IMPLOSION Wheels come off as Wildcats suffer 5th straight blow-out

St. Joseph's 77
Villanova 55
(box score)

St. Joseph's: 15-5 (6-1 A10, 3-0 B5)
Villanova: 13-8 (3-6 BE, 3-1 B5)

Next game: vs. Seton Hall, 02/09 at the Pavilion.

Something is rotten in the 'Nova Nation.

St. Joseph's handed Villanova its fifth consecutive loss tonight in a 22-point rout that was not even that close. The St. Joseph lead was actually a whopping 31 before coach Phil Martelli called off the dogs late in the second period.

Tonight's performance, however, was worse than just a blow-out loss. It was a signal that something is horribly amiss in the world of Villanova basketball, and most fans are at a loss themselves to figure out what it could be.

Villanova played laughable defense, allowing the Hawks to score 45 points in the first half. The Wildcat offense was tremendously bad, shooting just 21-51 -- and several of those field goals were meaningless garbage-time paddings.

Perhaps most troubling of all, however, were Jay Wright's baffling lineup and substitution decisions:

• Only 1 minute for Malcolm Grant in a game where the 'Cats were held to 26 and 29 points in the first and second halves, respectively?


• 24 minutes for Shane Clark, who has been and remains thoroughly ineffective on both ends of the court?


• 31 minutes for Reggie Redding, who scored tonight at the blistering pace of 1 point per 11 minutes of playing time? Is Redding's presence as a "defensive stopper" warranted when St. Joe's lit up the 'Cats from the field at a 55 percent clip in the first half?

Jay Wright's personnel decisions have been a major reason, in my opinion, that this team is playing well below its talent level.

What is going on with Malcolm Grant? Why has Wright not addressed this issue? Many fans are wondering, and many fans are angry. Why is he not seeing the floor?

There were rumors circulating online since Saturday of a locker-room altercation between two Villanova players. Since the rumors have not been confirmed by the team, I won't mention which players were supposedly involved -- but Grant was not listed as one of them. Why, then, does Grant seemed glued to the bench?

Villanova is losing to an Atlantic-10 team by 31 points and it's still not time to give Grant a try? One has to wonder whether this perceived injustice doesn't have the talented Grant weighing his options for the rest of his college career.

Jay Wright's offensive schemes -- or, shall I say, the lack thereof -- do not lend themselves to helping out a team that is struggling to score. Instead of creating the occasional easy bucket, Wright's "take-'em" philosophy worsens bad streaks. The take-'em offense certainly doesn't work as well without two starting-caliber NBA guards, either.

I don't even want to talk about the defensive woes. Wright played Shane Clark for 24 minutes in a man-to-man scheme in which Hawks ran over, under, around, and through him to the basket.

If "defense" is the reason keeping Grant on the bench -- hey, it's not working. The Wildcats are getting torched on defense; why not put another scorer out there? Besides, there is very little evidence, in my opinion, that Grant is any worse a defender than the other two point guards.

Perhaps the strongest criticism I have of Jay Wright's lineup calls is the large amount of time that only one of Grant, Fisher, and Reynolds is on the court. There should always be at least two of those three players out there at all times. Villanova has three good guards, so why would you ever want a situation where only one of them were on the court?

In my opinion, this is what the rotation should look like:

• At least 2, and sometimes 3 of Pena, Drummond, and Cunningham simultaneously.


• At least 2, and sometimes 3 of Grant, Reynolds, and Fisher simultaneously.


• Sometimes 1, sometimes none, but never more than 1 of Redding, Stokes, Clark, and Anderson simultaneously.


• Once a player starts or subs in, no taking him out in under five minutes unless there are extenuating circumstances (injuries, fouls, gross insubordination, the Rapture, etc.).

This mix would allow the Wildcats to always have quality shooters, scorers, ball handlers, defenders, and rebounders on the floor at once. It would also allow rhythm players like Fisher and Grant to get into a groove without being yanked out at Wright's inexplicable whim.

I think the core six players could handle the increased minutes in the above scenario. Note how any of the four swingmen could be substituted at will for any tired guard of forward for any length of time, if needed.

Follow that lineup mix, and I guarantee the team wouldn't get blown out by the likes of Rutgers and St. Joe's.

A little over a week ago, this team was ranked #18 in the nation. Obviously that ranking was artificially high, but the fact remains that the Wildcats are underachieving for their talent level.

Congratulations to reader Jameson for most closely predicting the game's final score.

Next up for Villanova are the visiting Seton Hall Pirates at the Pavilion on Saturday.

A lot of fans are wondering, hyperbolically, if the Wildcats will even win another game this year. I think they will. The roster is just too talented to sustain this poor play.

Villanova is still capable of knocking off pretty much anyone left on the schedule... O.K., maybe not Georgetown at the MCI Center.

In any event, the season is truly on the brink of destruction. Villanova must fight its way into the Big East Tournament and will likely have to claw into the NIT, as well.

On to the player grades. "READ MORE" below for player performance grades and analysis.

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 33 min)

  With Grant on the bench and Fisher playing less than half the game, Reynolds was tasked with most of the scoring burden for the Villanova backcourt. He gave it an admirable shot, but came up short tonight. He scored 12 points on 3-12 shooting. His only field goals came from behind the three-point arc, where he shot 3-7. He was also 3-4 from the foul line. He handled the ball poorly, passing for no assists and committing 3 turnovers. Reynolds did manage to lead the team in steals, with 2. Scottie is a good player and has not regressed all that much as many fans are suggesting, but he can't handle 200 minutes' worth of scoring burden by himself every night.
  Grade: C-
  Syracuse grade:B-
  
  

• Reggie Redding (S, 31 min)

  Redding is a great "glue" guy who does a little bit of everything, but come on, 31 minutes? His defense wasn't that good, and he was not a factor on the offense. Redding shot 1-4 to score 3 points and missed 2 of his 3 foul shots. He grabbed 4 boards. He handled the ball well, turning the ball over just once and passing for 4 assists, four times more than anyone else on the team. His defense was nothing to write home about. I think Redding should be a major part of the rotation, but 31 minutes is a bit much for someone whose offense is not a threat.
  Grade: C+
  Syracuse grade: B
  
  
  

• Dante Cunningham (S, 26 min)

  Cunningham scored 12 points tonight, tied for Reynolds for most on the team. He shot well from the field, 6-8, and pulled in 6 rebounds. He had 2 turnovers, no assists, no steals, and no blocks.
  Grade: C+
  Syracuse grade: C-
  
  

• Dwayne Anderson (25 min)

  Anderson played fairly well in the Wildcats' worst game of the year. He shot 4-5 to score 8 points. He grabbed 4 rebounds and had 2 turnovers. He lead the team in blocks, with 2, and notched 1 steal. He also seemed to hustle on the court, especially on a play where he futilely dived for a loose ball. Anderson is another great glue and energy player, but his offensive game is limited. Redding and Anderson should split time with Stokes at the swingman, in my opinion. In that scenario, Stokes, Redding, and Anderson each play about 12 minutes per game, but never alongside one another.
  Grade: C+
  Syracuse grade: D+
  
  

• Shane Clark (24 min)

  After not playing at all against 'Cuse, Clark was given 24 minutes tonight. He did not do all that much with them, in my opinion. Clark shot 2-5 from the field to score 8 points, which was the highlight of his performance, as his defense was very poor, in my opinion.
  Grade: D
  Syracuse grade: DNP
  
  

• Casiem Drummond (S, 20 min)

  Drummond returned to the starting lineup and logged some major minutes tonight, playing half the game. He shot 2-5 from the field and grabbed 4 boards in a less-than-dominating performance. He was also 2-4 from the line. He looked significantly better against Syracuse, but Drummond continues to improve after his serious ankle injury.
  Grade: D+
  Syracuse grade: B-
  
  
  

• Corey Fisher (S, 19 min)

  Fisher played fast and loose with the ball tonight, putting up some unlikely shots and committing a ridiculous 5 turnovers in just 19 minutes. Fisher shot 2-7 from the field, including 0-3 from the three-point line, to score just 4 points. He had 1 assist and 1 steal in perhaps his worst game so far this year. Fisher is a tremendous talent and should be allowed to play through poor stretches like this. You saw what he did against Syracuse.
  Grade: D
  Syracuse grade: A-
  
  

• Antonio Pena (13 min)

  Pena has seen his minutes plummet as of late, and despite a decline in production, I don't think Pena should be riding the bench as much as he is. Against St. Joe's, Pena shot 1-3, scoring 2, and did not grab any rebounds. He had 1 assist and 2 turnovers. Sure, it was a terrible game, but Pena is still emerging. I am not faulting Wright for not playing Pena during a bad performance, but hopefully Antonio sees a return to major minutes and major production soon.
  Grade: D-
  Syracuse grade: C
  
  
  

• Corey Stokes (8 min)

  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I have seen Corey Stokes hit 8 straight three pointers in warmups with my own eyes. In actual games, Stokes can't seem to hit a wide-open three at all. He was 0-2 from the field tonight, 2 missed open threes. Stokes grabbed 1 rebound and had 1 turnover. Where is the sharpshooter we heard so much about in high school?
  Grade: D-
  Syracuse grade: D
  
  
  
  

• Malcolm Grant (1 min)

  Jay Wright saw fit to play without Malcolm Grant for 39 minutes tonight, even as the Wildcats were getting blown away. I have no idea why.
  Grade: Incomplete
  Syracuse grade: C+
  
  

• Did not play: Frank Tchuisi (CD), Jason Colenda (CD).