'Nova bests Siena to reach Sweet 16
posted by Pete @ LetsGoNova.com3/23/2008 02:21:00 PM
Villanova defeated the 13-seed Siena, 82-74, to win its four-team bracket in Tampa and advance to the round of 16 next weekend.
The Wildcats will face the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in Detroit on Friday night.
The Wildcats will face the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in Detroit on Friday night.
[Update] The game will tip at 9:40 p.m. (Eastern time), which is the same local time in Detroit.
This is the third time in the last four years that Villanova has reached the Sweet 16 or better.
I will have a comprehensive recap and analysis of both the Clemson and Siena games for this week.
This is the third time in the last four years that Villanova has reached the Sweet 16 or better.
I will have a comprehensive recap and analysis of both the Clemson and Siena games for this week.
Labels: 2007-2008, kansas, NCAAs, siena, siena-villanova, villanova-siena
34 Comments:
Kansas has games where they are off. I sense that this will be one of those off games.
Make no mistake though, 12-seed Nova beating 1-seed Kansas, which is probably also the best team in the nation, would be one of the biggest upsets in recent memory. Kansas has SIX NBA prospects...Villanova has the talent to play with the Jayhawks, but the Wildcats will need to bring their best game.
man i really hope we win this game. it'd show the world that the big east really is the best conference in the country, that we can have the 8th best team in the big east beat one of the top teams in the country, thatd be AMAZING!
Congratulations Nova fans! Best of luck the rest of the way - from a Card fan.
wow georgetown just lost to davidson! its been a bad few days for the big east, now do we only have wvu and nova left?
btw that just destroyed my bracket, i had them in the final four!
national championship are built brick by brick. consider us stone masons. 4 more games.
one of these games stokes is going to just go crazy, i feel it.
I feel that we will not beat Kansas though it may be close. I mean to come close to beating Kansas and to be one of the 16 teams left standing is big especially for a young team like this. Expect next season to be big.
GREAT season no matter what happens from here on out. this team looked dead and came together and has played great the last few weeks. I have to applaud Jay for his coaching effort down the stretch, his record in the tourney is impressive to say the least. that being said... beating kansas would be icing on the cake.
GREAT season no matter what happens from here on out. this team looked dead and came together and has played great the last few weeks. I have to applaud Jay for his coaching effort down the stretch, his record in the tourney is impressive to say the least. that being said... beating kansas would be icing on the cake.
Whether or not we win, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen as a young team is great learning experience for everyone on the team. Now they know that no matter what happens, once you're in the tournament the game is completely different. G-Town's out, Duke's out, Pitt's out, and Nova's in. Now they just have to keep it up.
As for Kansas, my rule of thumb for bracketology is "don't pick Kansas". Bill Self is notorious for meltdowns, especially when out-coached. If Jay Wright can create an effective gameplan to contain Kansas and we shoot well, we have a chance.
How is getting to the elite 8 last year and losing to an excellent UCLA team a "melt down" for Kansas?
any new news on tyreke evans? Hes supposed to announce where hes going soon isnt he? like tomorrow
Unfortunately, Tyreke is gone to Memphis. Villanova is not even focusing on him anymore, and they have dropped out of his top three.
We need to focus on contesting all of their 3 point shots and not giving up good post position. They go nine deep, so we will need to also. That means Grant and Drummond should be getting extended minutes. We also need to slow down the pace, because once they get on a run, they are impossible to stop. Overall, we can still pull off the upset, but we can only afford to make very few mistakes.
By the way, I had Gtown winning the whole thing! My bracket is done. Curry is still amazing though!
tyreke set up a press conference on espn for april 16 and apparently nova isn't out of it yet
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/briefingroom?playerId=43631
Allen Ray, Curtis Sumpter, Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry...Kansas Vs Villanova 2005. Villanova won and it started a big time story season and helped villanova really quench a winning attitude. 2008...could it be the same? rush was on that team...lets go out, believe and play the hardest as we can...i know we can win. i have kansas winning my bracket...il sacrafice that anyday.
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/story/10732617
awesome article on jay on cbssportsline.com ... worth a read
Kansas is going to have to struggle, and Villanova is going to have to play out of their minds, but that said an upset is at least possible, and considering how well we've played this past weekend it's certainly something we can hope for.
If we do win, I think it'll be because of defense, not offense. The jayhawks like to play very fast and score a lot of points, and I don't think we'll be able to stay with them if it becomes a shoot-out. If we can press effectively though, and slow down their offense, I think we'll be able to stay with them and make it a close game either way.
Nova 73
Kansas 71
The best news about playing KU is that we get time to prepare for them. I am sure the staff is burning the mid-night oil.
I suspect Cas is done for the season from what I saw on TV. Looks like the ankle "popped" again; I suspect he just tried to come back too soon. I am looking forward to him being a "force" for the next few years.
Does anybody have any reliable news?
I've been pulling for Nova ever since the fans on here were kind enough to let us in on the discussion/get the game action (UL vs Nova) when CBS decided UCLA/Arizona was more important. I couldn't be happier with how far they have gone - and I put them down in my bracket to do it too! Let's go Nova!!!
-Leigh
gotta love the big east fans rooting for each other... i guess i'll be rooting for lousiville and west virginia as well.
kansas is one of the best and most balanced teams in the country... they are essentially what jay wright wants villanova to be in the next year or 2... a very very good defensive team that is well balanced, unselfish, and explosive on offense... they really do everything well and have great depth.
that being said, i think it is a decent matchup for us... i think we are a poor man's version of them. scottie is probably the best player on either team but the next 4 or 5 best players are probably all on kansas. i do think we can match up well with them on the defensive end, though. we need to slow them down offensively with our trap, rebound well, and make sure we limit turnovers and have good shot selection on offense. staying out of foul trouble will also be key. it might be a lot to ask, but not impossible. if we play our best we will be in the game.
In addition to what Todd said. I think you are exactly right on that Scottie may be the best player on the court, but the next 4 or 5 go to Kansas. On a good day though, Rush and a couple others could be the best player on the court, however, Scottie has turned it to another level. So, if a good day for Fisher, Cunningham, Stokes, and even Pena. They could be some of the top players on the court, we basically need everyone to play great defense, and, well, for Stokes to get hot.
We have potential to be great, I've seen it before, and with a week of practice and preparation, I'm confident for a hard fought game.
No disrespect to Kansas, great great team, maybe most talented in the NBA. If way play hard, and well, hopefully we can contend.
correction: most talented in NCAA hahaha.
Drummond's ankle is broken.
Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Casiem...so sorry...heal over the summer please!
I always root for the BIG EAST, and the Big five, although I sometimes have to hold my nose when it comes to rooting for St. Joes.
I agree we have the raw talent to compete with anyone (NCAA team) in the country; where we are vulnerable is in experience. That may show up if we get down early and start to concede a loss, or in decision making at critical junctures in the game. I think a season in the BIG EAST grows up a team as much as 1.5 - 2 seasons in any other conference, so we may be closer than some pundits think..
I don't know KU other than watching the UNLV game but it appears we match up well, on paper. They seem to be one of the few teams that can match our depth.
Preparation will be critical for this game in eliminating mistakes by anticipating their game plan.
Drummond is out for the rest of the season... he is going to have surgery. I'll be updating the site later tonight with this info and more on the tournament.
where are the jay wright haters now?!?!
oh you last anonymous, give it up. Of course people were mad at jay wright when we were losing every game due to bad decisions, but hes better now so why should we still hate him? Come on, any true fan would be frustrated during that period of time. god even thinking about it makes me cringe.
But along with what someone else said, in my bracket i have kansas winning, but i'd love for my bracket to be destroyed by that. If i were to make it now with the way weve been playing, id pick nova fo sho.
Drummond is destined to leave Villanova crippled, similar to Jason Fraser. Jay Wright refuses to recruit any addition size, and has one man play the minutes of three.
Any true fan gets pissed when you call his baby ugly!!
All it takes is an off day for Kansas. They have been embarassingly upset in the first round two out of the last three years. No offense to Kansas, but they just have a bunch of losers (no clutch, intense winners). There is no way that they will win a national championship. This game is very winable for us due to the fact that Kansas will have an off day sooner or later before the national championship. However, we will need huge games from Stokes, Pena, Reynolds, and Cunningham, and nobody else can commit stupid turnovers.
I would just like to know why Jay Wright will not even attempt to go after another big man, because all we need is one more 6-10+ guy to be national championship contenders. Unfortunately, the coaching staff says that Drummond has no drive to improve himself.
Anyways, LETSGONOVA! ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!
why are people convinced that jay isn't recruiting a big man?
you clearly want someone with some talent, and when you become known as 'guard u' it becomes hard to land that recruit.
uconn used to be the same way... now look at them. give jay time to start getting some big men on campus and stop giving the impression he isn't pursuing them. could not be further from the truth. stockpile as much talent as you possibly can with the scholarships available.
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