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’s seriously hard to believe that we are two and a half weeks away from the regular season finale, three and a half weeks until Selection Sunday, and just four weeks away from the start of the NCAA Tournament.  The college basketball season really does fly, so we need to enjoy what’s left of it.  Obviously, the level of enjoyment will depend on how Villanova performs over this next month and a half.  If they continue to play like they did on Monday night against Connecticut, there will be a lot of disgruntled Wildcat fans.  However, I really do not foresee another debacle like that where there was virtually no energy, no passion, no adjustments, and no intelligence.  Practice this week could not have been fun, as Jay Wright must have let some steam out with the goal of getting his team re-focused on the task at hand.  Although a very tough schedule lay ahead, there is no reason to expect this team will not rebound.  One of the hallmarks of Wright’s teams over the years has been to come back with a solid game after a loss.  I expect nothing less this Sunday at the Pedersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.  With a long way until that contest though, here are some interesting articles/video clips to get you through the week.

-All-Access with referee Tim Higgins  (have a feeling this article has sparked some emotion from Big East fans) 

-Andy Katz’s Daily Word: Committee criterion still in eye of beholder

-Forde Minutes: 40 names, games, and minutiae making news in college hoops

-Villanova Video Clips from CSN Philly (this link will take you to the video page for Comcast SportsNet…click on the SPORTSNITE tab and the clips are from 2/15)

Not only did Villanova have to deal with mother nature over the weekend, but they also faced two of the best teams in the country on the road in a matter of 60 hours.  Like I said prior to the Georgetown game, I would have signed up for 1-1 over this stretch.  The Wildcats obliged with the win at West Virginia, and they get a solid 4 days off before a nice pair of home games against Providence and Connecticut.  Before we start focusing on the upcoming contests, let’s wrap up the game from last night.

-Postgame Quotes

-Villanova rallies from Georgetown loss, beats West Virginia

-Villanova beats West Virginia on the road

-Reynolds leads rebound victory for Villanova

-Andy Katz: Quick hitters from around the country

-Jay Wright’s interview with Mike Francesa

WFAN is my favorite sports radio station by far, and Mike Francesa is the best of the best.  One of the things Francesa touches on with Wright is the possibility of expanding the NCAA Tournament to include more teams.  Wright is in favor of a 96 team tourney, but Francesa brings up some good points to not expand the field; he mentions that regular season games will be less exciting, because in theory, it will be easier to make the big dance, so the regular season contests won’t mean as much.  I, for one, agree with Francesa and do not believe the tourney should be expanded.  There are only a few teams at most every year that get snubbed, which is part of the excitement of Selection Sunday.  Even some very mediocre teams get in the field, so there’s no reason to let 32 more average teams get in.  Anyone have any thoughts on this topic?

Yet another major snowstorm approaches the Northeast this weekend, threatening numerous sporting events across the nation.  Regardless of the weather though, the showdown between Georgetown and Villanova at the Verizon Center on Saturday is most likely going to happen.  It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that Washington D.C. will get slammed by almost 2 feet of snow.  Georgetown officials obviously know this, and they are still saying the game is on, so there’s no reason to believe they would posptone the contest at this point.  If you still plan on attending the game, kudos to you, but be prepared to use a mode of transportation other than the Metrorail.  Furthermore, while the entire East Coast will be experiencing a virtual white-out this weekend with the snow, Georgetown fans may try to gray-out the arena.  Not really sure how well that is going to work, considering the Verizon Center will be well under full capacity.  Anyways, please be careful if you are traveling this weekend.

I’ll leave you with some interesting articles surrounding Villanova and the Big East:

-Wildcats living up to lofty expectations

-Big East coaches, including Jay Wright, want a bigger NCAA Tournament

The 2009-2010 college basketball season has officially started.  Numerous teams held their respective “Midnight Madness“ (or some variation)last night.  As you all know, Villanova will celebrate the the new campaign with Hoops Mania next Friday night, October 23rd.  In effect, it is time to focus on the task at hand: reaching the NCAA Tournament this year.  Last year’s Final Four run was unbelievable and truly something people (including myself) will never forget, but the time is now to close the book on 2008-2009.  Jay Wright and his team agree, as Dan Gelston of the Associated Press found out.  As Wright puts it,

We’re doing all the Final Four things now.  Then we’re going to say, ‘That’s it.’  Let’s get fired up about ‘09-’10.  Let’s put it behind us.

Scottie Reynolds adds,

It’s kind of like the closure of the Final Four thing.

In addition to the Wildcats getting things underway, the rest of the Philly-area teams have begun official preparation for the upcoming season.

Jay Wright took some time to talk to KYW-1060’s Ed Benkin about his participation in the Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser, as well as his thoughts on the NCAA Tournament.

…I agree with Wright that the crowd can turn on a favorite fast in the NCAA Tourney, but playing at home, I think there will be more than enough Wildcat fans to offset that phenomena…

According to a report from the Philadelphia Daily News, Villanova’s 1st round game with American will begin at 7:20 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game will be carried by CBS and will be broadcast by ESPN-950 AM.

…Thanks to Brian and kmac for the news…

The Selection Show is tonight at 6 p.m. ET on CBS, but there isn’t going to be any drama this time around. One year ago, we were all glued to our TV screens as we anxiously awaited the teams to be announced. We had no idea if Villanova’s name was going to be called, or what our seed would be.

When it was finally announced — #12 Villanova vs. #5 Clemson — it felt like we had just hit a buzzer beater. Some friends and gave the fist-pump and exchanged high-fives, and then let out a deep sigh of relief.

Not this year though, and I’ve got to say, I like this feeling a lot better. We’re definitely in the tournament field, so all that’s left is to find out who we’ll be playing and where the game will take place.

Michigan State lost yesterday, which is a result that pushes us back into the Philly pod if you check out Jerry Palm’s latest bracket. For what it’s worth, Joe Lunardi still has us in Philly as well.

I’ve felt like we’re a lock for a #3 and Philly since we squeaked by Marquette, but it is more comforting to see other people out there (especially Palm) think the same. Now I’m really just hoping that our draw is going to be favorable. I’ve already gotten to the point where I realize that we are going to be in North Carolina and Oklahoma’s bracket for whatever reason (and if we aren’t, all the better), so I’m just hoping for a couple lighter games en route to the Sweet Sixteen.

I’ll be doing some updates as the Selection Show happens tonight, but I’m sure you won’t need them as you’re already on the couch for the next 8 hours like me.

I’ve been looking around this morning trying to get a feel for where we will eventually end up in the NCAA Tournament. Looks like I’m not the only one who feels like we’re a 3 seed. Joe Lunardi’s latest bracket has Villanova as a 3 seed in Philadelphia. Lunardi has us playing Binghamton, who are playing UMBC in the America East Conference Tournament Championship. After that, we’d play the winner of Arizona and Penn State.

Likewise, Jerry Palm’s bracket has us as a 3 seed, but not in Philly. Palm’s latest bracket has us in Miami playing Buffalo in the 1st round, with a matchup with either Xavier or Maryland in the 2nd round.

Like I said, I feel we’re a lock for a 3 seed. It really just depends on where we end up playing our games. I’ve read some chatter that with a BET win tonight, Syracuse could get a 3 seed and steal our spot in Philadelphia. That would be a load of crap if you ask me considering we beat them twice this year, but stranger things have happened.

The biggest threat to playing in Philadelphia is Michigan State. If Michigan State wins the Big 10 Tournament, they could possibly find themselves as a #1 seed. Right now we’re assuming that North Carolina and Pittsburgh are locked up as #1’s. UConn, Louisville (they have to win tonight) and Memphis are also in play. If Michigan State loses, they’ll be a #2. Same with Louisville. But if both win, they both have a strong case.

North Carolina will play in Greensboro, and UConn will play in Philadelphia whether they are a #1 seed or a #2. Pittsburgh will be in Dayton. But if Michigan State gets a #1, they could be sent to Dayton, thus sliding Louisville to Philadelphia (although I still think the Spartans go to Minneapolis regardless). But the scenario is out there.

When our name is called, I’m still confident we’ll be in Philadelphia. But I’m a little more nervous than I was yesterday.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports takes a stab at projecting the tournament field. Currently, he has 9 Big East teams making the tournament, including Villanova:

1. Pittsburgh (Auto-Bid, #1 seed)
2. Connecticut (#1 seed)
3. Georgetown (#4 seed)
4. Louisville (#2 seed)
5. Marquette (#3 seed)
6. Notre Dame (#6 seed)
7. Syracuse (#5 seed)
8. Villanova (#8 seed)
9. West Virginia (#10 seed)

Palm believes that right now, Villanova is headed for an 8 seed, and on the surface I tend to agree with him. Villanova finished Big East play with 9 wins last year and was awarded a 12 seed as one of the last teams in. Right now, Villanova is 2-3 in conference play with very few “easy” games left to play. Villanova hasn’t had any bad losses yet, but they are going to need to beat a few solid Big East squads if they want to solidify their position for the tournament.