Villanova is playing this year…

…There are som nice shoutouts to Jay Wright and Rollie Massimino in there, as well as come compliments towards Villanova’s toughness in the league…make sure you read this one…

Since we’re getting down to the wire and every game seems to be gaining in importance I’m going to start posting some games to watch for the day, along with how the previous games went. I figure this will be an easy way to keep track of what’s going on in The Big East as well as the rest of the country. I’ll only be doing Big East games, and games that I figure directly relate to Villanova in terms of NCAA seeding. Here’s my first crack at it.

Monday night recap:

Pitt 76, UConn 68 – The Panthers rolled into Hartford, built a lead and kept it for most of the game before UConn began to surge in front late. Levance Fields, who hadn’t made a shot yet, hit 2 enormous 3’s down the stretch to propel Pittsburgh to the big win. The bigger story was DeJuan Blair’s dominance over Hasheem Thabeet. His 22 points and 23 rebounds (compared to Thabeets 5 and 4 effort) probably propelled him into the lead for Big East Player of the Year.

Games to watch for Tuesday:

Maryland at #13 Clemson (7:30, ESPN2) -  The Tigers are coming off a bad road loss to Virginia on Sunday, but remain a threat in the ACC as they are in a dead heat for 2nd place with 4 other teams at 6-4. With a 20-4 record overall, they are one of Villanova’s main competitors for a seed into Philly for the NCAA Tournament. Maryland has struggled to a 5-5 record in the ACC thus far, but they still have strong NCAA Tourney hopes. Greivis Vasquez will lead the Terrapins into Death Valley hoping to secure a quality win.

Seton Hall at Marquette (8:00, ESPN360) – Marquette rebounded from losses to South Florida and ‘Nova with a win over St. John’s, but now face a dangerous Seton Hall team that has given the Big East fits all year. They took UConn to the wire earlier last week and guard Jeremy Hazell and big man John Garcia will look to send Marquette reeling as they head into the final stretch of the season. This is the 2nd of 3 games against teams with losing records before the Golden Eagles close with UConn, Pitt, Louisville and Syracuse.

…As far as Villanova is concerned, it’s safe to say that ‘Nova Nation will be collectively rooting for Maryland and Seton Hall tonight…the game last night was kind of a push, but it’s safe to say that the Pitt victory makes our win over them look better…

Instead of writing up my own thoughts for Wednesday’s clash against Pittsburgh, I thought it to be a good idea to get in touch with someone on the other side. Chas from Pitt Blather and I exchanged questions about the upcoming matchup. Below are his answers to my questions. You can see my responses to his questions here. Thanks to Chas for doing this with me.

Chris (I Bleed Blue and White): Because of injury troubles, Villanova did not see Levance Fields last year. He’s a proven Big East guard that has given ‘Nova trouble in the past. Blair and Young get most of the hype, but just how essential is Fields to the success of Pitt?

Chas (Pitt Blather): Well, much like last year, Fields is the only true point guard on the team. Pitt uses a motion-style offense so a point guard that sees the floor is absolutely vital. Fields, in particular, is invaluable because he doesn’t turn the ball over. His overall A/TO ratio is 3.54 and in Big East play it is 2.84. Pitt is a team that is big on offensive efficiency. Not a tremendous number of possessions, so they have to count.

To summarize, Pitt can’t succeed if Fields isn’t there.

Chris (IBBW): DeJuan Blair struggled offensively vs. Villanova last year. How’s he been doing and will he do more this time around?

Chas (PB): You know, averaging a double-double. Second only to Luke Harangody in that. He’s playing much better, in that he seems more of his teammates and is passing much crisper after getting boards on defense. On offense he is getting to be more consistent.

As far as how he’ll do this time vs. ‘Nova. Well, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him struggled and be hindered by foul trouble. The most effective way to keep him from having a good game — limit his minutes. His worst games have come against teams that slash and attack to the basket. It puts him in a bad position defensively. His worst games in conference play came against Louisville and Rutgers. Both really came at the basket and got him into foul trouble.

I expect that Villanova will be doing some of the same, so it will be a test for Blair.

Chris (IBBW): There are some great matchups in this game, including Reynolds/Fields and Cunningham/Sam Young. What are guys like Wanamaker, Dixon and Biggs going to bring to this game?

Chas (PB): Jermaine Dixon is Pitt’s perimeter defender. He has embraced the idea of being a lockdown guy. He’ll probably draw the assignment of trying to contain Reynolds defensively.

Brad Wanamaker has started to blossom this year. He wasn’t ready for the game last year, but this year has confidence. He’s another guy that figured it out on defense. He’s one of Pitt’s better guys at getting steals and really going after loose balls, I wouldn’t be surprised if he and Nasir Robinson — who has seen his minutes rising the last few games — struggle on Wednesday. Both are Philly kids, so family and friends being there might be a distraction.

Tyrell Biggs is a solid back-up big man. The last few years, Pitt has had a guy that struggled for the first few years then has it all click in his senior year. This year it has been Biggs.

Chris (IBBW): Finally, both teams pride themselves on defense and toughness. How do you see this one ending?

Chas (PB): Well, a game in the 60’s doesn’t seem too strange. I expect a good amount of frustration on both teams at not being able to do as much as they expect to do on offense. It may not come down to a final possesion, but it will come down to the final couple of minutes.

So there you have, Chas sees a Pitt win, and if you check his blog, you’ll see that I forecast a ‘Nova win. In any case, this should be your typical Big East war. I’m very excited for the game tomorrow. I’m going to try and do as many of these as possible in the future, as I think it’s a good way to get a feel for the game and how the other side feels.