'Cats face Pitt in Big East home opener

vs.

#16 Villanova Wildcats (10-2, 0-1 BE) vs.
#13 Pittsburgh Panthers (12-1, 0-0 BE)

Date: Sunday, January 6, 2008
Location: The Pavilion (Villanova, PA)
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Television: WPHL (Greater Philadelphia region only)

Pittsburgh Coverage: Pitt Blather || Post-Gazette


The Pittsburgh Panthers, regarded as one of the nation's top teams and predicted by many to make a deep tournament run this year, visit Villanova's campus for a highly anticipated matchup between two Big East powerhouses.

Like many teams across the country and especially in the Big East, injuries have plagued the Panthers as of late, threatening to ruin their plans for a deep postseason run. Pitt opened the season 11-0, which included an instant classic win over Duke in overtime at Madison Square Garden, 65-64. Since then, 6'6" senior forward and outright team leader Mike Cook was lost for the season with a knee injury. In addition, Junior point guard Levance Fields, who sent Duke home with his last second 3-pointer, broke his left foot in an 80-55 Dayton loss, sidelining him for 8-12 weeks.

Because of the injuries, coach Jamie Dixon has been forced to juggle his lineup. Hot shooting senior Ronald Ramon has slid into the starting point position, replacing Fields. Role player Keith Benjamin has found significant minutes at shooting guard, scoring 20 points en route to defeating Lafayette. Even freshman Gilbert Brown and junior Ty Biggs have helped at Cook's old forward position.

While the Panthers may not have the firepower they once had at the beginning of the season, Pitt clearly has enough depth at these positions to keep them competitive in the conference. This team is much different than the one 'Nova has faced in the past, with Aaron Gray now on the Chicago Bulls. Still, the Drummond-less frontcourt will have a tough time against Sam Young (17.6ppg, 7.3rpm) and DeJuan Blair (11.6, 9.2), in addition to Biggs. Perhaps Jay Wright may start another big in Antonio Pena to help contend on the glass. I expect the 'Nova guards to contend well and bounce back against Pitt's, playing much better as a unit than against DePaul. An interesting subplot will be to see how the players react versus a well rested opponent after the tough road loss in Illinois.

Keys to the Game

Defense, Defense, Defense This 'key' for Villanova will remain at the top of the list until the Wildcats can prove that they are able to stop opponents from scoring at will. The freshmen must realize that unlike high school, where defense is primarily man-to-man, the college game and Jay Wright's defense in particular is more dependent on help and trap defense. Too many times in the DePaul game multiple defenders jumped to the ball on fastbreaks, leaving trailing Demons wide open. There is no doubt the 'Cats can create havoc with their pesky guards. However, if 'Nova fails to correct its streaky defensive play it could be another long night for 'Nova Nation.

Play a full 40 minutes As the announcers noted, Villanova came out flat at the beginning of the DePaul game. In what looked like an effort to make up for the early lack of intensity, 'Nova changed gears and lost focus, committing turnovers and forcing shots. The 'Cats must be consistent in minutes 1 through 40 and show the same effort on both ends of the court.

Control In a span of eight possessions against DePaul, 'Nova forced six missed shots and turned the ball over two times, resulting in zero points. Not only were there numerous travel calls on players beginning their dribble, but the usually effective passing of the guards was erratic and at times too errant for bigger players to receive on the box. The offense needs to tighten up their passing and execution against Pitt. I'm not saying that they have to abandon their transition game completely, but there is a distinct difference between out of control and quick play. Pitt, allowing only 62 ppg, is an experienced defensive team that Villanova will have to find a way to penetrate.

X-Factors

Shane Clark Nowhere to be found in the DePaul game, as he managed only 4 points in 26 minutes, Clark has been ineffective as of late. Shane started the season strong, leading the team in points scored in several early-season games. For this team to be effective Clark must be more assertive on offense and not pass up uncontested threes on the wing or 15 foot jumpers from the elbows.

Corey Stokes/Dwayne Anderson To be honest, I was happy to see Anderson's hustle and determination not go unnoticed by the coaching staff, who granted him a starting spot in the lineup. Unfortunately, his limited playing time led for him to commit too many fouls in limited action. Stokes, who has the skills, needs confidence to be effective at the collegiate level. Unfortunately, the first 11 games of the season, not conference play, is the place to build confidence. Here is to hoping that one of these players steps up and makes some contributions.

Pavilion Crowd Because of winter break, the full student body will not be in attendance for this game. It is important that 'Nova win this game, not only because of its NCAA tournament seeding implications, but because the 'Cats cannot afford to fall to 0-2 in the Big East. The student section in particular needs to act as a sixth man and garner support for the starting five. In addition, a few "On Your Feet" chants from the students will ensure the rest of the paying crowd will get into the game as well.

As always, send in your predictions and comments for the game vs. Pitt for a chance to have your name mentioned in an upcoming post.