What we know so far

With the regular season 23 percent completed and a big test on the road approaching this Wednesday, it seemed like an appropriate time to sum up what we know so far about the 2006-7 Wildcats.

• Sumpter is a stud.
  Curtis is leading the team in minutes and scoring. His field goal and three-point percentages are the highest they have been in his career. He is also making more steals and assists than he ever has at Villanova. As the competition gets tougher, Sumpter's numbers continue to go up. Some of these statistics are a function of necessity, but there is no doubt that Sumpter is coming through for Villanova this season.



• Shane Clark is this year's Lowry.
  Jay Wright said it himself after the Penn game. Who are we to argue? All of Shane's numbers are up drastically from last year. Coming off the bench, Shane is third on the team in scoring at 11 ppg, and is shooting a team-best 52 percent from beyond the arc on 23 attempts. There is no doubt in this blogger's mind that as the season wears on, Clark's contributions to this team are going to become increasingly valuable.



• Scottie Reynolds is good...really good.
  As anyone who saw the Penn game can attest, Reynolds is getting more comfortable on the court with each passing minute. As Penn pulled ahead 72-70 in a raucous Palestra, Saturday night, Reynolds coolly nailed a three to give Nova a lead they would not relinquish. Reynolds is averaging 6 ppg through seven games but it wouldn't be surprising to see him averaging 10 points by the end of the season.



• Nardi is solid and improving.
  Nardi's numbers have gotten better each year at Villanova and this year is no exception. He is scoring just under 15 ppg and shooting career highs from the field and beyond the arc. Also, pulling a page from Gary Buchanan a la 2000, Nardi is shooting a perfect 100 percent from the charity stripe through seven games!



• More from Sheridan?
  It might be fair to say that most Nova fans expected a little more production from Will Sheridan in the scoring department this season. To be sure, Sheridan is providing solid minutes. But as the season progresses, the Wildcats will need another viable scoring threat in the post aside from Sumpter



• Pena red shirting?
  Most fans who follow the team closely are aware that, of the current freshman, Antonia Pena appeared to be the most physically ready to contribute. Thus it came as a surprise when rumors began to fly that the decision had been made to red shirt Pena for the 2006-7 season. But these "rumors" appear truer with Antonio's absence in each passing game.



• 6-1.
  At this juncture, 6-1 is about where most Nova fans expected this team to be. As always, each game is a learning experience, and these Wildcats are progressing nicely and on pace for another exciting run come March. Tune in Wednesday as the Wildcats square off in Norman versus the Sooners.