Villanova tops GMU to advance to Old Spice final

Villanova 84
George Mason 76
(box score)

George Mason: 4-1 (0-0 CAA)
#19 Villanova: 4-0 (0-0 BE, 0-0 B5)

Next game: vs. N.C. State, 11/25 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida (Old Spice Classic championship). Tip: 6:30 p.m. TV: ESPN2.

Villanova defeated a tough, experienced George Mason team Friday for the right to face N.C. State for the Old Spice championship. How do I know George Mason is experienced? Because television commentator Fran Fraschilla mentioned it about a dozen times.

He was correct, though: GMU is a well coached, savvy team full of veterans, and the game was an excellent test for the young Wildcats. Villanova suffered through a few scoring dry spells in the contest, but was buoyed by guards Malcolm Grant, Scottie Reynolds, and Reggie Redding.

The Wildcats' seemed to have success with an unusual lineup featuring Grant, Reynolds, and Fisher, the three point guards, on the floor simultaneously. The three racked up several minutes playing together, and their ballhandling and shooting abilities were obvious positives. With three excellent point guards, shooting guard Reggie Redding heating up, and the supremely talented All-American Corey Stokes waiting in the wing, "Guard U" is certainly back at Villanova in 2007.

Villanova overcame a spot of adversity in the win when star Scottie Reynolds fouled out with 2:19 remaining and the game's outcome still in question. The Wildcats' young players responded with enough maturity to put the game away, even against Jim Larranaga and his sparkling glass slippers.

Villanova coach Jay Wright tried to explain the stretches of play where the 'Cats had troubles on both ends of the floor in his remarks after the game:

Sometimes when you are a young team, your defense suffers when you don't make shots. I thought that happened to us in the first half. But Malkie came into the game and gave us energy. He made a few shots and got us going. We still aren't as organized as we hope to be but these games have been a great experience for us.

Sage words from Coach Wright...but does he really call Grant "Malkie"?

In any event, congratulations to reader "Michael" for most closely predicting tonight's final score.

Next up for Villanova is the ACC powerhouse North Carolina State in the championship game.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 34 min)

  Reynolds struggled in the first half, shooting 1-5 from the field (0-3 from behind the arc) and 2-4 from the line for just 4 points. He heated up significantly in the second half, dropping 17 more points to lead the 'Cats in scoring with 21. After missing his first three 3-point attempts, Reynolds sank the next three. After shooting 1-5 in the first period, Reynolds sank 5 of his next 7 from the field. After missing the first two free throws of the game, Reynolds made his remaining 6 attempts from the stripe.
  
  The significance behind this 2nd-half turnaround is that Reynolds never gave up, and more important, never stopped shooting. Scottie plays with a lot of emotion on the court, and I am sure that helped him overcome his early shooting woes. Reynolds added 3 assists, 2 steals, and 3 rebounds to his line. He handled the ball well, committing just 2 turnovers. He looked solid at both the 1 and the 2.
  Grade: A-
  
  

• Dante Cunningham (S, 33 min)

  Cunningham, an essential cog in the Wilcats' success, seemed a little off against GMU. He shot 4-8 for 8 points, but once again took several 17 and 18-foot jump-shots that did not find nylon. Villanova has a 8-man rotation, and 6 of those players are excellent jumpshooters. Only Drummond and Cunningham have not shown that kind of range, so perhaps those shots should have gone elsewhere. Dante is much more valuable to the Wildcats fighting down low and running the fast break, both areas where he is the undisputed team leader. Cunningham had 4 rebounds, 1 block, and again led the team in turnovers, with 3.
  Grade: C-




• Shane Clark (S, 33 min)

  Clark's game this year seems to be a balanced one. His ideal role is doing a little bit of everything: scoring, rebounding, passing, ball handling, and creating turnovers. His line against GMU seems to reflect that. Though he struggled from the field (4-12) and from the three (1-4), he made up for it by grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing out 4 assists, and notching 2 steals.
  Grade: B




• Reggie Redding (S, 27 min)

  I have a feeling that Reggie Redding is going to look back fondly on his time in Orlando. Redding has put together quite a string of excellent games in this young season, and the GMU game was no exception. Redding scored 11 points in 27 minutes on perfect 3-3 shooting from the field (2-2 from the three), and was 3-4 from the line. He handled the ball extremely well yet again, committing just one turnover despite his large role in neutralizing the blistering Patriot full-court press. Redding added 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Corey Fisher (26 min)

  After a breakout offensive performance against Central Florida, Fisher struggled with his shot against the Patriots. "Fisher Price," as Fraschilla has taken to calling him, was 2-9 from the field, including 2-7 from the behind the arc. More disturbing, however, was his 1-5 shooting from the free-throw line, which is absolutely unacceptable for a Big-East point guard. Aside from his shooting woes, Fisher played a decent game. He led the 'Cats in assists with 5, and committed no turnovers. His defense seems to be improving, but he did get beat off the bounce a few times. Expectations are high for Fisher, and I believe he will soon fulfill them, as his talent is ample.
  Grade: C-




• Casiem Drummond (S, 22 min)

  Drummond's improvement is obvious each game. He looks more agile and more decisive. Against GMU, Drummond was outstanding in the paint, shooting 4-5 and grabbing 10 boards. His defense is also steadily getting better. N.C. State's talented big men will be an important test for the sophomore center.
  Grade: B+




• Malcolm Grant (13 min)

  Grant basically played a perfect game Friday. He came in off the bench when the Wildcats were struggling on both ends of the floor, and immediately sparked a momentum change after drilling two 3-pointers and displaying his typical defensive intensity. Grant was 3-3 from the field, all from behind the arc. He was 4-4 from the foul line, and scored 1 point for every minute he played. Grant also added 2 assists, and played good defense. Surely we can find more than 13 minutes for Malcolm Grant; indeed the argument could be made to start Grant.
  Grade: A




• Corey Stokes (12 min)

  Stokes remains unable to find his shot. He was 1-6 from the field, and 1-5 from the three. He did not do much else in his 12 minutes, but when his stroke starts to heat up, watch out.
  Grade: D





• Incomplete grades: Antonio Pena (<1 min).
  
  
• Did not play:
  Dwayne Anderson CD, Andrew Ott (CD), Jason Colenda (CD), Frank Tchuisi (wrist).

'Cats to face GMU in Old Spice final four

Tonight, #19 Villanova will meet everyone's favorite Cinderella, George Mason, in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic tournament in Orlando, Fla. Tip time is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the game will air live nationwide on ESPN2.

The experienced George Mason squad did not look like an underdog last night in dismantling the #20 Kansas State Wildcats, and I expect an extremely tough game for our Wildcats as well.

Villanova by the Numbers again previews the game better than I could, but check back in this space for an extensive recap afterwards.

As always, you may predict the game's final score in the comments below.