I Bleed Blue and White

(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.

This afternoon, a group of students gathered in front of The Pavilion to cheer the team on as they loaded onto their buses and headed for Boston. As part of the promotion, a raffle was held and 35 students were selected and sold tickets to the Sweet Sixteen and Elight Eight games this weekend.

As for the raffle, the IBBW guys cleaned up, snaring some tickets for their trip to Boston. Good for us.

As for the sendoff itself, I’ve got to say that I’m a little disappointed in the students. We aren’t the biggest school in the world, but I’d be surprised if there was even 250 total people there. Disappointing is really the only word I can use to describe it. This team is our pride and joy, and the students (especially the seniors) should have been out in full force.

I understand that people have class and such, but you won’t convince me that the overwhelming majority of the campus had night class.

As for the actual sendoff, it was fun. The team slowly came out in groups of 2 or 3, got some nice cheers from the students on hand and had what felt like 10 TV crews filming the entire thing.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark, Frank Tchuisi, Dwayne Anderson and Scottie Reynolds emerged to enormous cheers and instead of heading for the bus like the rest of the team, made a beeline straight for the students and made their way through the crowd and started high fiving everyone and cheering with the rest of us. It was special.

They then headed onto the bus, but after a few minutes Dante re-emerged to give a speech to the students. His essential message was that he really appreciated all the support, let us know that Jay Wright had some meetings and had left early, and then told us that he’d see us in Boston and we were all going to win together. I liked that.

Dante definitely gets it. It’s funny cause you see those guys come out and they are like rock stars. They could play the arrogant athlete and leave their headphones on and act too cool, but they came over and got rowdy with the students, and they understand that we live and die by the team. He’s giving his speech and he’s got this sheepish grin on his face like he can’t contain his excitement. Too funny. But I respect the hell out of the guy (as well as the rest of the team) because when they step on the court it’s all business, and when they lose you can tell their night is ruined.

I’ve got a good feeling about this weekend. I don’t want to jinx anything but it definitely feels like the stars are alining. Go Cats!

With today’s victory, Villanova’s senior class of Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi now have 100 total wins for their careers. They hold the all-time record for Villanova.

…When I heard this all I could do was smile…so proud to be a part of their class and their journey…

Dick “Hoops” Weiss from the New York Daily News talks about how Villanova is thinking big for this year’s NCAA Tournament in his latest article. According to Weiss, playing at home to start the tournament provides an added comfort zone, one that the players are very happy to have.

“We know about all the dead spots on the court,” Cunningham said. “Any other arena, you might have to take a couple laps to get a better understanding.”

Weiss also talks about how the games will have more netural crowds, the importance of playing in Philly to Shane Clark and Reggie Redding, and how Villanova’s past experiences will benefit them this time around.

Game recap and box score before we get started.

We’re going to get to the game in a second. But first I want to reflect on the day that I just had. It had its up and downs, but in the end it was brilliant.

AP/Frank Franklin II

I woke up at about 8:15 this morning, showered up, took out the trash and go on the road by 9. I drove up to a friend’s in New Jersey where a group of my friends spent the night in anticipation of the game. On my way up my ear was glued to WFAN, and surprisingly there wasn’t much chatter about the game. The guys on the FAN thought ‘Nova would win, and kind of dismissed the game. That worried me.

I got to my friends and we drove off into the city, and struggled to find parking. We didn’t get to Tir Na Nog until about 12:30, but it was still all good. We had a couple of drinks, talked about the game with some other ‘Nova alums and eventually headed off to the game.

And I need to mention, through all of this my amazing girlfriend Liz was constantly texting me from Naples where she’s vacationing. She’s a ‘Nova alum, and I could tell she wasn’t too happy about missing this game. She’s as die-hard a ‘Nova fan as me, and I love watching the games with her. More on her influence on this game later.

Once your inside Mecca, there’s no place you’d rather be. There’s just something magical about The Garden, especially if you grew up around it.

Villanova raced out to a 16 point halftime lead. Sitting up in the 400’s, we were laughing and joking and talking about our matchup with Louisville. Bad idea.

I stopped in the bathroom at halftime as we moved down to the 300’s to get a better view. I thought to myself, this isn’t over, and we better come out to play.

Marquette slowly battled back in the 2nd half. It felt like a slow death. 12 points, then 10.

Dante Cunningham takes throws down an alley-oop. Before I can even say anything I get the “DUNK” text from Liz. She’s fired up. Do we have momentum? It feels like it.

Marquette keeps battling back though. The lead id down to 5. Our section was screaming. What was happening? Dominic James could all of a sudden jump up and down. It felt like a bad dream. I tell Liz I can’t talk anymore. I’m too nervous.

Then the unthinkable happened. Lazar Hayward drained a 3 to take a one point lead. My stomach dropped. Scottie Reynolds came back down and missed a shot. Marquette’s ball with 40 seconds left.

“It’s over.” That’s what a dad says to his son next to me. To his credit, the boy says no it’s not.

Jerel McNeal drives the lane hard. Cunningham takes him, and gives him NOTHING. Shane Clark rebounds it. We’re out of timeouts. The place is going friggan bonkers. I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack.

Reggie Redding can’t get the ball to Reynolds. We’re screaming. 5 seconds left. It’s all up to him. He’s going to drive.

And he threads the needle to a wide open Dwayne Anderson under the hoop. He goes up to lay it in. The ball is on the rim for an eternity.

And it drops through. Ecstasy.

Would you have it any other way?

And because this article from ESPN’s Dana O’Neil nearly brought tears to my eyes, you need to read it.

If you missed the game, here is the official recap and box score.

Reading that recap from the AP, the very first line stood out to me. When asked by Jay Wright what was so special about this game, Dwayne Anderson replied, “nothing.”

Except that they leave The Pavilion winning streak in tact.

While that’s what Wright probably wanted to hear, in reality you could tell that this game was very special to the 4 man senior class. Anderson was especially good tonight, in his and his classmates final game at The Pavilion. He poured in 19 points and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in limited action as he dealt with foul trouble. It was a memorable last game at home for Dwayne.

His good friend Dante Cunningham matched him with 19 points and 8 rebounds, and added 3 steals of his own. Shane Clark battled the refs all night and ended his night early with just 3 points and 5 rebounds, but I thought he played well when given the chance. Even Frank Tchuisi came off the bench late and hit a free throw. It was a great night for the seniors.

Scottie Reynolds seems to be gearing up for a late season run however. He scored 23 again tonight and added 4 assists and 4 steals. Reggie Redding recorded a career high 11 assists on what I considered an off night before I read that stat line. 11 assists. I’m sorry I doubted you Reg.

Corey Fisher had 13 points and 4 steals and Corey Stokes found his shot and finished with 11. Antonio Pena looked good for spurts. He looks to be coming around at the right time.

If you’re reading all those stats and noticing the steals, it’s not an error. Despite Providence scoring 80 points (Weyinmi Efejuku had 29), Villanova finished with 19 steals in another superb defensive performance.

Yes, they probably let the Friars have a few too many open looks from outside, but Providence got a lot done at the line (20-30) due to some generous calls from the officials. All in all, it was a great effort on defense, and it was especially good down the stretch when Villanova shut the door on the Friars and opened up a 21 point lead.

So with the win, Villanova has officially locked up the double-bye and the #4 seed in the Big East Tournament. That’s huge, and they’ll play next Thursday at 2:30 at Madison Square Garden.

But tonight, it’s time to appreciate what this team did. Despite foul troubles and a lack of student support (please don’t chant N-I-T guys, we’re above that), the team put on a show tonight.

It was tough to watch Dante and Dwayne and Shane walk off the court and give the V sign to the crowd for the last time. But at the same time, being in the same class as them I appreciate all they’ve given to this school, and the standing ovations they got were phenomenal.

We can’t get too sentimental, however. This Villanova team is good, and they are clicking entering the post-season. Gear up ‘Nova Nation, the Big East Tournament is next.

Every Monday or Tuesday night for the last couple of months, Flip & Bailey’s in Rosemont, PA has hosted the radio show Talking Villanova Basketball with Jay Wright. Last night was the final episode.

VUHoops has an update on the final show, during which Jay Wright dropped a huge announcement on the the fans as he let it be known that senior Frank Tchuisi will be joining the staff next year, mostly in a Graduate Assistant’s role.

The 4 man senior class of Tchuisi, Dante Cunningham, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson were all special guests on the radio show last night.

…As VUHoops surmises, this could be a huge help in acclimating the incoming Mouphtaou Yarou to Villanova…while not from the same area in Africa, it would certainly help Yarou to have a Tchuisi, who is about to complete the college experience…

…As for how Tchuisi will do as a coach, it’s anyone’s guess at this point…but Frank has always brought passion to the team and from some talk I’ve heard is a great leader…so good for him…

The 4 man senior class of Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi are now officially the all-time winningest class in Villanova basketball history after notching their 96th win tonight.

…Very proud to be in the same graduating class as them…all 4 of them have meant so much to this program and this is a great honor for them to have…let’s get to AT LEAST 100 boys…

Hold on, I’m giving Luke Harangody a tissue. He might need a hug too.

Redding negated McAlarney for 40 straight minutes.

Okay, now we can talk. In case you missed the game here in the official recap and the box score.

I knew it was going to be a good night when I saw the impeccable crew of Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas and Sean McDonough. Raftery was even sporting the Villanova tie! Early onions for Raf!

So I’m just going to come out and say it, because I don’t know how else to put it. Villanova was awesome tonight. That was vintage ‘Villanova Basketball’ as we so often refer to it.While they played a tight 1st half, they had a plan and stuck to it and completely overpowered Notre Dame after the break.

It’s interesting that we talked earlier today about how Villanova lacked the ‘bail-out’ guy that could consistently put a team on their back. We talked about how both Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham were the closest thing Villanova had, but for one reason or another they just weren’t that guy. So much for that theory.

Reynolds finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists (and juts 1 turnover) and was a blistering 6-7 from downtown. He was unstoppable all night and the Irish had no answer for him. Great to watch. His running mate Cunningham had 18 and 8 in yet another solid performance. He was especially great in the 2nd half, at one point going on a personal 8-0 run.

But the player of the game? That’s Reggie Redding, who single handedly (okay, he had a little help) took sharpshooter Kyle McAlarney out of the game. He had just 5 points on 2-7 shooting (just 1-3 from beyond the arc) with most of his shots coming in garbage time. That was a defensive performance for the ages. I can’t say enough about the game that Redding had tonight. He had 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Vintage Redding.

Shane Clark turned it on in the 2nd half, including back to back possessions where he made Harangody look foolish. He finished with 13 points. Even the struggling Antonio Pena had a great bounceback effort. He was in foul trouble for most of the night but had some good offensive possessions and finished with 6 points and 3 rebounds in just 13 minutes. Oddly enough, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes had little impact on the game, combining for just 5 points.

Going into the game I was really worried about going to Notre Dame. They are typically very tough at home, but I really overestimated just how bad they are. Maybe I remember McAlarney’s 30 point outburst last year, maybe I watched them give UConn a tough battle, but they just aren’t very good.

Ryan Ayers was the big story tonight, finishing with 25 points on 7 3’s. Villanova continually left him open and he was hot and knocked them down. Credit him. The aforementioned Harangody finished with 18 and 7, and that was it for the Irish.

Speaking of Harangody, what a baby. I’ve never seen any who is supposedly the leader of a team bitch and whine like he did tonight. He acts like he is the best player on the court and he deserves the Michael Jordan treatment. Every time he was touched he flopped and screamed. It was actually embarrassing to watch. I’m telling you now, if he wins Big East Player of the Year again, it’s a crime. Good thing he won’t. I always thought he was a high character guy who worked hard and kept his mouth shut. Boy, was I wrong.

Anyways, great win for the Wildcats tonight. They really needed that. More importantly though, they appear back to playing good ball. That’s important with a desparate Providence team coming to town on Thursday.

Enjoy your night everyone.

Finally just got back home and can vent about the game a little bit.

That was exactly the type of game that Villanova was winning all season. They’ve had some stinkers before Saturday, but always managed to escape. For months we talked about how it was great that they could avoid the ugly loss, instead turning potential upsets into ugly victories, but victories nonetheless.

On Saturday that all came crashing apart. Honestly, I’m not even really sure where to begin. I really didn’t think anyone played particularly well, minus Corey Stokes. He was pretty quiet on offense but he was a huge spark on defense and was brilliant in the trapping pressure. Other than that, nobody really seemed to want to step up. I’ve read some people’s opinions that his 3 at the end was terrible, but that was more the coaching than anything. Down 3 with 30 seconds left, you look inside for 2. Instead Villanova ran a screen for Stokes who tried to draw a foul (just shoot it Corey, you are a phenomenal shooter).

I know Pete from Lets Go Nova loves Corey Fisher, but he just wasn’t very good on Saturday. He’s been on fire so one bad game isn’t enough to make me get up in arms, but his minutes were increased and he didn’t respond well. Pete pinned the loss on Jay Wright, but you know what? Jay Wright wasn’t playing. Yes, there were some questionable coaching decisions (the aforementioned 3 point fiasco), but it comes down to execution. And we certainly did not execute.

Scottie Reynolds was a turnover machine, Dante Cunningham took just 7 shots (still in awe at that), and the heralded trio of Reggie Redding, Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson were pretty much a collective non-factor.

I thought Villanova’s defense was pretty stifling. They forced a lot of turnovers, but they struggled to convert those into easy points. And defensively, it seemed like they could never get a stop when they really needed it, or when they got to within a couple points of Georgetown’s lead.

At McFadden’s after the game I found myself talking to an alum, who made a great point. Villanova doesn’t have a “superstar” (we all know that), and there’s positives and negatives to that. The upside is that the team puts forth a team effort, and from game to game, different players step up and carry the team. There’s not one guy who expected to carry the team. There’s no Blake Griffin or Tyler Hansborough for us. And that in turn creates a better “team.”

The downside to that theory is that when games like this occur, when shots aren’t falling and the calls aren’t going your way, you don’t have anyone to lean on. Reynolds is quiet by nature and Cunningham has always led by example. Dwayne Anderson has the personality, but isn’t a #1 option type of guy. So the team is in a bit of limbo when sloppy games like Saturday roll around.

I would have thought Cunningham was that guy judging by his performance this season, but the 7 shots indicates a lack of the “gimme the effing ball” attitude we’re looking for or the team just completely ignored him. You decide.

I was initially really disappointed in the result of the game, but thinking back on it, it is so impressive that we got so far into the season without a “bad” loss. And as it stands, Georgetown might be able to play themselves into the NCAA Tournament, so this might not even classify as a bad loss when it is all said and done.

Anyways, not sure if I ever wrote about it on here, but for the last week or so I’ve been chalking up the ND game as the lone loss in our final stretch. So the way I see it, if Villanova can go into South Bend and win tomorrow night, they’ll have come out of this stretch “even” so to speak.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. Sorry about the lack of posts following the game. Jamie is in Cabo for spring break, Mark is in Steamboat Springs and I was abducted by the Class of 2008 all weekend in what turned into one weekend-long party. I’m still not sure if I’m thinking straight.

Back to normal starting tomorrow.