Villanova 81 College of Charleston 67

Villanova took down the College of Charleston tonight by the score of 81-68 in first round of the Paradise Jam tournament.

I was not able to view the game, so I will not grade each player's individual performance. From a thorough perusal of the box score, however, several thoughts come to mind:

• Reynolds played a solid game.

  Scottie split the point duty with Mike Nardi for much of the game, and turned in a nearly flawless performance. Reynolds continued his perfect shooting from the field, going 2-2. Scottie hasn't missed a shot so far this season. He also did not commit any turnovers, which is pretty amazing for a freshman splitting time at point guard in his first game against an NCAA opponent. Reynolds added 2 rebounds and 2 assists to go with his 6 points. No steals, which is a little disappointing, but otherwise, looks like a very solid game for our highest-touted freshman.




• Sumpter was explosive (in the first half)

  Curtis poured in 17 points in only 20 minutes played, mostly in the first half. Curtis's effort in tonight's game was very reassuring: it looks like Sumpter will be a force this season. Curtis also went 3-5 from the three, had 3 steals, and 2 rebounds.




• Nardi was a workhorse

  Mike Nardi led the team in minutes played with 36 tonight. He scored 16 points, and half came from the charity stripe, where he was a perfect 8-8. He also shot 2-3 from the three, which is encouraging, but only 3-10 from the field overall. Nardi also led the team in assists, with 6, but had no steals. When was the last game our starting backcourt had no steals? I can't remember. But overall, Mike was probably tonight's MVP. It looks like the tonsillitis/mononucleosis/black plague has fully healed and Nardi is at full strength, thankfully.




• Bump can score, and rebound

  Will Sheridan had a great game. Bump put up 14 points on a decent 5-11 from the field and 4-5 from the line. He also led the team in rebounds with 8, including 5 offensive boards, and had 3 steals. Solid night from Will.




• Big bench contribution

  Jay went with an unusually deep rotation tonight: Nine players saw 13 or more minutes. Shane Clark played 28 minutes off the bench, putting in 12 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. Freshman Reggie Redding played a solid 18 minutes, and sophomore Bilal Benn was in for 16. Dwayne Anderson ran for 13 minutes but did not score. Casiem Drummond got in for 2 minutes, and Frank Tchuisi also saw the court for 1 minute. Freshmen Andrew Ott and Antonio Pena did not play. Pena, our highest-regarded recruit before Reynolds came aboard, may have not played because the team is considering a redshirt for him. Let's hope not. Something tells me we may need him down the stretch.




• 17 Turnovers

  Seventeen turnovers are too many. It may not cause us to lose against the College of Charleston, but 17 TOs will not cut it in the Big East, or against Xavier and Alabama, for that matter.

Aside from the turnovers, it looked like a good game for the 'Cats, who will face Xavier on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern) in the Paradise Jam semifinals.

Xavier was able to knock off Virginia Commonwealth tonight, 70-67. Alabama (AP 10/ESPN 11) won on the other side of the Paradise Jam bracket, handling Middle Tennessee State 71-62. A showdown against the Crimson Tide for the championship on Monday looks likely if we can get past the Musketeers on Sunday.

Video for tonight

With the 'Cats opening their NCAA season tonight at 8:30 (EST) against College of Charleston way down in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a lot of Villanova fans are itching to see the team play.

Unfortunately, Fox College Sports will not be showing the game on television tonight: FCS coverage will start with the game on Sunday should the Wildcats be able to advance tonight.

The Paradise Jam Web site, however, is offering a video stream of the game tonight for a fee of $7.95. The feed requires Windows Media Player (PC or Mac), and there are questions about its quality. Still, it seems like this is the only place to get video of the game.

In the past, direct links to the pay-to-play feeds have been shared amongst Villanova fans during the game. If such a link emerges tonight, I will post it here, for, um, informational purposes only.

Paradise Jam

On Friday, the 'Cats suit up for their first game of the Paradise Jam tournament, where they will face the always-feisty Cougars of the College of Charleston.

The aptly named tournament, which will undoubtedly feature lots of jamming in a paradise-type setting, is hosted in the U.S. Virgin Islands and sports a field of eight teams.

Check out the bracket here.

College of Charleston finished last year with a 15-11 record and an RPI of 188. They had a few decent wins, including a 4-point victory over a good UNC Wilmington team in December. CofC enters Paradise Jam with a 1-0 record after upsetting Georgia St. in Atlanta on Saturday.

Should the Wildcats be able to overcome College of Charleston, they will likely face Xavier Sunday at 8:30 p.m. (Eastern). That game will be shown live on the Fox College Sports Network.