I Bleed Blue and White

Lowlights from Villanova’s semi-final loss to Louisville, courtesy of ESPN.

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Here’s the game recap and the box score.

AP/Frank Franklin II

I’m going to be brutally honest right here, and you’ll probably kill me for it. About 30 seconds into the 2nd half, I knew there was no chance we were winning that game. Call it giving up if you want, but I just had the feeling. They were ready to play, and we were not.

We played an exceptional first half, despite all the turnovers and missed opportunities. We were committed to defense first, which is what we should have been. At the beginning of the 2nd half, the team looked disinterested in defending. And it was all downhill from there.

Down by 8 at the break, Louisville outscored Villanova by 22 after the break en route to a statement win (and one that probably locked up a 1 seed for them).

So where did things go wrong? For one, Scottie Reynolds picked up right where he left off yesterday. Against Marquette he had a great first half, and then disappeared. He was clearly bothered by the pressure tonight, but it’s not an excuse. He’s very good, and should be able to handle that.

Dante Cunningham started off on fire, and then disappeared himself, although in my mind that’s on Jay Wright. He was abusing Samardo Samuels and Greg Jennings in the first half. Then we ignored him. Not sure why, because he was having a great game.

Corey Fisher had 14 points but 6 turnovers in a game that made you think he hasn’t quite arrived yet. Corey Stokes looked like he had never seen a press before.

On Louisville’s end, they just decided to stop driving against Villanova. The Wildcats continually picked their pockets in the first half, so the Cardinals adjusted and started to make good passes and drain open shots. Jerry Smith and Andre McGee absolutely killed ‘Nova after the intermission from the outside.

The most frustrating part of all though was Louisville’s press. It’s not that good. Yes, they play with intensity and in your face. But come on. We’re loaded with guards and none of them could handle it. That’s not good. We played lazy and stood around while Louisville was all over the place. That was the difference.

In the end though, it’s okay. Selection Sunday can’t come soon enough. Did we do enough for a 3 seed? Yes. Did we do enough to land in Philly? A 14-point loss on national TV does not help, that’s for sure. I’ll talk more about that later. Don’t stress over this game though. The NCAA Tournament is what is important, not the Big East Tournament, although this feels like a gut-wrenching loss right now.

The Game: #10 Villanova (26-6, 13-5) vs. #5 Louisville (26-5, 16-2)

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Broadcast: ESPN and ESPNHD

Brief Rundown: Villanova narrowly escaped Marquette after blowing a 16 point halftime lead. They’ll need to play a more complete game to beat the Cardinals. Louisville made it look easy against Providence. Earl Clark and Samardo Samuels imposed their will against the undersized Friars en route to a 73-55 win.

The last time these teams met, it was an ugly game. Louisville ended up taking the win 61-60 after Villanova could not convert multiple free throw opportunities down the stretch.

3 Keys to Victory:

1. Take care of the ball – Louisville loves to use the full court press and they have had great success with it, leading to many easy baskets. Villanova should have the guard play to handle it, but Corey Fisher and Scottie Reynolds will need to play under control. They can’t afford to constantly turn it over.
2. Defend the perimeter – The Cardinals have a plethora of guards and forwards who act like guards. Villanova held Louisville to 3-25 from beyond the arc last time out, which was a big reason why they were able to climb back in the game. Earl Clark can get jump shot happy, even though he’s so tough inside. Force Louisville to take ill-advised shots.
3. Play through the pain – After a tough game with Marquette, it’s going to be natural for Villanova to be tired and sluggish. But this team thrives on grit and determination. They love scrapping and clawing. That’s what this game will end up being about. Louisville is flashy. Villanova works hard. Outwork them and see the rewards in the end.

Links:

• Nova News
• VUHoops
• Lets Go Nova
  
• Card Chronicle
  

…Lets Go Nova…what’s everyone think about the game tonight?…

Even though the final score was 83-74, this game was a lot closer. DePaul led for much of the 2nd half and for a while it really seemed like they were going to pull off the upset.

It wasn’t meant to be though. Providence began to force some dumb mistakes from the Blue Demons with their press and closed out the game in the end. Sharaud Curry finished with 25 for the Friars and Weyinmi Efejuku had 23 in the victory. For DePaul, Will Walker finished with 31 and Dar Tucker had 30 and 8 rebounds. They didn’t get any sort of help from their teammates though.

Providence now moves on to face Louisville tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. The Friars are still squarely on the bubble, and because Butler lost to Cleveland St. last night, there is one less at-large spot available.

Many people believe that the Friars could still get in even if they lose tomorrow, but a win all but punches their ticket to the dance.

Lenn Robbins of the New York Post discusses the upcoming Big East Tournament in his latest article. Robbins provides predictions for what’s to come this week in Madison Square Garden. Robbins, a Villanova-friendly writer, picks Villanova to win it all by beating Marquette, Louisville, and finally Syracuse in the finals.

“Dante Cunningham, the Post’s Most Improved Player in the league, caps a remarkable run and wins the Dave Gavitt Trophy. Villanova, the league’s free throw shooting team (73 percent), wins the game at the line where ‘Cuse is a lame 64 percent.”

Robbins also talks about some sleepers that could make some noise, as well as Mike Francesa’s interview with Jay Wright.

…The Post is by far my favorite paper, and I love how Robbins isn’t afraid to take a dig at Francesa, since everyone else in NY seems to think he’s a God or something…anyways these are some fun predictions and a good light read…

With the season finales taking place in the Big East yesterday, the seeding is finally set for the Big East Tournament, which begins play on Tuesday. Below is the schedule of games.

Tuesday March 10

• 12:00 p.m. – #9 Cincinnati vs. #16 DePaul
• 2:00 p.m. – #12 Georgetown vs. #13 St. John’s
• 7:00 p.m. – #10 Notre Dame vs. #15 Rutgers
• 9:00 p.m. – #11 Seton Hall vs. #14 South Florida

Wednesday March 11

• 12:00 p.m. on ESPN – #8 Providence vs. Cincinnati/DePaul
• 2:00 p.m. on  ESPN – #5 Marquette vs. Georgetown/St. John’s
• 7:00 p.m. on ESPN – #7 West Virginia vs. Notre Dame/Rutgers
• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – #6 Syracuse vs. Seton Hall/South Florida

Thursday March 12

• 12:00 p.m. on ESPN – #1 Louisville vs. Providence/Cincinnati/DePaul
• 2:00 p.m. on ESPN – #4 Villanova vs. Marquette/Georgetown/St. John’s
• 7:00 p.m. on ESPN – #2 Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia/ND/Rutgers
• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – #3 UConn vs. Syracuse/Seton Hall/USF

Friday March 13

• 7:00 p.m. on ESPN – Semifinal #1
• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – Semifinal #2

Saturday March 14

• 9:00 p.m. on ESPN – Big East Championship Game

You can also go to VUHoops if you want to see the bracket.

…It’s just amazing that this is now a 5 day tournament…and I can’t help but laugh when I see Notre Dame and Georgetown seeded that low…who would have thought?…

…Anyways, I like our draw…I’d bank on Georgetown beating St. John’s after they just lost to them…that won’t happen twice…Georgetown-Marquette should be a pretty good game…and then I like our matchup with either a wounded and reeling Marquette or a revenge matchup with the Hoyas…

…Also like a potential revenge game with Louisville, gosh we should have won that game!…

As part of Yahoo! Sports, Rivals.com writer Mark Huguenin has projected the NCAA field. As he notes, his analysis is not how it would look if the season ended today. In his article, Huguenin says Villanova will land a 2 seed (which would most likely put them in Philadelphia).

“The buzz: Louisville has lost two of its past four, but the Cardinals are in good position to win the Big East. Michigan State is 8-1 vs. teams in the RPI top 50, and a strong finish keeps the Spartans in the hunt for a No. 1 seed. Villanova has the third-best RPI in the Big East (ninth) and could win out in the regular season. Duke’s lack of an inside presence has manifested itself: The Blue Devils have lost four of their past six. Still, Duke is hoping to be able to play in Greensboro, N.C., in the first and second rounds.”

It’s important to note that he has UConn and Pittsburgh receiving #1 seeds, Louisville getting a 2 seed and Marquette receiving a 3 seed. Clemson and Wake Forest are also marked for 3 seeds.

…I don’t love ‘Nova’s schedule as much as Huguenin does, because there are some very dangerous games…but the possibility to win out is certainly there…At this stage, it’s almost not about what seed we get, because I think we’re pretty solid for a Top 4 seed, or at worst a 5…as much as it is finishing ahead of 2 of Duke, Clemson and Wake…

…I’d sign up for a 2 seed right now though…sheesh…

Man, I really hate these long layoffs. I love watching college hoops, don’t get me wrong. I can sit down and watch just about any game, but having not watched ‘Nova since last Friday is starting to get old. Thursday night, please come quickly. As for last night, things didn’t go as we hoped, but you can’t win them all.

Tuesday night recap:

#13 Clemson 93, Maryland 64 – I watched this game and Maryland scrapped with Clemson for most of the 1st half, but Clemson just demolished them after the break. Trevor Booker had 14 and 11, but it felt more like 25 and 22. He was all over the place. Clemson is a dangerous team. They shoot it well and they are fast and athletic. The 2nd half showed just how good Clemson can be, but their performances still vary too much from night to night.

#11 Marquette 79, Seton Hall 67 - This game was close and Seton Hall was actually winning at the half, but they couldn’t stop Marquette in the 2nd half. They did a nice job containing Jerel McNeal, but Wesley Matthews and Lazar Hayward burned them at opportune times. This would have been a nice upset that would have really helped Villanova.

Games to watch for Wednesday:

Providence at #7 Louisville (7:30, ESPN2) – Louisville rebounded nicely from the whooping that Notre Dame handed them last week by blowing out lowly DePaul by 45, but now comes another threat. Providence has now won two in a row and is searching for a quality win. A win at Freedom Hall would almost certainly get the Friars into the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday. The Friars will struggle against Louisville’s frontcourt, however, so their best chance is to win a shootout.

Georgia Tech at #8 Wake Forest (7:30) – Georgia Tech is in last place in the ACC with a 1-10 record. It’s an embarrassing season for them, but their lone victory was over the Demon Deacons. Wake is struggling to find consistency and will look to avenge their awful loss to Tech earlier this year. They are in a battle for the 2nd place spot in the ACC, and cannot afford another bad loss.

…Between me and everyone who reads this, I really don’t think that Providence or Georgia Tech have a prayer to win tomorrow…of the two, I think Providence is more likely, and I’ll spend some time watching that game…Louisville’s guards aren’t terribly special and the Friar guards have an advantage there but I don’t see anyone on PC that can match up with Samuels, Clark or Williams…

…As for Tech, they already did the unthinkable once this year…don’t count on it happening twice…

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…

Mark Schlabach and the ESPN Bubble Watch have officially welcomed Villanova into the “lock” category of the bubble watch. ‘Nova joins fellow Big East teams UConn, Pittsburgh, Louisville, and Marquette.

Say hello to Villanova, which becomes the fifth Big East team to earn “lock” status by blasting Marquette 102-84 at home on Tuesday night. Say good-bye to Notre Dame, which becomes the country’s most disappointing team with a seven-game losing streak and 3-7 mark in Big East play. If Georgetown doesn’t turn its season around quickly, it will join the not-so-Fighting Irish on a growing list of underachievers.

I know a lot of ‘Nova Nation has been calling for Villanova to be considered a “lock” since the Syracuse win, but the win over Marquette really sealed the deal. And to be honest, I don’t like the term lock. What if ‘Nova loses out? They aren’t going dancing. But hey, it seems like people have noticed the Wildcats’ great play and now consider them among the Big East elite, which is good enough for me for the time being.