Villanova soars past UCLA to Sweet 16

UCLA 69
Villanova 89
(box score)

#18 UCLA: 26-9
#11 Villanova: 28-7

Villanova fired on all cylinders on Saturday to blow out a very good UCLA team and march on to the Sweet 16 next weekend.

Not only was the game never really close; The Wildcats uncharacteristically played well for a full 40 minutes, the first time this season we have seen both the consistent effort and the results from this team across an entire game against top-flight opposition.

I have to hand it to Jay Wright: he coached an excellent game. His game plan worked well from start to finish, and the Wildcats' output looked like the result of meticulous preparation.

I even agreed with most of his substitution patterns and other in-game decisions.

After surviving too close a call against American where the Wildcats looked lost for two-thirds of the game, Villanova obviously had the Bruins' number from the tip on Saturday. With just two days between the games, the coaching staff certainly had begun preparing for UCLA before the American game on Thursday.

And it worked out.

Villanova's physical defense, its "nothing-easy" philosophy, and its tenacity in attacking the weak Bruin interior on the offensive end exploited UCLA's vulnerabilities while minimizing its strengths.

The Wildcat defense contained senior Darren Collison more than I thought possible in his final collegiate game, and his high-flying back-court mate Josh Shipp never cleared the tower.

Early physical play by Villanova helped set the tone that nothing would come easy for UCLA, leaving the Bruins' offense in disarray from the start. The Wildcats played a pressure defense, with a nifty 1-2-1 press and aggressive contention of all passing and dribbling lanes.

On the offensive end, the Wildcats used a balanced attack that emphasized getting to the rim, post play, and interior passing to rip the Bruins' exposed underside to shreds. Point guard Corey Fisher and shooting guard Reggie Redding were integral to the first tactic, and senior forward Dante Cunningham took care of the latter two.

These strategies, in turn, opened up some nice jump shots for Villanova's shooters, most notably Corey Stokes.

Overall, the game was a nice realization of the potential latent all season, given Villanova's offensive weapons. And it's almost scary to consider that Scottie Reynolds, the team's best scorer, remained in a bit of a shooting slump -- though his numbers improved Saturday, as well.

With Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, Dante Cunningham, and Dwayne Anderson all scoring well, Villanova was unstoppable. Add a hot Scottie Reynolds to the mix, and the Wildcats would be able to play with -- and beat -- anyone this year.

In addition to the game itself, another highlight on Saturday was Jay Wright's decision to invite the 1971 Villanova team to sit behind his bench, and to join his team in the locker room afterwards.

Jack Kraft's 1971 team, of course, advanced to the national championship game before falling to John Wooden's UCLA Bruins.

Saturday was the first time the two programs had met in the NCAA tournament since then. Inviting the 1971 team to be front and center at the festivities was a classy move, and further demonstrates Wright's excellent handling of public relations for the team and the university.

Congratulations to reader "IMKL" for most closely predicting the final score.

Villanova now moves on to Boston for a Sweet 16 match with the Duke Blue Devils on Thursday. The game seems favorable for the Wildcats, as Villanova may be able to again exploit its athletic interior versus slower Blue Devils.

Shock and awe saturation coverage of the Duke game to follow later this week.

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

• Reggie Redding (S, 34 min)

  One of the better games of Redding's career. This was why Wright prefers to give so much time to Redding over those who might score more efficiently -- and why Wright will likely start Redding next season despite the presence of five more talented guards on the roster. Redding played efficiently on offense, shooting 4-8 from the field, 1-2 from the three, and 4-4 from the line. He grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out a team-high 7 assists. He played excellent defense, not only coming up with 4 steals, but also doing great defensive jobs on UCLA's three perimeter stars (Collison, Shipp, and Jrue Holiday). The only downside to Redding's game was that he committed 4 of the 11 Wildcat turnovers, but it was till one of his best performances of the year.
  Grade: A-




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 34 min)

  Anderson didn't shoot nearly as well as he did against American, but he was hardly less effective. He shot 4-14 and 2-4 to score 10 points. Though the shooting numbers are bad, he made up for them with energy and aggression on defense, passing, and on the glass. Anderson led the team in rebounds with 11, and rounded out his box score with 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers. Anderson's athletic, explosive game in the halfcourt will be key against Duke's runners and gunners.
  Grade: B+




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 31 min)

  Reynolds went a long way to break out of a recent shooting slump with some very decent offense on Saturday, He was 4-9 from the field and 2-6 from the three, scoring 11 points. He played very good defense, limiting Collison and Holiday substantially. Reynolds did not compile many more statistics -- he had 0 rebounds, 1 assist, and 0 steals -- but he did not commit a single turnover in 31 minutes, which was huge. Look for Reynolds to have a monster scoring game before this tournament is over.
  Grade: B+




• Corey Fisher (25 min)

  Corey Fisher was the best player on the court on Saturday and it was not even close. Fisher ran the Wildcats offense flawlessly -- literally without an error. In 25 minutes, Fisher was explosive and under control, simultaneously. He scored 13 points on 4-7 shooting, including another perfect performance from the foul line (4-4). His four baskets included some spectacular finishes that were impossible to defend. He passed for 5 assists and committed 0 turnovers, even while being guarded by Collison and Holiday, two of the best pickpockets in the nation. The only limit on Fisher's performance Saturday was his slight foul trouble, and he will have to monitor that issue against Duke on Thursday. The Blue Devils have been known to get their share of calls. This offense is now Fisher's to run, and he will be front and center in the Sweet 16.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Dante Cunningham (S, 24 min)

  Cunningham was spectacular on Saturday. Taking advantage of UCLA's questionable interior, Cunningham looked like a man against boys in the lane. He shot an excellent 7-11 from the field and a decent 4-7 from the line. He did not take any questionable jumpshots, instead focusing on running the floor and owning the post. He grabbed 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block, and dished out 2 assists. He had 2 turnovers. Cunningham sat for most of the first half due to foul trouble, although he probably could have played with 2 fouls. Then again, the Wildcats were rolling, so Jay Wright's caution was justified this time.
  Grade: A





• Corey Stokes (23 min)

  Stokes was hot from long range on Saturday, especially in the first half. His early long-range bombs forced the Bruins to collapse less on Cunningham, which opened the interior. When Stokes is firing threes and Cunningham is patrolling the post -- all while Fisher is threatening to get to the rim at any given moment, and Anderson is running circles through the paint -- this offense is difficult to contain. Stokes was also good defensively on Saturday. He finished 4-9 from the three with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 turnover.
  Grade: B+
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 16 min)

  Clark was back to his complementary game on Saturday, shooting an efficient 4-7 and bringing the help on the offensive glass. He grabbed 4 rebounds, had 1 steal and 1 assist each, and did not commit any turnovers. His defense improved since the American game, too. In limited doses, Clark's hustle game is a nice change of pace for the Wildcats.
  Grade: B
  
  

• Antonio Pena (10 min)

  Pena mysteriously did not see any time against American, but he got 10 minutes on Saturday. He was fairly ineffective in his playing time, however. He shot 0-1 from the field and 2-4 from the foul line -- hardly impressive numbers. He also committed 2 turnovers while grabbing only 1 rebound, with no assists, steals, or blocks. Pena will be a key post player next year, and hopefully he can pick it up as a reserve in the Sweet 16. One positive note was his physical defense on Saturday.
  Grade: D+
  
  

• Incomplete grades: Frank Tchuisi (1 min), Jason Colenda (1 min), Russell Wooten (1 min).



• Did not play: Maurice Sutton (RS).