Villanova faces 'Cuse in ranked showdown
posted by Pete @ LetsGoNova.com2/07/2009 01:43:00 AM
#17 Villanova (18-4) vs. #20 Syracuse (18-5)
12 p.m., 7 February 2009 at the Wachovia Center
TV: ESPN
Line: Villanova -5.5
The Wildcats play one of their bigger games of the year today at a noon showdown with the #20 Syracuse Orange. Aside from being another test against a tough ranked team, the game has huge Big East Tournament seeding and bye implications.
Kempom predicts a 7-point Villanova victory, and places the Wildcats' chances for a win at 76 percent.
Check out the other four Villanova blogs linked at right for their previews.
You may try to predict the game's final score in the comments below.
12 p.m., 7 February 2009 at the Wachovia Center
TV: ESPN
Line: Villanova -5.5
The Wildcats play one of their bigger games of the year today at a noon showdown with the #20 Syracuse Orange. Aside from being another test against a tough ranked team, the game has huge Big East Tournament seeding and bye implications.
Kempom predicts a 7-point Villanova victory, and places the Wildcats' chances for a win at 76 percent.
Check out the other four Villanova blogs linked at right for their previews.
You may try to predict the game's final score in the comments below.
Labels: 2008-2009, Big East, predictions, preview, Syracuse
70 Comments:
Villanova 80
Syracuse 70
Good guess Pete,
Nova 86
Cuse 77
Villanova 75
Syracuse 71
nova 83
cuse 79
annon 78
pete 77
Anyone watching the game, feel free to come on the VUHoops msg boards: http://vuhoops.com/boards/
Game thread going on, although right now it's just me talking to myself haha.
you know we also have a comment thread right here you could use
That was a bullshit foul called on Reynolds on the three...
Fisher is taking over this game!
Imagine if we didnt commit these stupid fouls. I'm very impressed so far,
Anyone still on the fence about whether Fisher should start? ... especially over the likes of Clark?
Hahaha, Colenda, Frank, and Wooten?
Pete,
God you are an idiot. The fact that Fisher is this successfuull oming off the bench, and plays essentially starter minutes, as well as the fast start by the team with Clark on the floor, is a vindication of Wright's decisions regarding player roles, not the opposite. The fact that you can't see that is evidence that you are completely blinded by Wright hatred.
I'd try to use simple words for you to explain why you are so, so wrong on this: if you knew the first thing about Basketball, starting lineup construction, especialyl in the Coillege game, is NOT simply an exercise in picking out your 5 best players and putting them on the floor. There are a multitude of considerations (matchups, the need to have good players coming off the bench so you don't have too big a drop off when the starters take a breather, and many others, including (in this case) the need to make sure that one of your two best ballhanders in on the floor at all times, without playing either player too much that exhaustion takes over.
I realize there is a comment page here, however I find it much easier to read a message board format. Not sure why the message board hasn't taken off, clearly we have a lot of Anonymous folks with an opinion.
And Pete, I still haven't seen enough of Fisher and Reynolds on the court at the same time to decide if I think he should start. However with the options being Clark or Pena, yes Clark should get rewarded by starting.
Clark's been a beast though. He is playing an important role on the team right now. However, Pena is completely lost.
If this first half hasn't been enough for you to realize that Fisher deserves starters' minutes, I don't know what will. I understand there is a strong authoritarian urge to never question Jay Wright, but come on. Fisher gets probably his longest extended run of the season, and look what happens. Wright continually yanks him out, disrupting his flow. When he can't/won't, look at the results.
And look here... Fisher benched to start the second half. You'd think Wright would leave the hot hand in... especially coming out of the half.
Pete, did anyone tell you that we're up 14? I could never tell based on the things you focus on.
Yeah, it's nice that we have the lead... but the game is not over -- is it? If the game's over, then your comment is valid.
And Jay finally puts Fisher in with 5 mins to go -- SO TELL ME THIS, what was the purpose of keeping him benched for 5 mins and watching Syracuse get the lead all the way down to 10? Was it principle? Was it because Jay Wright needed to show who is boss? What possible purpose was it to keep Fisher on the bench for the first 5 minutes -- would LOVE to hear it.
So if we blow the lead it's because Fisher didn't start the 1st half or 2nd half?
You are complaining about something in which we built a size-able lead against a tough team. I'm going on the info in front of me, which says you are seriously nit-picking.
Syracuse outscored us by 3 pts in the 2nd half so far. The small sample size argument is fantastic.
We built the sizable lead largely because of the breakout play of Fisher, whose tempo and ballhandling makes everyone better in this high-paced game. So why on earth would Jay bench him in the second half? Would love to just hear ANY rationale for that. Any at all.
Two quick fouls on fisher and now cuse has a real chance to get back in this
That isn't my argument. My argument is why do you care about that SO much!?
Why would anyone focus on that as the story of the game so far??
I am focusing on it because I see it as an error. Why would I focus on things I agree with? Nothing interesting about that.
"Wright dresses SOOOO well."
"It's such a smart move to start Cunningham."
These things are obvious.
How is it an error? You are assuming that if Fisher starts we have either the same lead or a larger one. That could certainly be the case, but in the game actually taking place with the choices Jay Wright has made, we have built that lead.
Again, not saying you are wrong, but just don't understand the focus on it.
Stokes coming up huge!
Did Pena think no one would call that obvious push????
Our foul trouble is ridiculous... need to stop fouling or we are going to see Wooten get major minutes.
Did anyone see that three by Redding?!
Clark for the jam!
Nice move by Dante in the post... love the footwork.
holy shit -- espn is switching away from our game?!
Yahoo play by play
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=200902070617
Raining 3s again, wtf.
Corey Fisher the master of the bounce pass -- best thing about fisher is his killer instinct... not content to just sit on a lead. he attacks.
LOVE this lineup --- Redding, Stokes, Fisher, Reynolds, Cunningham.
Great win -- solidifies our NCAA and BET seeds
54 fouls! crazy game
That argument was really stupid considering we just handled Cuse. Be happy about the win!!
Pete -
I will say this. I don't care who starts in the game vs Marquette, but Fisher better log some serious minutes. Redding, Dante and Fisher are going to be our 3 most important guys in that game.
Yeah, I agree. Ballhandling and turnovers have been why we haven't beaten Marquette in forever. Need to get a small lineup out there.
UCLA is destroying ND on CBS.
I don't even need to read what was said here because it probably went like this:
Pete says: "I'm fucking retarded"
Everyone else says: "Yes, you really really are"
Hadn't been here in a month ... just wondering whether Pete pulled his head out of his ass yet about whether Coach Wright can coach. I see that it is still firmly planted where it was a month ago.
I suppose that it was pure luck that Nova blew out a good Syracuse team despite all the "horrible" substitutions by Coach Wright and the insurmoutable coaching advantage enjoyed by the Cuse. Like it or not, Pete, your analysis is completely off the mark and your credibility is shot. Face up to the fact that Coach Wright has Nova playing very well as a team. They have gotten better every game. Their ball movement excellent. The front court more than holds its own against more heralded bigs. That is not an accident. That's why the commentators call Coach Wright a great coach. You must be hating life because Nova is winning and your criticisms fall hollow. I will check back in a month to see if you are still howling at the moon.
Ha ha ha ha at the hataz. What do you think, this site is some sort of conspiracy and I really don't like Villanova? Get over your paranoia.
I am very happy the team is playing well. If I choose to talk about the one thing that's going wrong in a game where most things are going right, that's because the one thing is probably the most interesting.
It was good to see Wright correct his error when the lead got down to 10, and put Fisher in.
@2:46 -- Have to admit, Clark played a good game today. Would you like to compare his cumulative record vs. my comments? Because I invite you to do that. Then we will see who is the one talking smack. I am a fan of Shane Clark like I am a fan of every other Nova player. I want him to do well -- but one good game does not invalidate an entire season; nor does one good game retroactively make my comments about past games incorrect.
@ 2:52: "I suppose that it was pure luck that Nova blew out a good Syracuse team despite all the "horrible" substitutions by Coach Wright and the insurmoutable coaching advantage enjoyed by the Cuse. Like it or not, Pete, your analysis is completely off the mark and your credibility is shot. "
Can you even read. Did I, or did I not predict a 10-point Nova win? Learn to fucking read. Or do you not know what the word "insurmountable" means?
The whole team looked great today. Bravo. I honestly did not see the team coming together this well. I knew they'd get better because Jay has consistently taken decent teams and had them playing great basketball by the end of the year. He's doing it again. Lets hope it continues.
Pete,
Remember when you said they were not going to make the tournament?
Remember when you said that last years team was better than this one, "malcolm grant and some fat guy name drummond are gone, its a fact" (i'm paraphrasing of course).
Remember when you predicted Pitt would beat Nova by 12 points? Is that why you didn't make a prediction for this game?
Remember when you said the team was falling apart because of all the transfers...and Jay was such a bad coach he forced so many to leave. Remember then how a couple people took 5 minutes to research and proved that top programs such as Duke and G-Town have all had more transfers in the past couple years than Nova and how Nova's recent influx of top quality players (5 star) was a perfect explanation for why previous role players found other schools where more minutes were available? Remember?
Remember when Nova was top 15 in RPI and KenPom? You know, just numbers saying they were a very good team, something you can't argue with. Remember?
Are you tired of feeling like you might just be as retarded as everyone claims?
Funny.
But correction...even Pete predicted the 10 point lead for this game. He may hate Nova but even he can't deny the numbers which speaks for themselves. Villanova is going to be favored for almost all the games headed down the stretch.
Go cats...
@ 3:13
You're the one with the learning disability. "Is that why you didn't make a prediction for this game?" -- Can you even read? I predicted a double-digit Nova win.
I didn't even read the rest of your comment, because of your stupidity.
@ 3:18
I hate Nova so much that I started the first Villanova basketball blog ever, and have maintained it for three years. That is some hatred right there. I spent a dozen hours a week watching and writing about the team that I hate so much, and I spend hundreds of dollars a year buying tickets and traveling to see a team I can't wait to see lose.
So, you're saying I am a masochist?
I love how the team just came off a huge win, and what people want to talk about is some comments I made at the start of the second half, when I CORRECTLY criticized Wright for not playing Fisher.
@3:21
If you actually read this site, you would know that the heart of my complaint about Fisher's playing time is not the overall number, but the number of minutes Fisher plays together with Reynolds, which is way, way too low. Again and again I have emphasized this point and still you mouth-breathers can't understand it?
@ 3:21 -- I am getting diagnosed with "full blown dementia" because someone disagrees with my comments about the substitution patterns of a basketball game?! Wow, what a tough break for me.
I could understand partial dementia, but "full blown" (sic)? Yikes.
I also want to point out that I predicted the largest Villanova margin of victory of anyone in this thread. Hataz!!!
"If you actually read this site, you would know that the heart of my complaint about Fisher's playing time is not the overall number, but the number of minutes Fisher plays together with Reynolds, which is way, way too low. Again and again I have emphasized this point and still you mouth-breathers can't understand it?"\
You're calling US mouth breathers? This coming from someone who I imagine has problems tying his shoes in the morning, at least judging from the illogic and stupidity of your posts. Let me spell it out for you: if you increase the amount of time that Reynolds and Fisher play together, without increasing either player's total playing time, BY DEFINITION you are increasing the time that NEITHER is on the floor. Given that NOVA doesn't really have another playmaker, a point that even YOU seem to recognize in other contexts, that wouldn't be too smart. A simple point, yes, but one which Wright (a good coach) realizes but Pete (shit for brains) doesn't.
"I love how the team just came off a huge win, and what people want to talk about is some comments I made at the start of the second half, when I CORRECTLY criticized Wright for not playing Fisher."
Now Pete, self knowledge does not seem to be your strong point, but perhaps you should think about how that comment might apply to your own comments, which are, EVEN AFTER IMPRESSIVE NOVA WINS, full of venom directed at Wright.
@5:16 -- My argument has always been to maximize the time they are out there together, while always ensuring there is at least one of them on the floor at all times. Can you really not figure out how this is possible? Get a pencil and paper if it helps you. I would like to see them both get 32+ minutes per game. Say Scottie gets 36 mins and Corey gets 34 mins. It is very easy to have them play together a large stretch of the time and still have one or the other always out there. This is common sense, and your criticism is hilarious, especially because you question my logic.
@5:19 --- When was I full of venom for Wright after the win? All of this shit storm is stemming from comments I posted during the middle of the game, when the team had just given up a big lead to a smaller one.
Also, when on earth did I say I didn't want to increase either player's total playing time?
Pete: "I am very happy the team is playing well. If I choose to talk about the one thing that's going wrong in a game where most things are going right, that's because the one thing is probably the most interesting."
Was Corey Fisher not starting the game or the 2nd half really the most interesting part of the game for you? That is sad and disappointing.
Shouldn't the most interesting part have been that when all of our reliable ball-handlers had foul trouble (Redding, Reynolds, and Fisher), Jay called on COREY FISHER to lead the offense. He called his number over the Junior Scottie Reynolds. He trusted him, the one you claim he "yanks out and messes with his confidence" (paraphrasing that). You need to respond to this fact Pete, c'mon now.. not even you can be that ignorant.
Wasn't it also more interesting that we were running a highly efficient offense despite foul trouble all over the court? That we had phenomenal ball movement? That the "take-em" offense works when it's not the mainstay, but properly mixed in with pick and rolls, ball screens, and crisp passing?
I thought all those things were more interesting than the fact that Jay Wright didn't start Fisher in either the 1st or 2nd half.
But what do I know... I didn't start a Nova blog.
IMKL, well, I did make some other positive comments through the game. But the ones about Fisher and the start of the second half is what caused all this conversation.
Okay.
Well what is your take on Wright calling Fisher's number first when he, Reynolds, and Redding all had 2 fouls with a lot of time left in the 1st half? Not telling at all?
I genuinely want to know what you think. Is it just meaningless? Did it not surprise you? I thought for sure Wright would turn to either Reynolds or Redding before Fish.
I was not surprised he went to Fisher. Fisher had been playing well before that. Also, Wright was keeping Reynolds on the bench because he'd rather fisher pick up a 3rd foul than reynolds.
i came on here to read everyone's thoughts on the game, i didnt come on here to sort through all the comments about how much pete does or does not suck. everyone has the right to express their opinions, don't read if you dont like it. can we please just talk about THE TEAM?
FINAL FOUR POTENTIAL!!
what up pete
anybody notice how stokes has out of nowhere decided to drive to the hoop a couple times a game...he's not great at it but he's gotta start somewhere, kudos to him and jay for making it work
whoa, the celtics just gave up 7 points in 1.4 seconds..that's on pace for 14,400 points a game!! They must be terrible.
pete, you are a joke and should stop slammin the haterade
Exactly 14,400 -- nice.
Pete, how come when Nova wins it seems like your are days late on the write up? Now you have recently started a trend to not even make write ups when they win. Yet when they lose it seems as if the write up is up in the blink of an eye.
Ha, well I assure you it is a matter of perception. When we beat Pitt, the write-up was up a few hours after the game -- before anyone else, even. The rule of thumb is that the write-up is published the next business morning after the game. So if the game is on Saturday, expect the recap Monday morning. An exception would be for a game I was not able to watch, such as the game on Jan. 18 vs. St. John's.
Also, when I do a live blog, that usually takes the place of the recap, since you can read what I thought about the game in the live blog archive.
Pete,
Keep up the great work. Going against the flow is not necessarily a bad thing. It makes people have to think and actually strengthen their arguments (if they have one).
GO NOVA!!!
Post a Comment
<< Back to LetsGoNova.com