NCAA Basketball FanHouse

Onion Peels: The ACC and Big East, Not Home to Road Warriors

Will Brinson — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, Wake Forest, ACC, Big East, Coaches, Fans, North Carolina

Onion Peels is a recap of last night's action and an unofficial Bill Raftery blog.

Wake Forest 70, Duke 68
Two things stand out about Wake Forest from this game. First, Dino Gaudio has done a tremendous job turning the Deacons into a team that can actually play defense (Holloman noted this a while back, actually), and second, can this Wake team close? I know they actually won, so that seems like a silly question, but after seeing the Virginia Tech debacle and then seeing them play down the stretch against Duke, it wouldn't be fair not to question their throat-stomping ability

Duke, on the other hand, just lacks an inside presence. No offense to Brian Zoubek, who, despite being a seven-footer, managed to finish with an impressive zero points and two rebounds last night, but this is going to be a really, really big deal when they play North Carolina and anyone with a big guy in the NCAAs.

Villanova 67, Pittsburgh 57
A lack of a serious inside presence for Pittsburgh -- DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs dealt with foul trouble all night -- gave Villanova ample room to attack the basket and put the Panthers from behind at the start. In a similar fashion to Pitt's loss to Louisville, the Panthers let an opponent hang around and subsequently lost. Scoring 57 points isn't exactly impressive, either.

North Carolina 80, Florida State 77
The Seminoles always play the Tar Heels tough, and last night's game was no exception. However, North Carolina usually doesn't just collapse; as Shiloh pointed out, they almost did last night. But for Ty Lawson's ability to hit a last second 3-pointer, the Heels are staring at three losses in ACC play. BUT DON"T WORRY! THEY"RE ROLLING RIGHT ALONG! No, but seriously, when your point guard leads you in rebounds, you have issues.

Gary Williams 1, Kathy Worthington 0
Sweaty Gary gone done and LOST HIS MIND. Don't believe me? Witness the best quote of the NCAA season -- in a season filled with a lot of great lines coming from College Park no less -- so far: "Kathy Worthington doesn't speak for me. She has never won a national championship. She has never done anything." Click, click, BURN. Touche, Gary. Touche.

Providence 100, Syracuse 94
The Orange continued their Top-25 shame spiral, losing their third straight (and four out of five) Big East game, despite Jonny Flynn throwing up a 35/3/6 line with four three pointers. How did they lose? Because 'Cuse likes to play zone, and Providence likes to shoot threes.

Elsewhere: Louisville stomped South Florida, setting up what should be an awesome matchup against Connecticut (who plowed through DePaul) Monday. LSU toppled Tennessee ... but WHERE ARE THE MARISSA MILLER STORIES??

Onion Peels: The ACC and Big East, Not Home to Road Warriors originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Closes Out Spectrum With Signature Win

Chas Rich — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Pittsburgh, Villanova, Big East

It was the final college game at the Spectrum. It was the place where Bob Knight won two national championships at Indiana. It was the place where Christian Laettner hit the shot to knock off Kentucky and move Duke into the 1992 Final Four. So fittingly, in this finale, Villanova knocked off PItt 67-57.

This was an absolutely vital win for the Wildcats. They were on the verge of falling below .500 in the Big East. They lacked any high quality wins, and were barely staying in the Top 25. They got the big win by beating the third-ranked Panthers with the Wildcats' quickness able to get Pitt's inside players -- DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs -- in foul trouble. It created the room for the guards to drive, dish and shoot.

Villanova was able to beat Pitt by attacking inside. The officials called it tight, which favored the Wildcats. Villanova, with shooters and guards that could attack the basket, did just that.

The first half, it seemed that Pitt could survive as the Panthers had a five-point lead at the break. In the second half, though, the fouls really piled up and 'Nova kept going to the free throw line. Pitt could not answer. The Panthers became visibly frustrated and settled too many times for contested jump shots. Pitt shot 3-for-6 on threes in the first half, but missed all eight attempts in the second half.

Blair's foul trouble really took the pressure off Dante Cunningham for Villanova inside. It gave him room as Pitt had to worry about the Wildcat guards. Reggie Redding was big for Villanova to keep it in the game in the first half and then making free throws late.

Pitt again struggled without DeJuan Blair inside. In the three games in which Blair's minutes have been limited by foul problems, Pitt is just 1-2. While it could be argued that a couple of the fouls called on Pitt were touch fouls that should not have been called, Blair made two dumb fouls on the perimeter for which there was no justification. Villanova took advantage of the situation like a good team should.

Villanova Closes Out Spectrum With Signature Win originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How I Spent My Summer Vacation: The Big East Conference (Part 2)

Chas Rich — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:45:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia, Big East

With the fall beginning and college basketball just around the corner, it's time to look back at what our favorite teams did during their summer vacations. Some did some good things; some had a bad time. So let's look back at who did what in our How I Spent My Summer Vacation series.

Today's look is the Big East Conference. Since the conference is a 16-team beast, this will be in 2 parts. Part 1 looked at the group of teams that missed the NCAA Tournament last season. Part 2 takes a look at the teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

The Big East sent half its teams to the NCAA Tournament. That was the good news. The bad news was that not a one made it to the Final Four, and even worse only three made it out of the opening weekend.

This year the Big East looks to be even better. The conference is actually deeper and has four teams being discussed as legitimate Final Four teams. There are a lot of strong teams behind them. Every team in this part made the NCAA last year, and are expected to do it again this year. The top four teams in the conference -- Pitt, UConn, Louisville and Notre Dame -- are all being projected in most preseason prognostications in the top ten, nationally. All four are fully capable of winning the Big East.

West Virginia
You don't have to like Bob Huggins. You can rail against his behavior. Express disgust at the academic and criminal records of the players he has had. That said, he is an excellent basketball coach. He came to a team that was built to shoot from the perimeter. They played a quirky zone defense, and generally didn't rebound. He made them tougher, better rebounders, and better defensively. All without much sacrifice on the offensive end. The big offseason fun came for starting point guard Joe Mazzula and reserve forward Cam Thoroughman, as they got themselves pepper sprayed and arrested at a Pittsburgh Pirates game. They eventually pleaded guilty to public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.

Marquette
The Golden Eagles spent the offseason getting to better know their new head coach, Buzz Peterson, after Tom Crean left for Indiana. Yes, Peterson was an assistant last year, but that was his first year with Marquette. Guard Jerel McNeal explored his NBA options, but came back for his senior season for one more go with Dominic James and Wesley Matthews as the most dangerous backcourt in the Big East. Marquette did have one surprising loss when Trevor Mbakwe transferred out for personal reasons. Mbakwe was expected to provide muscle and toughness in the frontcourt.

Villanova
A team that underachieved for big spells, most of the season, ended up overachieving by making the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. They had a very quiet offseason. The only person they lost was guard Malcolm Grant, a sparkplug reserve guard who shot well, but found himself in Coach Jay Wright's doghouse late in the season. Otherwise, this is essentially the same guard-heavy team as last year with just another year of experience.

Georgetown
Life without Big Roy Hibbert begins. That's okay, because here comes Greg Monroe, a forward-center that was one of the top recruits in the country. There's additional front court help with Julian Vaughn a center that transferred from Florida State, and received a hardship waiver due to family issues allowing him to play this year. Still even with DeJuan Summers and some other very talented players in the frontcourt, the backcourt lacks depth.

Notre Dame
Coach Mike Brey got a contract extension and a veteran team coming back. They do lose Rob Kurz but they have redshirt freshman Carleton Scott and senior Luke Zeller to try and make up his numbers. Whether they make up his intangibles -- he was their glue-guy -- is not their responsibility. They had a late departure in little used guard Ty Proffitt. The sophomore transferred to Morehead State. Otherwise, it's been a blissfully uneventful summer for the Irish.

Louisville
Derrick Caracter. Derrick Caracter. Derrick Caracter. Derrick Caracter. Derrick Caracter. Derrick Caracter. That's what most of the Louisville summer centered. First he's turning pro, then he changes his mind, Rick Pitino doesn't want him back, Caracter keeps begging, Pitino keeps saying no, Caracter's academics turn out to have him ineligible, he still wants back, Pitino sets conditions, Caracter accepts them, then he gives up and goes home. It continues for Caracter, but it no longer concerns Louisville.

Lots of expectations on this team. Addition by subtraction with Caracter gone, but pure subtraction with Scott Padgett finally graduating. The team has lots of talent, and even more coming in with Samardo Samuels as the headliner. The question is heart and leadership. Padgett had both in spades, but now Edgar Sosa, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams have to supply that. The Cards also have to contend with playing without Williams, possibly until December. Williams suffered a torn medial meniscus in his right knee.

UConn
There has been plenty of drama, stories and goings on in Storrs. Hasheem Thabeet declined to go pro. Coach Jim Calhoun had another go-round with skin cancer. He responded well to the treatment and seems ready for another year. Point guard A.J. Price is recovering from his torn ACL right on schedule and should be ready for the season. A very talented freshman forward from Australia, Ater Majok, was cleared by the NCAA, so that will help with the frontcourt depth. That was the good news over the summer vacation.

Now the bad stuff. After more off-the-court trouble for Doug Wiggins last year, he was strongly encouraged to consider other options. Curtis Kelly was also encouraged to look elsewhere as he just wasn't good enough, and the scholarship was needed. Both transferred. Then there was enigmatic power forward Stanley Robinson. Lots of talent, but rarely showing heart. His academics cost him at least the first semester, if not his time at UConn.

Finally it was seeming good news gone wrong with incoming freshman swingman Nate Miles. He managed to get cleared academically by the NCAA, but quickly found himself expelled from the school. He was accused of trying to force a woman -- his girlfriend at the time -- to have sex with him, and then arrested for violating the restraining order she got against him. A whole 20 minutes after he received the order. The complaint was dismissed, but the expulsion still stands.

Pitt
Coach Jamie Dixon got a nice raise and extension. Forward Sam Young did not even test the water in the NBA draft. So the team returns its strong trio with point guard Levance Fields, forward Young and forward/center DeJuan Blair. It could have been a core of four, but the NCAA denied Mike Cook a medical redshirt. The goal of this team is to be the first Pitt team to make the Final Four. A Pitt basketball team has never won more than two NCAA Tournament games -- ever.

The team also has to figure out who will take over for Ronald Ramon at the shooting guard spot. Ramon was the reliable perimeter threat, and it isn't clear who will win the spot. Sophomore Bradley Wanamaker struggled as a freshman, and shot horribly. Junior college transfer Jermaine Dixon will certainly be given a shot, but his outside shooting was not particularly impressive. The spot may fall to one of two incoming freshmen in Travon Woodall or Ashton Gibbs. Both are decent three-point shooters. Woodall is the more accurate of the two, but being able to play defense will really determine which one gets out there.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation: The Big East Conference (Part 2) originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Commish Plans Farewell Tour

Charles Rich — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:51:00 EST

Filed under: Louisville Football, Pittsburgh Football, Syracuse Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, Rutgers Football, Georgetown Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, Cincinnati Football, Connecticut Football, South Florida Football

Well, this will cause some tremors in college sports over the next couple of years. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese has announced that he will retire in June 2009.

"I am stepping down at this point because I believe it is the right time," added Tranghese. "The Conference is in great shape and it will give my successor the best opportunity to be successful."

Tranghese will have been the Big East Commissioner for 19 years when he steps down. He was the first employee of the Big East conference, the second Big East commissioner.

He was also the force that managed to keep the conference intact and a full member of the BCS after Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech left for the ACC. He prevented the conference from splitting into two conferences -- football schools and basketball schools -- by refusing to choose one over the other.

The football schools needed him because he had the connections and relationships with the other conferences and their commissioners to stay in the BCS. His expansion of the conference into 8 basketball schools (this includes Notre Dame) and 8 football schools. Has surprisingly worked to this point.
The basketball conference, while over sized and causing much teeth-gnashing by the coaches over the toughness has worked. Football, while at least one member short, has actually been much more respectable and better than expected. Both sides are safe economically in the short-term. Something that seemed unlikely 4 years ago.

That doesn't mean there aren't huge issues looming. The 16 Big East teams are still together in no small part because of a formal agreement not to split. That expires in 2010, and will not be extended in any binding manner.

Tranghese is giving the conference a year's notice, in part, because it won't be easy to find a commissioner that will be welcomed strongly by both interests. It actually makes it more likely that the school and conference will hire from within the conference ranks. Someone who already knows everyone and can stroke both sides. Lots of issues will be looming for the next commissioner

The football schools are in need of at least a 9th member to provide balance and another game. Given the costs, it is harder and harder to schedule 5 non-conference games each season. (Notre Dame isn't about to give up it's football independence.) The basketball schools surely don't want a 17th member in basketball and definitely don't want to see the conference tilt further to the football interests (something they already feel has happened).

Forget about rumored "associate" members. Both sides remember Temple all too well.

Then there's the free-floating anxiety over the Big Ten finally letting go of Notre Dame dreams and going to 12 members with Rutgers, Syracuse or Pitt. Or the latest idea that the SEC would actually expand to create a super conference with 2-4 members. Short-term stability may be present, but not long-term.

Sixteen members in all other major sports is too many, and creates higher costs for the member schools in travel budgets. It also reduces the money available to each in basketball when divided that many ways. Which is another reason against further members.

The next commissioner is almost certainly going to deal with a conference split between the 2010 and the end of the Big East TV contract in 2013.

Big East Commish Plans Farewell Tour originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Sheds a Guard, Gets a Forward

Charles Rich — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:01:00 EST

Filed under: Duke Basketball, Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball

Usually a team has a player transfer out or transfer in. Rarely do you see one team do both.

In January, after freshman guard Malcolm Grant came off the bench and poured in 22 points to lead Villanova to a 64-63 win over Pitt, Coach Jay Wright called Grant, "the heart and soul of this team." By February, his minutes started to really dwindle as he could not get into the rotation behind Scottie Reynolds and Corey Stokes. In the final 14 games (including the postseason tournaments), Grant never even got to play a single minute. This, despite shooting 46.6% on 3s.

No surprise, that the talented but underutilized Grant, requested and received permission to transfer. He left the guard heavy Wildcats for the Miami Hurricanes.

At nearly the same time, Villanova got a transfer coming their way. Forward Taylor King left Duke after his freshman season. He chose Duke over Villanova last year. Now, he is getting a do-over.

This could not have worked out better for Villanova and Jay Wright. The Wildcats were crowded in their backcourt with Reynolds, Stokes and Fisher. King has to sit out a season as a transfer. Villanova has 3 forwards -- Shane Clark, Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson -- who will all be seniors this season. When King becomes eligible he will be positioned to step right in as a starter

Villanova Sheds a Guard, Gets a Forward originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ho-Hum, Kansas Pounds Villanova

Charles Rich — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Kansas Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big 12 Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

Villanova getting to the Sweet 16 after being one of the last at-large teams to make the NCAA Tournament was a surprise. Getting beaten soundly by Kansas, 72-57, really wasn't.

The Jayhawks took control of the game on both ends early and cruised to the easy win. Villanova was just overmatched. There was never even a threat of a comeback by the Wildcats.

Kansas shot over 50% from the field while holding Villanova to just over 36%. Villanova's quick, but smaller guards, could not get clean looks on the perimeter and Kansas had the athleticism to keep them from penetrating.

Kansas now gets to play Davidson on Sunday.

Ho-Hum, Kansas Pounds Villanova originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova, Last Team In, Shows It Belongs

Michael David Smith — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:23:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

One week ago, the Villanova Wildcats were sitting around wondering whether they were going to make it into the NCAA Tournament. Depending on which bracketologist you trusted, they were either one of the last teams in or one of the last teams out.

As it turned out, they were the last team in, getting a 12 seed in the Midwest that made them the lowest-seeded of the at-large teams, earning the enmity of the teams they edged out, including Arizona State, Virginia Tech, Dayton and Illinois State.

But now the Wildcats have shown that they belong, beating 5 seed Clemson on Friday, beating 13 seed Siena today and advancing to the Sweet 16.

It might be an oversimplification to say that the mere fact that Villanova wins two games proves that Villanova was the right choice for the last spot: After all, we can't say for sure that Arizona State or Virginia Tech or Dayton or Illinois State wouldn't have won two games.

But for the Wildcats, the team that was cited in some quarters Monday morning as the example of the Selection Committee's biggest mistake, it feels like vindication.

Villanova, Last Team In, Shows It Belongs originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tampa Trap

Charles Rich — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, SEC Basketball, Mid-Majors Basketball, March Madness, Clemson Basketball, Vanderbilt Basketball, West, Midwest

Round 1 in Tampa was brutal for the higher seed teams. Epic, record-setting even. Two 4-13 games and two 5-12 games. In all four, the double digit seeds won. That has never happened before in the NCAA Tournament.

On Sunday, Tampa will have two 12-13 matchups. UConn, Drake, Vandy and Clemson all tumble to San Diego, Western Kentucky, Siena and Villanova. In fact, there hasn't been a 12-13 game in the second round since 2001 -- Indiana State-Gonzaga. Now there are two at one site.

It just screams statistical anomaly, but everyone is still waiting for that 1-16 upset.

The Tampa Trap originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 22 Mar 2008 00:42:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Topples Clemson

Shiloh Carder — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:29:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Clemson Basketball, Midwest

If you have never seen a Clemson Tigers game over the last ... say ... three years, then you captured everything about them in this one game against Villanova.

The Tigers pressed and punched their way to a 36-18 lead with five minutes left in the first half. Then, as it always seems to happen for Clemson, it all fell apart. Nova went on a 46-21 run that spanned both halves and built up a seven point lead with under four minutes remaining.

Clemson helped facilitate this by making bad shot decisions, turning the ball over, not feeding the big dogs down low and playing poor defense. There was the fantastic fouling of a three point shooter as the shot clock expired (by the way, the shot banked in). There was James Mays and Trevor Booker shooting a combined five shots on the day ... and both fouling out. Terrence Oglesby, Cliff Hammonds and KC Rivers went a combined 4-of-25 from three point land.

Villanova, who has won more games as the lower seeded team than anyone, finished off what was one hell of a day in Tampa. Four games; four upsets. On Easter Sunday, the fine folks in Tampa will be treated to #12 Villanova against #13 Siena and #12 Western Kentucky against #13 San Diego (no word if Nova or WKU packed their white unis or not).

Nova, who was one of the last teams to get into the dance, justified its place with the win over the 3rd place team in the ACC. The Big East moved to 7-1 in the tournament (only UConn lost). Don't be surprised to see this team in the Sweet 16 and giving Kansas a run for its money.

Villanova Topples Clemson originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 23:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NCAA Previews: Recognize the Villanova Wildcats

Charles Rich — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:06:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

Conference: Big East
Record: 20-12, 9-9 in conference
RPI: 51
How They Got In: At-large
Seed/Bracket: 12 / Midwest

Mascot: Wildcats. There is no connection to the Philly area, as the Villanova Wildcat is a feral feline with an appearance based on a bobcat found in the Southwest US. 'Nova's anthropomorphic mascot is called Will D. Cat. The name was chosen by a campus-wide contest in 1926.

Big Wins: Pitt, UConn and West Virginia.

Notable Loss: Rutgers (ouch).

Player You Should Know: The Villanova guards are the stars and the best athletes. The issue for Villanova is whether their forwards play well or just use up fouls. The main player inside is Dante Cunningham. The junior forward is their leading rebounder and has the highest field goal percentage -- if he can stay out of foul trouble,

Outlook: The Wildcats are best against other teams that like to play perimeter games. Against teams with strong frontcourts, they generally struggle. Villanova is likely one and done.

NCAA Previews: Recognize the Villanova Wildcats originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virginia Tech Deserved a Bid Over Villanova

Shiloh Carder — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, ACC Basketball, Big East Basketball, Virginia Tech Basketball

I understand why Virginia Tech wasn't one of the 34 at-large teams ... but how where they dumped for Villanova?

Tech finished fourth in the RPI's top conference, the ACC, with a 9-7 record. Villanova ended up 9-9 in the Big East (RPI #5), good for eighth place. Speaking of RPI's, there were similar as Nova finished 51 to Tech's 52.

Maybe it was the strength of schedule. Oh, wait. The Hokies' SOS ranked higher (39 to 47).

Nova lost to NC State (the ACC's worst team) in Orlando earlier this year. Virginia Tech won at St. John's, who finished 14th in the 16-team Big East. Tech didn't lose to Rutgers, either, who were ranked 211 in the RPI.

Conference tournaments? Villanova was beaten by Georgetown by 19 in the Big East quarterfinals. Virginia Tech lost by two points to North Carolina, the tournament's top overall seed, in the ACC semis (oh, and Tech had to beat tourney bound Miami to get there).

Maybe there were other schools that deserved to be there instead of Virginia Tech. But Villanova wasn't one of them.

Virginia Tech Deserved a Bid Over Villanova originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Is the Prettiest Ugly Girl

Charles Rich — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:18:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness, Midwest

As the 12 seed in the Midwest Bracket, Villanova is the lowest seeded at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. That makes them the last team in the NCAA. It means they earn the enmity of teams like Arizona St., Virginia Tech, Dayton and Illinois State.

Villanova was only 1 spot higher than Virginia Tech in the RPI (51 vs. 52). Villanova finished 9-9 in the Big East. The difference is that Villanova proved that they could beat good teams. They beat teams like UConn and Pitt.

While Arizona State beat 4 teams that made the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats beat 5 teams. They beat three within their own conference and in their non-con, they beat 2 more NCAA Tournament teams -- Temple and George Mason.

The final factor that probably tipped in favor of Villanova is that they were the victim of two questionable calls at the end of games. A phantom call that sent NC State to the free throw line with under a second remaining, and a questionable blocking foul at the end of the game at Georgetown. In both cases, the free throws won the game for the other team. That seemed to offset an ugly loss in the quarterfinals to Georgetown.

Villanova Is the Prettiest Ugly Girl originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:18:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Big East Quarterfinals Review: Georgetown Sitting Pretty

Charles Rich — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:44:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Pittsburgh Basketball, Connecticut Basketball, Marquette Basketball, Louisville Basketball, Villanova Basketball, West Virginia Basketball, Notre Dame Basketball, Big East Basketball

Going into the Big East Tournament, there were two historical themes. Georgetown has never lost a single game -- ever -- in the Big East Tournament as the #1 seed. The other being that only once in the 27 years of the Big East Tournament has a team won the BET playing 4 games in 4 days.

After Thursday's action, Georgetown looks like it is in great shape based on those two trends. The Hoyas are the #1 seed in the BET. They are also the only team that didn't play on Wednesday that will play on Friday. The 2, 3 and 4 seeds all lost on Thursday.

Georgetown actually blew an 11 point halftime lead against Villanova, before exploding late to crush Villanova 82-63. Villanova falls back on the bubble with a bad, ugly loss. Georgetown won going away despite Roy Hibbert finishing with 0 points and only 4 rebounds. Hibbert was saddled with foul troubles the whole game, and only played 14 minutes. Georgetown won big because they were unstoppable on the perimeter. They shot 17-28 on 3 point shots. Mind-boggling to watch.
West Virginia got control of the game and never let go on their way to a 78-72 win over #2 seed UConn. Joe Alexander had 34 points, a career best, as he continues a torrid offensive streak. He's averaged just under 30 points in his past 5 games. Alexander was dominant against UConn's defense. He attacked, dunked posted up, hit fade-aways. Everything. He singlehandedly demoralized UConn. The Huskies haven't won a game in the Big East Tournament since 2005.

Pitt and Louisville played a fantastic game that wasn't settled until overtime. There were 19 lead changes and 12 ties in the game. Pitt ultimately prevailed 76-69 to knock out Louisville from the Big East Tournament for the 3d straight year. Oddly enough, Pitt is 4-2 against Louisville since the Cardinals joined the Big East. Pitt has beaten them 3 times in the BET at Madison Square Garden and once at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The two losses both took place in Pittsburgh. Go figure.

Marquette and Notre Dame played an entertaining game. Notre Dame led at the half despite limited minutes from Luke Harangody due to foul trouble. The second half, though, was all Marquette. The Golden Eagles were led by Jerel McNeal and Maurice Acker to dominate in the second half, as Marquette won 89-79.

Big East Quarterfinals Review: Georgetown Sitting Pretty originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIT or NCAA: Syracuse Orange

Charles Rich — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:16:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, Big East Basketball

Syracuse folded. They fell apart. Collapsed. Gave up. Whatever you want to call it. Syracuse was in a position to punch its own ticket to the NCAA Tournament against Villanova and fell apart. They ended up being blown out 82-63.

The Orange raced out to a strong start, but Villanova finished the half strong -- pulling to within 1 point before the half ended. It was tight for part of the second half, but Villanova began hitting more shots -- especially Stokes and Reynolds from outside. Rather than tighten up the defense, the Syracuse players began to hang their heads. They just began rushing shots, only trying to score.

Syracuse will miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive year. It is only the second time under Jim Boeheim that they have missed the NCAA in consecutive years.

Villanova is close to getting in the NCAA Tournament. They aren't a lock. They don't necessarily need to beat Georgetown on Thursday, but they have to look competitive. A blowout loss, like the one they handed Syracuse would hurt their perception.

NIT ~~or NCAA~~: Syracuse Orange originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NIT or NCAA: Villanova

Charles Rich — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:07:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, March Madness

Throughout the season we'll look at bubble teams and assess whether they have a better chance of ending up in the NIT or NCAA Tournament.

Team: Villanova Wildcats

Record: 17-9 (7-7 Big East)

Good Wins: Pitt, UConn

Bad Losses: At Rutgers, at DePaul

Comments: The Wildcats seemed to be cruising to another NCAA berth in January. They were in the top-25 and had beaten Pitt and then a solid road win over Syracuse. Then they lost to Rutgers which was the start of a 5 game slide and losing 6 of 7. They looked to be completely out of the discussion by then. They suffered a controversial loss to Georgetown -- the second such loss on a foul call in the final seconds this season.

Since then, they won 3 straight including a big win over UConn to get back into the discussion.

Other Views: They are 50th in RPI, 56th on Basketball State, 59th by the Sagarin Ratings.

Verdict: No chance at the NCAA right now. Their non-con was devoid of any notable wins despite a 10-2 record. The loss at Rutgers really hurts them.

The good news for the Wildcats is that they still have a chance. They have to close the season 3-1 which would include beating either Marquette or Louisville. They'd be at 21 wins, 10-8 in the Big East and 7-3 in their final 10 games. Then they need at least one win in the Big East Tournament to make it a lock.

NIT or NCAA: Villanova originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Returns to the Bubble

Charles Rich — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:15:00 EST

Filed under: Connecticut Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball

Losing 6 out of 7 moved Villanova from being in the top-25 to being at risk of not making the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats big problem had been poor defense. They began to figure the defense out when they had the tough loss to Georgetown, and has suddenly become much more effective in contesting shots and forcing turnovers.

It came together for Villanova today, with a 67-65 upset over UConn. The Huskies had won 10 straight games and were tied for 3d in the Big East.

Villanova came out strong against UConn. Corey Stokes led the team in the first half and 'Nova had a 14 point lead with 3:29 left in the half, but UConn went on a 9-1 run to close to within 6 by halftime. UConn made several runs to tie the game in the second half, and even take a brief lead. Villanova, though, kept answering.

It seemed that the performance of guards Scottie Reynolds and Stokes convinced UConn point guard A.J. Price that he and the guards needed to answer. Rather than work it inside to the Thabeet, Robinson or Adrien -- where the Huskies had the clear advantage -- Price and Austrie took the majority of the shots. Heck, Price took more shots (22) than the combined efforts of Thabeet, Robinson and Adrien (21). Price ended up leading his team with 16 points, but he was a dismal 6-22 to get there.

Price had been brilliant for UConn in their winning streak. You have to love a competitive player, but this time he made it about himself rather than the team. And it cost his team.

Villanova Returns to the Bubble originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 23 Feb 2008 15:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Gets Hosed by Refs in Final 0.1

Charles Rich — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Georgetown Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball, NCAA Basketball Video

No one can claim that Villanova deserved to win this game. But then, no one could really claim that Georgetown deserved to win either. This was a stinker of a game. Tough to watch. Lots of poor shooting. Plenty of fouls to slow the game to a crawl, and lots of poor play in general. Georgetown got the win 55-53.

The final call, is the stuff that breeds conspiracy theories. Put this with the block not goaltending call at West Virginia, and it will only convince more people that the Big East refs are trying to help/protect Georgetown for NCAA seeding.

Forget the extreme poor shooting by Villanova. Only 4-31 in the second half, a ridiculous stretch where the Wildcats missed 19 straight shots, and after starting 3-8 on 3s didn't make another 3 in the game (0-15). Villanova was able to stay close because they picked up fouls and Georgetown's poor shooting and turnovers. Villanova actually tied the game at 53 with just over a minute left.
Georgetown came up empty on their possession and the Wildcats had the ball with 30 seconds left. They brought it up court, and called timeout to draw up the play. There was no question that Scottie Reynolds would get the ball. He was the only offense for Villanova with 24 points.

Reynolds took the ball on the inbounds and tried to go to the basket. Jerimiah Rivers stayed right with him. Playing great defense, and Rivers blocked the attempt as Reynolds tried to launch a shot and draw a foul. The refs ignored any contact and properly let the play go. There was no clear advantage and this is the Big East where physical play is expected.

The ball hit the floor and bodies were all over the place and each other going for the ball. No calls. It finally went to Georgetown's Jonathan Wallace near the baseline with just over 3 seconds left.

Wallace started down one of the line, and Villanova guard Corey Stokes moved with him to prevent him to launch a heave before time expired. Wallace got past him, with the barest contact and the refs whistled a foul with 0.1 seconds on the clock.

To say the ESPN play calling crew of Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas and Bill Raftery were flabbergasted, would be an understatement. All 3 didn't just question the call, they said that it simply should not have been called and based on what hadn't been called for most of the game was hardly a foul.

Wallace, the Hoyas best free throw shooter, nailed both free throws and that was the ball game. No one is saying that Villanova would have won the game in overtime, but they deserved a chance to try.

UPDATE: Here's the sequence. It's a little choppy.

Villanova Gets Hosed by Refs in Final 0.1 originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 11 Feb 2008 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saint Joseph's Beats Villanova to Claim Philly Bragging Rights and Tournament Spot

Josh Alper — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:35:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, A-10 Basketball, Big East Basketball, Philadelphia

It will be tough for Saint Joseph's to top the 2004 season when they finished the regular season undefeated and nabbed a first seed in the NCAA tournament. When all is said and done, however, Phil Martelli might end up being just as proud of this year's edition. They've won 11 of their last 12, have climbed into contention for the A-10 crown and, with yesterday's thumping of Villanova, can strut around Philly with their heads held high.

The 77-55 rout was Nova's first Big 5 loss since 2004 and their fifth straight loss overall. The Wildcats are going to have to turn it around fast if they'd like to qualify for the Big East tournament, let alone the NCAA one. They can't shoot, turn the ball over in bunches and have no leadership to guide them through the tough times.

The Hawks, on the other hand, just added another feather to their rapidly filling cap of tournament worthiness. As usual, it was Pat Calathes who led them to victory. He scored 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots. Another senior, Rob Ferguson, scored 20 as well and the experienced Hawks overwhelmed the reeling Wildcats from the opening tip.

SJU fans even got in on the fun. They were waving signs that read "Even Tim Donaghy bet on SJU," reminding the losers of their infamous graduate and the easy to see coming win.

Saint Joseph's Beats Villanova to Claim Philly Bragging Rights and Tournament Spot originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Tue, 05 Feb 2008 09:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Short-Handed Syracuse Streaks

Charles Rich — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Villanova Basketball, Syracuse Basketball, Big East Basketball

For a team that only has 6 man rotation, the Orange have remained true to their offensive style. Running, getting up the court and taking lots of possessions. The 2-3 zone of Syracuse has served them well, in that it allows them to conserve some energy on the defensive end. Given the inconsistent offensive performance by Villanova in their slide, this worked out well as Syracuse got a conference road win, 87-73.

Both teams drove to the basket, but Syracuse just couldn't miss. The Orange were 5-11 on 3s and 22-33 elsewhere on the court (68.6% eFG%). Four Syracuse players scored in double digits with Paul Harris scoring 30 and Jonny Flynn adding 22.

The Orange have gotten to 6-4 in the Big East, after looking like they were doomed following the gutwrenching OT loss at Georgetown. Instead, they have won 3 straight. The concern for the rest of the season, though, is how they can maintain this. Three starters played at least 39 minutes and a 4th played 36 minutes today. They have two stretches in the final 8 games where they play 3 games in 6 days and 3 in 7 days. As the number of bodies have fallen, Syracuse has 4 players averaging over 30 minutes per game, and in the recent stretch are nearing 40 minutes per game.That has to take a toll on a very young team.

For Villanova, they have dropped 4 straight and are 3-6 in the Big East and have not looked good in their games for more than brief stretches. Forget about the NCAA Tournament, they are now concerned with making the Big East Tournament.

Short-Handed Syracuse Streaks originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Villanova Continues to Slide

Charles Rich — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:45:00 EST

Filed under: Pittsburgh Basketball, Villanova Basketball, Big East Basketball

Perhaps it isn't that big a surprise that Villanova has struggled in Big East play. When 'Nova Coach Jay Wright first collected the talent of Allan Ray, Randy Foye, Will Sheridan, Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi; it took a couple years for the talent to translate on the court. This group with Scottie Reynolds, Malcolm Grant, Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher and Antonio Pena is not quite as talented. They are also very young. Reynolds is the only sophomore in the group. Plenty of talent but little experience to help them. Even today, experience still plays a big role.

The Wildcats lost their 3d straight Big East game to Pitt, 69-57 to fall to 3-5 in the Big East. Considering Villanova has games remaining against UConn, Marquette, Georgetown and Louisville they will be hard pressed to finish even 9-9 in the Big East this season.

Pitt got balanced scoring as six players scored 8 or more points and shared the ball well. 75% of Pitt's baskets were accompanied by an assist. Villanova was Scottie Reynolds with 26 points, and then the random basket from the rest of the Wildcats who shot 29%.

Pitt also needed this game. They had lost 2 of 3 and had never lost two consecutive home games since they began playing at the Pete. Advantage to the home team, and Pitt gets to 5-3 in the Big East.

Villanova Continues to Slide originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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