I Bleed Blue and White

Mark made his schedule predictions a few days ago, and now it’s time for Brian do the same. Check out his early predictions for the schedule. We’ll revisit them for each game in the season. Brian, Mark and I drew games out of a hat to comment on, and the games Brian got he commented on below. He’ll be by to chat in the comments section so don’t be afraid to yell at him for those predicted losses!

Game #1: Villanova vs. Fairleigh Dickinson

-Winner: Villanova

Game #2: Villanova vs. Penn

-Winner: Villanova

Game #3 (O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Classic): Villanova vs. George Mason

-Winner: Villanova

Game #4 (O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Classic): Villanova vs. Dayton/Georgia Tech

-Winner: Villanova

Game #5 (O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Classic): Villanova vs. TBD

Winner: Villanova

Game #6: Villanova vs. LaSalle

-Winner: Villanova

Game #7: Villanova vs. Drexel

-Winner: Villanova

Game #8 (BB&T Classic): Villanova vs. Maryland

-Winner: Maryland

Game #9: Villanova at St. Joseph’s

-Winner: Villanova

Game #10: Villanova at Temple

-Winner: Villanova

Game #11: Villanova at Fordham

-Winner: Villanova

Game #12: Villanova vs. Delaware

-Winner: Villanova

Non-Conference Thoughts:

All in all, a relatively soft non-conference schedule for the ‘Cats, although definitely tougher than in recent years. The Big 5 should be weak this year with the loss of Dionte Christmas (Temple) and Ahmad Nivins (St. Joseph’s). Although you never known in these Big 5 games, I think Villanova will go undefeated in the series yet again.

Two tests will come in the form of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Classic and the BB&T Classic. The first pre-season tournament, specifically the second round matchup with Dayton/Georgia Tech could be tricky. This will be a different atmosphere for the ‘Nova youngsters. Dayton always players with high energy, and Georgia Tech reloads with a big time prospect in Derrick Favors. Even though I think Villanova will win this tournament, a loss in the second round would not shock me.

The BB&T Classic pits Villanova against Maryland. It’s technically considered a ‘neutral’ game, but seeing that the game is in Washington D.C., this one is essentially a Maryland home game. I Greivis Vasquez didn’t return, I believe ‘Nova would triumph in this contest, but Vasquez makes the Terps that much better. Playing against a legit ACC opponent in a hostile arena will be very new for the inexperienced freshman class. A close game, but Maryland squeaks it out.

A loss like this, though, could be valuable learning experience for Villanova. No one ever likes to lose, but a loss can take a lot of pressure off in the end, especially for a team with a ton of hype this season. Other than that, it should be Villanova cruising for the most part. As I see it, the Wildcats head into Big East play with a stellar 11-1 record.

Game #13: Villanova at Marquette

-Winner: Villanova

Game #14: Villanova vs. DePaul

-Winner: Villanova

Game #15: Villanova vs. Marquette

-Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: Beating a Big East team twice in any season is tough, but beating a Big East team twice in 7 days is extremely difficult. Marquette will be seeking revenge after a loss at home on Jan. 2^nd, but they won’t have enough firepower for Villanova at the Pavilion. With the loss of studs Dominic James, Jerel McNeal, and Wesley Matthews, the Golden Eagles will find it much harder to create scoring opportunities. Furthermore, if Villanova still has their Pavilion winning streak intact at this point, the place will be that much louder. Probably a relatively close game, but the ‘Cats should move to 3-0 in the Big East with this home win over Marquette.

Game #16: Villanova at Louisville

-Winner: Louisville

Game #17: Villanova vs. Georgetown

-Winner: Villanova

Game #18: Villanova at Rutgers

-Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: Although Rutgers has been miserable in recent years, playing at the RAC always presents an interesting situation. Remember the 2005 team with Foye, Lowry, Ray heading into Piscataway as heavy favorites. Quincy Douby and the rest of the Scarlet Knights played Villanova to the wire, only to lose in overtime because of Lowry’s heroics. This Rutgers team doesn’t have a Douby, but Mike Rosario may turn out to be better than Douby, as he can shoot the lights out. In the end, though, Rutgers will play hard, but I see the ‘Cats winning this matchup by about 10.

Game #19: Villanova at St. John’s

-Winner: Villanova

Game #20: Villanova vs. Notre Dame

-Winner: Villanova

Game #21: Villanova vs. Seton Hall

-Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: A tricky game to say the least. If you remember last year, Jeremy Hazell and Eugene Harvey almost rallied the Pirates to a win. If it wasn’t for Scottie Reynolds, it would’ve been a major upset. Hazell and Harvey are back, so that’s certainly scary, but Seton Hall plays too inconsistent under head coach Bobby Gonzalez. In addition, the game is at the Pavilion, where Villanova rarely loses, so expect a Wildcats victory in this one.

Game #22: Villanova at Georgetown

-Winner: Georgetown

Game #23: Villanova at West Virginia

-Winner: West Virginia

Game #24: Villanova vs. Providence

-Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: After what I believe will be two straight road losses, Jay will have his bunch fired up to get a much needed win at the Wachovia Center against the Friars. Providence head coach Keno Davis lost a ton of key players to graduation. Sharaud Curry and Brian McKenzie return, but other than that, the roster is sparse. A mini-losing streak for ‘Nova plus four days to prepare for a freshman-laden team in the Friars results in a blowout win for the ‘Cats.

Game #25: Villanova vs. Connecticut

-Winner: Connecticut

Game #26: Villanova at Pittsburgh

Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: Playing at Pittsburgh is never easy. If you recall, they did not lose at home last year, and their last loss at home was back on Feb 24^th vs. Lousville. Even so, Pittsburgh is going to have a tough time rebuilding after losing Sam Young and DeJuan Blair to the NBA and Levance Fields to graduation. Wanamaker, Dixon, and McGhee are back, but that trio doesn’t nearly come close to what they just lost. I see Villanova rebounding from the loss against UConn and beating the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center in a tightly contested affair.

Game #27: Villanova vs. USF

-Winner: Villanova

Game #28: Villanova at Syracuse

-Winner: Syracuse

Game #29: Villanova at Cincinnati

-Winner: Cincinnati

Game #30: Villanova vs. West Virginia

Winner: Villanova

My thoughts on this game: This game could have huge implications. The Big East regular season title could be on the line, and NCAA and Big East Tournament seeding will definitely be at stake. Going into the Big East Tournament on a winning note is crucial, and Jay knows that. Thus, he will have his team ready to play, with revenge on their mind after probably losing in Morgantown a month earlier. Also, the Wachovia Center gets real loud when playing top opponents, especially towards the end of the season. I expect a thrilling atmosphere along with a Villanova ‘W.’

Projected Regular Season Record: 23-7

Projected Big East Record: 12-6

So here’s the way I see the schedule falling for the Wildcats this year.  We’ll see how ‘Nova handles the traditionally difficult Big East schedule with lofty preseason expectations.  While we may have dealt with them my freshman year, the team was littered with experienced stars (Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Kyle Lowry).  This year’s team may ultimately have more talent, but we are replacing Shane, Dwayne, and ‘Te.  The non-conference schedule will be key in gaining experience.  If the freshies can get comfortable in the system we’ll hit fewer roadbumps in the Big East schedule.

So here’s a list of the games and my keys to the season:

NOVEMBER
5 (Thursday) KUTZTOWN (exh. at WC)     Win
13 (Friday) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON    Win
16 (Monday) PENN+   Win
19 (Thursday) vs. George Mason  Win
20 (Friday) vs. Dayton or Georgia Tech   Win (Dayton)  Loss (GT)
22 (Sunday) vs. TBD    (if we get here – Win)
28 (Saturday) LA SALLE+   Win

DECEMBER
2 (Wednesday) DREXEL   Win
6 (Sunday) vs. Maryland   Win (home state university and future grad school, but my heart’s with NOVA)
9 (Wednesday) at Saint Joseph’s+  WIN (may kill myself if we lose this one)
13 (Sunday) at Temple+  Win
19 (Saturday) at Fordham  Win
23 (Tuesday) DELAWARE   Win

JANUARY
2 (Saturday) at Marquette* - Win
6 (Wednesday) DEPAUL* -   Win
9 (Saturday) MARQUETTE* –   Loss
11 (Monday) at Louisville*  –  Win
17 (Sunday) GEORGETOWN* –   Loss
20 (Wednesday) at Rutgers* – Loss
23 (Saturday) at St. John’s* –  Win
27 (Wednesday) NOTRE DAME* –   Win

FEBRUARY
2 (Tuesday) SETON HALL* –  Win
6 (Saturday) at Georgetown* – Loss
8 (Monday) at West Virginia* –   Loss
13 (Saturday) PROVIDENCE* –   Win
15 (Monday) CONNECTICUT* -   Win
21 (Sunday) at Pittsburgh* –  Win
24 (Wednesday) USF* –   Win
27 (Saturday) at Syracuse* - Win

MARCH
2 (Tuesday) at Cincinnati* –  Win
6 (Saturday) WEST VIRGINIA* –  Win

Final Record  26-6 (#1 Big East)

First thing that strikes me about my picks, is I flip-flopped the home court advantage with Marquette winning there and losing at home.  I feel like we typically struggle against them at home but do well there. We struggle at the RAC and in Morgantown so with more experienced teams there I have  us losing. Georgetown will be our main competition, and UConn will again be up there, but I don’t see us losing at home. Louisville and Pittsburgh lost All-Big East performers Earl Clark and Terrance Williams, and Levance Fields, Sam Young, and DeJuan Blair.  While most of the teams that were good last year have lost a bunch of players, I think 6 losses seems about right with a couple of let down games.

I’ll be back in a week to look more in-depth into some teams, players, and games.

V for Villanova, V for Victory.

The Big East conference just released the official schedule for the 2009-2010 season. This was the last major piece of the puzzle for Villanova, so now we have a very clear picture as to what the coming season holds (we’re still waiting on the exhibition game).

Below are Villanova’s games::

• Saturday January 2nd at Marquette, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
• Wednesday January 6th vs. DePaul
• Saturday January 9th vs. Marquette
• Monday January 11th at Louisville, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Sunday January 17th vs. Georgetown
• Wednesday January 20th at Rutgers
• Saturday January 23rd at St. John’s, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Wednesday January 27th vs. Notre Dame, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Tuesday February 2nd vs. Seton Hall
• Saturday February 6th at Georgetown, 12:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Monday February 8th at West Virginia, 7 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday February 13th vs. Providence
• Monday February 15th vs. UConn, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Sunday February 21st at Pittsburgh, 12:00 p.m. (CBS)
• Wednesday February 24th vs. South Florida
• Saturday February 27th at Syracuse, 9:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Tuesday March 2nd at Cincinnati, 7:00 p.m. (ESPN)
• Saturday March 6th vs. West Virginia, 12:00 p.m. (CBS)

The schedule page will be updated momentarily to reflect the entire schedule.

UPDATE: The full schedule will be released at noon. The Big East Twitter people are promising “bites” throughout the morning until the schedule is released, so we’ll keep our eyes open for any Villanova news.

At least according to MUTV Sports it is. The Marquette site announced that the Big East schedule will be released this afternoon. They also released two of Marquette’s games, one of which includes a visit from Villanova on January 2nd.

So, stay tuned for this afternoon. We’ll post the full schedule when we have it!

Today, ESPN announced their Big Monday schedule for the upcoming college basketball season.  Every Monday between January 4th and March 1st, there will be a doubleheader on ESPN, with a 7 p.m. Big East game and a 9 p.m. Big 12 game.  Villanova will be featured in this time-slot 3 times, including January 11th at Louisville, February 8th at West Virginia, and February 15th vs. Connecticut.  The rest of Big Monday slate, along with my initial reactions to each game, is as follows:

January 4
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati *Pitt at Cincy to kick off the Big Monday season-couldn’t find a better Big East matchup?

January 11
Villanova at Louisville *Need some revenge from last year’s 2 losses to the Cardinals

January 18
Syracuse at Notre Dame *Fighting Irish need to put up a solid showing on national TV to show they are back

January 25
Georgetown at Syracuse *Great rivalry

February 1
Connecticut at Louisville *No more Thabeet to match up with Samuels

February 8
Villanova at West Virginia *1-2 in the conference (better be a lot closer this year)

February 15
Connecticut at Villanova *Remember storming the court in 2006 at the Wachovia Center (place should be rocking)

February 22
West Virginia at Connecticut *Dislike both of these teams a lot

March 1
Georgetown at West Virginia *Georgetown competing for a Big East crown this year?

There you have my thoughts.  What does everyone else think about this schedule?

Added by Chris:

…2006 Wachovia game was the best home game I’ve ever been to…my first “it’s so cold it hurts to drink beer” experience at Villanova…so worth it though…I’m marking Feb. 15th down as a sick day right now…

Villanova will play Fairleigh Dickinson on November 13th at The Pavilion in what is likely the season opener for both teams. The game was officially announced when Fairleigh Dickinson released their schedule today.

Also, the Drexel game now has a confirmed date. It will be played December 2nd at The Pavilion.

I was thinking today about the last few seasons of Villanova hoops. Over my 4 years there I saw two great teams (2005-2006 and last year’s) as well as a team that exceeded my expectations (2007-2008) and one team who met my expectations (2006-2007). And then I began to think about the upcoming season, and what to expect from this year’s team.

After a productive summer, Fisher is ready for the big-time.

In my eyes, there are 5 distinct groups that we could split the team into:

Proven commodities:

• Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding

Guys who are ready for the spotlight:

• Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes

Guys who can make this team great:

• Antonio Peña, Taylor King

Newcomers:

• Mouphtaou Yarou, Dominic Cheek, Maalik Wayns, Isaiah Armwood, Maurice Sutton

Anything you get is gravy:

• Jason Colenda, Russell Wooten

I didn’t list King amongst the newcomers because he has played big-time college basketball before. If he can grasp the concept of Villanova basketball and doing the dirty work as well as provide the offense we know he’s capable of, he’s a guy, like Peña, who could bring us to the next level.

What’s most troubling to me though, is that we will be introducing 5 new guys to the rotation. Many people have said that Armwood may be looking at a redshirt year while Sutton may not yet be ready, but the frontline is pretty thin and if they can play hard and play good defense (we know Sutton can) then they will see some time.

But like any sport, chemistry is incredibly important. Especially for the team-style brand that Jay Wright preaches. The last two great ‘Nova teams had brilliant chemistry. Guys knew each other like family. So it’s not a stretch to say that there will be growing pains when introducing new faces, while counting on new players and become leaders (Fisher and Stokes) and while waiting for a true leader in Redding to return from suspension.

Our OOC schedule as it stands right now isn’t anything that will cause the team to lose sleep at night, but it does have some possible speedbumps that could turn us from a consensus Top 5 squad into a middle of the Top 25 squad. Looking over the schedule, 5 games have the potential to either be character-builders or struggles in the early going.

Puerto Rico will provide and early and stiff litmus test as to how this season could unfold. George Mason is never a pushover, but I still like our overall talent level to carry us through. The next round leaves Georgia Tech as a potential opponent. They’re a young team, but very, very talented and they have an experienced coach in Paul Hewitt. Should we make the finals, whoever we play will likely be a stiff test as well.

Beyond that, the BB&T Classic vs. Maryland in Washington D.C. may be listed as a neutral game, but I bet it plays more like a Maryland home game. Maryland is rapidly improving, and has always been a good program under Gary Williams. Plus, it seems like at least once every year they pull off a shocker. Not that beating us would be a shocker, but we could easily be in the Top 5 while they could be unranked.

And finally, the Holy War vs. St. Joe’s. I don’t think many people care as much about this game as they do, but that’s precisely what is worrisome. It’s the Super Bowl for the Hawks, and it will be played at The Palestra this year, where anything can happen.

In the end, I see Villanova getting through this portion of the year either unscathed or with 1 loss. But with Reggie Redding, there will be some learning curves.

What do you think about our OOC schedule?

The Big East Conference announced this afternoon that Villanova’s roadtrip to Syracuse on February 27th, 2010 will be the site of ESPN’s College GameDay.

The show will air live from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and again from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The game will then be played starting at 9:00 p.m., and will be shown on ESPN.

…I could be mistaken, but I believe that this is the first time that Villanova will feature on ‘GameDay’ so this is exciting news…I just wish it was a home game…

In Jeff Goodman’s latest blog entry for FoxSports, he discusses the implications of the Reggie Redding suspension while providing us with some scheduling information for the upcoming season. Goodman notes that Redding will miss the Puerto Rico Tip-Off as well as games vs. the entire Big 5, Drexel and Maryland.

Goodman notes that Redding is eligible to return to action on December 19th vs. Fordham, as his suspension expires on December 18th. That game will be played at The IZOD Center at The Meadowlands.

…That Fordham game is being played on a Saturday at The Meadowlands…I couldn’t be happier as it will likely be the first Villanova game I attend next season, assuming I’m not able to make it down to The Pavilion for a game early in the year…

This is usually the time of year when information about the schedule begins to drop, so I decided to post it all in one area. Now you can find out all the information about who Villanova will be playing as it is released in the ‘Schedule’ tab up top.

When new information comes out we’ll update you with a post about it, but if you want to see it all at once, now there’s a place you can.