I Bleed Blue and White

In this picture you see a kid that I hate, and a man that is aroused by the kid.

I’ll admit, I’m good for a good overreaction every now and then (for both wins and losses) but following our loss to Temple on Sunday, I kind of just sat back, had to smile, and not worry too much. Yes, it sucked. I was appalled at the performances by several players on the team. I thought Jay Wright got away from what has been working for us this year (i.e. a deep rotation), and I was swearing at Juan Fernandez like he was a felon. But at the end of the day, most of us expected to drop an OOC game for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being that we were young.

So is this really all that bad? Would you rather lose to Temple in a game where everything went right for them and learn from it or would you rather drop a game later one where we really don’t deserve to lose? Because we deserved to lose that game. We played bad, but Temple just executed to perfection. In fact, I’m pretty sure the aforementioned Fernandez is either Satan himself or he made a deal with him.

There are both positives and negatives to take away from this game. Mostly negatives, mind you, but this is probably exactly what this team needed. They had been skating by on good offense and they found out exactly what happened when you don’t shoot it well and you don’t play defense either. Now Jay can break them down all week, and then unleash the hounds against poor Fordham next weekend. I give you my list of pros and cons that I took from Sunday. We’ll start with the bad to end this post on a somewhat positive notice.

The Bad:

• Jay Wright playing 5 guys over 30 minutes, Dominic Cheek for 11, and everyone else under 10. We may be young, but our depth is a weapon. We got away from it and leaned on our experience. We’ve seen Jay do it in the past, but I would have liked to see more subbing yesterday. If we win I probably applaud this decision, but even when we were winning I wasn’t happy about it.
• We have no frontcourt depth. Antonio Peña reverted back to last year’s player and went for a grand total of 2 rebounds in 39 minutes of action, and genuinely looked disinterested in getting after it, something that we haven’t seen from him this year. It was worrisome to say the least. The 16 points was nice but he has looked so good rebounding this year. I don’t know what happened. If he’s not on his game, we’re in for a long night.
• Taylor King’s frustration getting the best of him. Keep it to yourself TK. Still love ya, but just keep your head down and play hard.
• Corey Stokes’ offense. Where have you gone to hide?
• Maurice Sutton looking completely overwhelmed. Don’t know what else to say really.

The Good:

• The officiating was borderline criminal. It’s not an excuse, but I do take comfort knowing that we weren’t getting any calls whatsoever.
• Scottie Reynolds is on a hot streak right now. Hopefully the holidays don’t cool him off.
• Temple shot over 70% during the last 10 minutes of the game. I don’t even have to look up the stats. It felt like it was over 85% so I’ll go conservatively with a number of 70. It’s really hard to win when you play good D for 30 seconds and then they make a shot, which was defended well. It’s demoralizing for a player.
• As I said, Juan Fernandez had some kind of black magic going on. Just one of those days.

And the biggest one…

Reggie Redding officially makes his return on Saturday. It cannot be overstated how big this is for a young team coming off a loss. By all accounts, he has been killing everyone in practice. Nobody can guard him, and nobody can get by him. He’ll take the defensive pressure off of Stokes and Cheek and allow them to be themselves, and he’ll be a stabilizing force for the team at a time when they really need someone to step up and light a fire under their ass. Redding’s the guy.

If you can’t tell, I’m really excited about this.

Sorry for no official preGame post. Been kinda busy this weekend helping out my family with Christmas stuff. We’re treating the …Keep Your Enemies Closer as the preGame report for today. Also, for those of you who have been asking for a standings update, it will be coming following the game today. Quick reminder of the rules:

• On Game Day, I will post the official line we will be using for the game.
• In that thread, post your pick against-the-spread for the game that night.
• Make sure you use the same username for every pick (I know some of you are registered, if you aren’t this is a good reason to do so to make it easier). Also, make sure you provide your email so that I can contact the winner at the end of the year.
• Anonymous entries will not count.
• Entries posted after the game starts will not count.
• If you do not provide a pick for the game, it will be marked as a loss in the standings.
• If you are away and can’t make a pick in the thread, you can email me your pick. Email me at clane2787@gmail.com and I will try to email you back ASAP with the line (again, it must be emailed before the start of the game).
• The winner at the end of the year will win a prize (TBD) and I promise it will be something good. I’m not going to be lame like that. I’m searching eBay for cool Villanova stuff as we speak.
• In the event of a tie, the poster with the best BIG EAST record (regular season) wins. If still tied, the best Big 5 record wins. If still tied, the best OOC record wins. If still tied, we may have to do multiple prizes.

The official line is Villanova -3.5. Seems low to me, gambling wise. Fire away!

Following after Wednesday night beatdown of The Hawk, Dave from The Owls’ Nest contacted me about a possible Q&A. Haven’t done one of these since since Dayton, and I was anxious to get back to it. Temple is a storied Philly program who I respect, and despite my displeasure with the Dionte Christmas billboards last year, I agreed to do a little exchange. Below are Dave’s answers to my questions!

Chris (IBBW): Now that Dionte Christmas has moved on from the program, is there another player ready to assume that role as the star? Is is this Owls team going to share the wealth?

Dave (TON): Thus far, the team has gone on to share most of the wealth, as you said. Players like Lavoy Allen, Ryan Brooks, and Juan Fernandez have now had opportunities to learn to utilize their game to better the rest of the team. Since the departure of Dionte, we’ve seen a lot of the divvied up style of play, where any player can explode on any given night to take control. Depending on the teams the Owls play decides really who the player that has the most success is. This year has truly ben more of a team effort, though.

Chris (IBBW): You’ve held the opposing team to 50 points or less in over half your games thus far. What do you attribute this amazing defensive run to?

Dave (TON): There are a number of player that have stepped up on the defensive side of the ball. The team has a nice unity, and we’re seeing more and more of man to man defense. The players have focused so much on their defensive responsibilities, that they can trust one another in covering their own men. At the same time, the Owls have done a nice job with team defense, and helping out when a player gets beat, or might be in a mismatch. Because of this unison, Temple has been able to do a tremendous job on the defensive side of the ball.

Chris (IBBW): Give me that one player that Villanova fans need to keep their eye on on this Sunday.

Dave (TON): Lavoy Allen. I believe Temple needs to develop and establish a post game against this somewhat guard-oriented ‘Nova team.  If Allen is able to make himself known early, there could be problems for the Wildcats. Lavoy’s diversity alllows him to post up a defender, as well as pop out for a jump shot. On the rebounding side of the ball, Allen has done a tremendous job in keeping the Owls alive on offense, as well as get a quick stop on defense. He is a key to holding Villanova to as minimal opportunities as possible.

Chris (IBBW): I’m not very familiar with the A-10 landscape this year outside of Dayton and Xavier. Where does Temple project and what are your hopes of getting back to the Dance this season?

Dave (TON): Several teams that usually are projected at the top of the conference have taken significant hits because of graduation. This has allowed some of the younger teams in the past develop and take congrol. In Temple’s case, we’ve been fortunate to have a player or two step up year in and y ear out to make up for playmakers that have moved on. I believe the Owls once again will have a great chances to win the A-10 tournament, but it’s not going to be easy with the number of competitive and talented teams there are this year.

Chris (IBBW): Since you asked me how Villanova will handle the Owls’ great D, how do you think Temple will attempt to slow down the frenetic pace the Cats have been scoring at lately?

Dave (TON): Temple has been forced to play against almost any type of offensive scheme, one of which being the fast break. Against St. John’s, the Owls needed to deal with the same type of play, except for the fact that the Red Storm brought in fresh legs every whistle. Temple’s defense is going to have to keep the intensity as always, but at the same time keep up with the fast pace that Villanova favors. The biggest problem in this case might be the big men; they are going to need to work hard to get down the floor and stay with the flow of the game, without getting quickly fatigued or in foul trouble.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for the game. Do the Cats sweep the Big 5 again or does Temple pull off the upset that has people talking for weeks?

Dave (TON): Without favoring, I do believe this game is going to be close. It’s too difficult for me to choose a winner, as much as I want to pick the Owls, because VU is such a talented team. I will, though, predict that this game goes down to the sire, and it will come down to whoever’s defense is able to hold up the longest. If either team can force the other to quickly give up possessions, they will have the advantage. There’s going to be a lot of talent on the floor, and it will be interesting to see who is able to take the helm and control the game. This is going to be a fun 40 minutes.

Thanks again to Dave for this! Make sure you visit The Owl’s Nest and give him hell before the game!

Throughout the summer, NBE, a site dedicated to the coverage of Big East basketball, has been providing in depth reports on each team.  Today, they released their Villanova summer report written by Zach Smart, which covers key losses, key returnees, key newcomers, as well as predictions and expectations for the new look Wildcats.  Here’s a brief idea of what NBE thinks about the 2009-2010 ’Cats:

Villanova is the hands down conference favorite heading into the 2009-2010 season. With one of the nation’s top recruiting classes as well as several top contributors from last season’s Final Four team, Jay Wright could very well have the horses to make another March charge through the field.

A big part of Villanova’s success over the years has been the atmosphere of the games in which they play in.  They play against high-profile schools, in notorious arenas, with an excellent fan base.  But if you were only allowed to attend one more college basketball game, where would the game be and what would be the matchup? The Rivals College Basketball Roundtable, comprised of a group of Rivals college hoops experts, were proposed this question.  Mike Huguenin, one of the experts, responded as follows:

Give me a “Big Five” game at the Palestra in Philadelphia. The “Big Five” series isn’t what it used to be, but the tradition, history and atmosphere at a key matchup between, say, La Salle and Villanova or Villanova and Temple would be fantastic. The key words are “key matchup.” If two “Big Five” teams happen to be good in the same season – say, both in the top 20 – it would be electric and the Palestra would be rocking.

So we want to know your answer to the question, if you were only allowed to attend one more college basketball game, where would the game be and what would be the matchup?

Thanks to the Official Villanova YouTube page, most of us now have our first look at the football team’s upset of Temple last Thursday night in Philadelphia.

…The angles of the game aren’t great…but you get some good inside footage of the sidelines and the postgame celebration that you normally wouldn’t see…great stuff…

The past few days have provided some of the Villanova programs to spring an upset, and their is some new hardware coming to The Main Line. Updates on football, men’s soccer and women’s volleyball to follow.

• Villanova stunned Temple in the waning moments last night, and if you weren’t able to see the game Villanova’s game recap provides a bit more information about the contest. Sounds like Chris Whitney had a great game in leading ‘Nova back.
• Kyle Soroka scored on 82 minutes for Villanova as the men’s soccer team upset hosts#18 Loyola (MD) 1-0 on Tuesday to win their season opener. Soroka put his strike in the top left corner from about 25 yards out for the game winner.
• The women’s volleyball team swept Long Island on Tuesday night to run their record to 4-0 on the season. The women committed just 6 errors on the night. Morgan Petkovich led the team with 16 kills.
• Women’s soccer player Katie Ryan was named to the Big East Honor Roll after she scored in each of hte first three games. The team will travel to North Carolina this weekend to face Charlotte and Davidson.

Nick Yako kicked a 32-yard field goal as time expired to give Villanova a 27-24 victory over Temple in the inaugural Mayor’s Cup played at Lincoln Financial Field. The field goal was set up after John Dempsey picked off Temple QB Vaughn Charlton with 49 seconds remaining.

QB Chris Whitney

Villanova came back to win despite a 10-point 4th quarter deficit. QB Chris Whitney was the star for ‘Nova as he completed 24 of 35 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

It was the Wildcat’s first win over an FBS school in their last 5 tries (their last win was a 23-20 win over Temple in 2003), and a great start to a campaign in which Andy Talley’s men have their sights set on an FCS National Championship.

…I listened to a little bit of this game on the radio tonight, but wasn’t in an area where the game was available on TV…if anyone watched any of it feel free to comment below…

…Regardless, a great win and this could be the boost the team needs as it looks to make a run towards a title…

LB Osayi Osunde

I’m getting bored waiting for basketball season. It’s a long time until October when things really start moving on that front. So I decided that from now on we’re going to at the very least update you on the other ‘Nova sports teams as their seasons progress. We won’t be going nearly as in-depth as we do for basketball, but being a graduate, I have come to realize that I’m going to end up pulling for more than just the basketball team.

So, we’ll do our best to get some more sports into the rotation. To start off, let’s talk about the football team, which just had their annual Media Day last week. Head Coach Andy Talley and several players were on hand to talk to the media about the upcoming season, which kicks off when the Wildcats play Temple at The Linc on September 3rd at 7:00 p.m.

Villanova is returning an obscene amount of talent on offense, headlined by a couple of juniors; RB Aaron Ball and WR/RB Matt Szczur. The Wildcats were picked as pre-season CAA co-champions with Richmond, and are expected to be among the best teams in the country.

Four players were selected as pre-season 1st team All-CAA; Szczur, LB Osayi Osunde, OT Ben Ijalana, and DE Tim Kukucka. Osunde was also given pre-season All-American honors by the FCS. Osunde has led the team in tackles for the last two seasons.

Lastly, check out this article by Mike Kern of the Philadelphia Daily News, in which he talks with Osunde and others about the bad taste that was left from last season.

…I’m really glad the football team has big aspirations…Villanova has been primarily known for the basketball team, but it’d be great if another team could consistently be on the national radar…who knows, maybe in a few years they’ll even make the jump to the FBS if the Big East looks to expand…

ESPN writer Dana O’Neil and Scouts Inc. John Stovall analyzed the A-10 conference today.  Of the 10 non-conference games that O’Neil “can’t wait to see,” 4 are A-10-Big East matchups.  Coming in at #2 on the list is the St. Joseph’s Hawks vs. the Villanova Wildcats on December 9th at the infamous Palestra.  O’Neil, regarding this contest:

Even though this is a transition year for the Hawks and the Wildcats ought to be a top-10 team, nothing is guaranteed when the Holy War is played at the Palestra.  This is the sort of game that ‘Nova coach Jay Wright dreads.

Touche.  In Big 5 games, especially at the Palestra, especially St. Joe’s vs. Villanova, records and rankings can be thrown out the window.  While Villanova will be the heavy heavy favorite, you just never know, because this rivalry is one of the best in the nation.  Other A-10-Big East games that O’Neil discusses are Xavier vs. Marquette (November 26th), Pittsburgh at Duquesne (December 2nd), and Temple at Georgetown (November 17th).

With DePaul on tap for tomorrow, I’m not sure what there really is to talk about. I must confess I haven’t watched them once this year. I don’t subject myself to teams that play that poorly (that I’m not a fan of). Since the Blue Demons have yet to win a Big East game, I guess the motto is “For the love of all that is good and pure, don’t lose.”

Cheek is raising his game down the stretch.

Anyways, here’s some links to keep you busy while I try to research what went so wrong for DePaul this year.

• According to Jason Bernstein at NJ.com, Dominic Cheek’s knee troubles seem to be behind them, and it’s coming at the right time.
• The Philly Inquirer reports that Neumann-Goretti took down Roman Catholic 86-53 last night in the Philadelphia Catholic League final at The Palestra, but Maalik Wayns sat out again rehabbing his knee. He’s been cleared to start running.
• The Examiner runs their own version of ‘Bracketology’ for the Big 5 schools. Rough year all around, but Temple is still fighting for a spot in the NCAA’s as they look towards a huge matchup with Dayton. As for Villanova, they believe a #3 or #4 seed is likely.
• Orange:44 checks in with some postgame thoughts. They too, echo the rest of the ‘Cuse faithful by accepting the reality that Villanova has had the Orange’s number lately. Look for our postgame chat later today.
• Lets Go Nova has chimed in on some thoughts on the Syracuse win, as well as Villanova’s chances at being sent to Philly for the early rounds of the NCAA’s.
• Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer talks about candidates for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year Award. Maalik Wayns makes his cut, and as he says “even at 80%, the playmaker is better than most.”

That’s all for right now. I’m going to do a little digging into DePaul and figure out what’s going on there. Or at least try to find out where Jerry Wainwright is hiding the comprising photos of the Board of Trustees.