Reynolds withdraws from NBA draft

[Let's Go Nova is on summer break, but we will continue to update for important breaking news.]


Scottie Reynolds has withdrawn his name from the NBA draft and will return to Villanova for his senior season, according to a press release from campus today.

Last season, Reynolds led Villanova to its first Final Four since 1985, and then decided to test the draft waters in April. After working out for about half-a-dozen NBA teams, Reynolds decided to withdraw from the pro draft.

"The best decision for me is to return to Villanova for my senior year," said Reynolds. "I'd like to thank everyone who put their time into helping me get better during these NBA workouts. I especially want to thank my teammates and coaches here for all of their support. I felt like I learned a great deal from this process."

Villanova head coach Jay Wright praised Reynolds and his decision-making process.

"Scottie took a very mature and intelligent approach to this process," said Wright. "He prepared himself thoroughly for each workout and absorbed everything he could from them. This was a tremendous learning experience for him and now he is focused on becoming a great senior leader in our program. He has great respect for the tradition here and I know he'll embrace this role."

Villanova basketball, of course, will resume this fall.

Reynolds declares for NBA draft

Scottie Reynolds will enter his name to this year's NBA draft, according to a press release from Villanova University.

Reynolds, a junior guard and arguably the Wildcats' most valuable player, does not plan to hire an agent, and thus his departure from the team is not yet certain.

Reynolds will be able to attend draft workouts and gauge where he might be selected if he decides to remain in the NBA draft, which will be held in New York on June 25.

"Scottie and I have decided that it would be smart for him to experience NBA workouts at this time," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright.

Wright also said that Reynolds will complete all his spring semester classes to ensure NCAA compliance if Reynolds decides to return to Villanova for his senior year.

If Reynolds remains in the draft, Villanova will lose four starters from its 2009 Final Four team: Reynolds, Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, and Shane Clark.

According to NBADraft.net, Dante Cunningham is expected to be selected in the early second round of the draft, which usually means a player will be fighting for a spot on the team roster.

NBADraft.nets's mock draft has not been updated after Reynolds's announcement, but it seems likely that Reynolds, if he is drafted, would fall somewhere after Cunningham.

Villanova returns point guard Corey Fisher and shooting guards Reggie Redding and Corey Stokes for next season. In the frontcourt, forward Antonio will be back. Joining the Wildcats will be four freshmen: point guard Maalik Wayns, shooting guard Dom Cheek, small forward Isaiah Armwood, and power forward Mouph Yarou. Duke transfer Taylor King, another small forward, also joins the team after sitting out one year, as does redshirt freshman forward Maurice Sutton.

Personally, I expect Reynolds to be back for his senior season. I do not see him going anywhere near the first-round and its guaranteed salaries.

Whether or not Reynolds returns will have a major impact on the Wildcats' pre-season and early-year rankings; though a Reynolds departure would ease some of the logjam in the backcourt for the younger players.

LGN TO SHUT DOWN Anon. commenters vindicated

Bowing to pressure from an increasingly powerful gallery of anonymous commenters, the popular Villanova basketball blog Let's Go Nova will shut down immediately, according to the site's publisher.

Though it would seem unusual to shutter the blog in the middle of a Villanova Final Four run, with site traffic setting new records every day, blog owner Pete @ LetsGoNova.com cited the sheer eloquence of the anonymous commenters' arguments as the decisive factor.

"I've had a good run these past three years," said Pete, "but the last few weeks have really shown me the light. I had no idea just how dangerously unqualified I was to run an Internet blog -- which is, after all, serious business -- until it was patiently and logically explained to me in the comment section."

The move to close down the site comes amidst several swirling controversies, the most serious an ongoing maelstrom of discussion as to the fictional choice between current Villanova head coach Jay Wright and former Villanova coach Steve Lappas.

"I thought people would be more interested in talking about the amazing string of victories Villanova has put together in the NCAA tournament, but I gravely miscalculated," said Pete.

"I see now that my flippant remark two weeks ago about not minding a hypothetical and impossible Lappas return is much more newsworthy and relevant to Villanova fans than even winning the national championship," admitted Pete.

Dubbed "RePete" by his many detractors, Pete said that closing the blog will give him time to accomplish many of the things in life he's only now realized he'd been lacking.

According to various anonymous commenters, Pete has never played organized basketball, doesn't know anything about basketball, has never even seen a basketball, and, most disturbingly, has never experienced the sweet caress of a woman's touch.

"These are all things I would like to try one day, God willing," admitted a remorseful yet cautiously hopeful Pete.

"I want to thank the anonymous commenters for showing me the folly of my ways," he said.

Shortly after closing the site, Pete posted a tearful goodbye video to thank his few supporters during the course of the publishing the blog.

Speaking on behalf of anonymous commenters across the site, an anonymous spokesman offered a prepared statement in reaction to the news:

U SUCK PETE. U SUCK. MY DOG KNOWS BETTER BASKETBALL THEN THIS SITE. LOL. LET'S MEET IN DETROIT I WILL FIGHT U AT HALFTIME.

The anonymous spokesman then exited the site to read the latest Bill Simmons column, steadfastly refusing to click on any advertisements on his way out of the now-defunct Let's Go Nova home page.

Report: Wright gabs thru open practice

Well, this is not encouraging.

The excellent Rush The Court blog attended Boston's open practice session today for all five mind-numbing hours, and files reports on each team's session.

Though the nonpartisan Rush The Court blogger concedes that 'Nova's practice was "more intense" than the preceding Xavier session, it looks like that was mostly due to Scottie Reynolds, who initiated the team's drills after warm-ups.

Rush The Court reports that during this time, Jay Wright spent nearly 30 minutes chatting with the CBS announcing team:

Where was Jay Wright while Reynolds was running the drills? Talking to Raftery and Lundquist of course. He spent almost 30 minutes talking to the CBS announcers. I certainly hope CBS got some amazing insights that they will share with us because they seemed to be talking up a storm.

I know it's cliche to say that Jay Wright is less an X-and-O's coach than a master of public relations, but here, at least, it seems to be the case.

It's nice that Jay Wright is confident enough to spend a major chunk of his team's practice session chewing the fat with the announcers, but is it really the best use of time, considering the major battle Villanova is in for tomorrow against Duke?

Duke's coach Mike Krzyzewski, to his credit, took the practice more seriously. According to RTC:

You could tell the difference in practice styles right away. [...] The other teams' practices were loosely organized, [but] the Duke practice was methodical and organized with a military precision. [...] The Duke session was much more crisp than the other sessions with very little wasted time. I don’t think I saw any of the players in the other sessions sweating (with the exception of Redford), but every Duke player was sweating by the end of the session.

Even for the Jay Wright apologists, it has to be a little troubling to hear about Wright gabbing away with the announcers for half an hour just one day before the biggest Villanova game in three years.

Meanwhile, Krzyzewski looked to have used his time much more efficiently, even though his team is a solid 2-point favorite in the game.

Wright's lackadaisical approach to practice may not -- and hopefully will not -- cost Villanova the game, but it should make Villanova fans a little less confident about the Wildcats' chances Thursday night.


[Photo credit: rushthecourt.net]

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).

'Nova avoids disaster with win over American

Villanova 80
American 67
(box score)

American: 24-8
#11 Villanova: 27-7

Villanova used a furious second-half run and some very accommodating officiating to hold off an American team that looked for much of the game like it might pull off a major upset.

The Wildcats opened up limp in the first half and trailed by 10 at the break. Villanova would fall behind by as many as 14 points in the second half before turning the game around.

Villanova played to its low-major opponent's strength for the first part of the game, settling for outside jumpers and not guarding the perimeter closely.

The Wildcats started pushing the ball inside more in the second half, when they also benefitted from some very early American foul trouble.

Villanova was in the bonus for the game's final 12:27. American's most dangerous player, Garrison Carr, picked up his fourth personal foul with more than eight minutes to play.

Overall, Villanova attempted 29 free throws in the game, while American received just five foul shots. Some of that disparity can be attributed to the team's differing offensive attacks, but the officiating was certainly favorable to the pseudo-home-team Wildcats, as well.

One major question tonight was the total absence of Antonio Pena, who did not see the court at all. Is Jay Wright shortening the bench just for the sake of post-season shortening?

Logic would dictate that when the two tallest post players in the major American rotation are 6-8, it would be a good move to give Pena even more time than usual, not less. Pena, after all, is the team's second-best post scorer.

Chalk it up to another Jay-Wright playing-time mystery. One would hope Wright had a good reason this time and that it was not just an illogical whim; but one could very well be disappointed clinging to that hope.

With the win, Villanova avoided what would have been one of the most embarrassing losses in school history. The Wildcats will need to play at much higher level, much more consistently, if they hope to beat a non-Patriot League team in this tournament.

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

Next up for Villanova is what should be an epic match with UCLA on Saturday.

The Bruins have been to three consecutive Final Fours, and are ranked #10 in the country by KenPom, nine places ahead of Villanova. Even after factoring in Villanova's semi-home-court advantage, KenPom gives UCLA a 53 percent chance to win.

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

• Reggie Redding (S, 36 min)

  One would have liked a bit more offensively out of Redding in 36 minutes versus a lesser-talented team. He was 1-4 from the field and 1-2 from the line. He was 1-3 on three-point attempts, including one very ill-advised shot. He grabbed 4 boards, passed for 1 assist, and had 1 turnover. He did not get any steals, but did lead the team in blocks with 4.
  Grade: C-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 36 min)

  Cunningham handled much of the team's scoring load, putting in 25 on 9-16 shooting. As usual, he was great inside and on the break, but terrible outside. He has got to stop shooting outside jumpers: for one, he is a terrible jumpshooter from outside of 16 feet, and two, when he is out of the paint shooting them, he can't be inside the paint looking for rebounds. Cunningham was a perfect 7-7 from the foul line, which was crucial to the victory. He grabbed 7 rebounds, passed for 2 assists, and blocked 3 shots. He did have 4 turnovers, which is unacceptable against such an unathletic frontcourt.
  Grade: B-




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 35 min)

  Reynolds struggled on the offense, but did find a way to get the job done in the game. He is just simply not suited to be a point guard, no matter how much Jay Wright tries to shoehorn him into the position. As noted by the announcers, Reynolds made terrible decisions with the ball, and indeed, the game did not turn around for the Wildcats until Fisher took over point duties. Reynolds shot 2-7 from the field and missed all 3 of his three-point attempts. He was 4-5 at the foul line. He dished out just 2 assists and committed 4 turnovers, but at least he had 3 steals. Villanova is going to need Reynolds in stride in order to score against Collison, Holiday, and Shipp, which might be the best defensive backcourt in America.
  Grade: C-




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 31 min)

  Anderson basically won the game for Villanova. It was a dream match-up for Anderson; American had no one who could deal with his size, speed, athleticism, and scoring ability. Anderson shot a super-efficient 9-10 from the field, including 4-5 from the three. He was perfect from the foul line, shooting 3-3. He led the team in rebounds, with 8, stole 1 ball, passed for 1 assist, and committed 3 turnovers. He ran the floor well and played with energy and intensity. This is the kind of play Villanova needs from Anderson if the Wildcats plan to make a deep tournament run.
  Grade: A




• Corey Fisher (27 min)

  Along with Anderson, Fisher was the difference in this game. Fisher put the team on his back in the second half and willed the Wildcats to victory. How well he played definitely is not reflected accurately in the box score: Fisher shot just 1-5 from the field to score 11 points. Fisher, however, drew so many fouls with his aggressive penetration play that he almost got the Eagles in foul trouble single-handidly. Fisher was an excellent 9-10 from the foul line. He passed for a team-high 4 assists. His three turnovers were mitigated by his 3 steals. Fisher's defense was also excellent. My guess is that this game would never have been in question if Fisher played 37 minutes instead of 27.
  Grade: A-
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 19 min)

  Clark is the worst defender in the rotation by an order of magnitude. He allowed so many threes in the first-half by unnecessarily doubling down on American's 6-8 post players, I didn't know what to say. Clark handled the ball slowly and clumsily and generally was in the wrong places at the wrong times. He did have one very nice interior assist to Cunningham, I will give him that. He also was a perfect 2-2 from the foul line. But he was 0-2 from the field and was not even a remote threat to score. He only grabbed 3 rebounds, tied for the lowest on the team. He passed for 3 assists and did not have any turnovers. He did, however, kill two fast-breaks prematurely (by my count) when the ball was routed through his hands. Nineteen minutes for Clark and zero for Pena is not a winning formula for this NCAA tournament.
  Grade: D-
  
  

• Corey Stokes (16 min)

  Stokes is actually Villanova's most efficient offensive player, statistically, and he needs more time on the court. Tonight, Stokes shot 2-6 from the field and a bad 1-5 from the three. He added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal, and 1 block. I would like to see him in the 23-25 minute range next time.
  Grade: C-
  
  
  

• Incomplete grades: None.



• Did not play: Antonio Pena (CD), Frank Tchuisi (CD), Russell Wooten (CD), Jason Colenda (CD), Maurice Sutton (RS).

Best and worse cases for Villanova

Every March, Let's Go Nova's favorite college basketball writer Pat Forde pens his best and worst cases column, where he outlines the wildest dreams and worst nightmares for all 64 NCAA tournament teams.

Forde hit the nail on the head for Villanova last year, when his best-case scenario of Villanova beating Clemson and Siena before losing in the Sweet 16 came true to the letter.

This year, he sets the bar a little higher. According to Forde, the dream 'Nova run ends as national runner-up:

Best Case: Under-the-radar Big East power flexes its muscles, pounding American and VCU while taking advantage of absurdly friendly Philadelphia draw. The Wildcats wear down Duke and then beat Pitt for the second time this season to reach their first Final Four since winning the whole thing with the Perfect Game in 1985. Dante Cunningham finishes off NBA audition by averaging 20 and 10 on the way to Detroit, where Jay Wright looks flawless as the Wildcats beat North Carolina and then lose to Louisville for the third time this season in the final.

I think that scenario is a tad generous, even as the best case. Just getting to the Final Four would be a dream come true for this 'Nova team, and I am not sure the Wildcats could defeat the UNC juggernaut even in my wildest dreams. But, you never know, especially with Ty Lawson's toe on paparazzi watch all March.

Villanova's worst case is exactly the scenario I dread will happen -- a second-round loss to an excellent UCLA team:

Worst Case: Nova is slowed down and taken out in the second round by UCLA, but that's only the beginning. Turns out Wright was doing his own NBA audition and takes a job in The Association. Guard Reynolds bugs out after his junior season for the pros as well. Rollie Massimino agitates to get his old job back. Even worse, so does Steve Lappas.

Exactly my fear, although as regular readers of this column surely know, I would not mind having Lappas or Rollie back over Jay Wright!

Let's hope that Forde makes it two years in a row for his best-case scenario coming true for Villanova.

What are you best and worse cases? Does anyone think we could actually lose to American? And who is dreaming even higher than Forde, wishing for a national title?

Pitino puts on free coaching clinic for Jay Wright

Louisville 69
Villanova 55
(box score)

#5 Louisville: 27-5 (18-2 BE)
#10 Villanova: 26-7 (14-6 BE)


Sometimes, it's just nice to watch a master at work -- even if the master is carving up your favorite basketball team like a sushi chef working on some rapidly spoiling fish.

On Friday night, Rick Pitino was that master, and he made Jay Wright his unwilling apprentice. Once again, Pitino showed why he was one of the top coaches in basketball history, official Big East awards hardware be damned.

Trailing by eight at the half, Pitino calmly gave a brief halftime interview to ESPN, then went inside the locker room to make the crucial adjustments. Jay Wright is very good at the media-friendly first part; experience is showing he may have to work on the latter issue a bit.

For the second game in as many days, Villanova collapsed epically in the second half. Just when you thought that it could not get any worse after Villanova surrendered a 16-point lead in the final 20 minutes of the Marquette game, the Wildcats allowed a similar 15-point swing against Louisville -- in under five minutes.

Villanova went from up eight to down seven in the first five minutes of the second period. In a game sandwiched at Madison Square Garden between two Herculean efforts from the Syracuse Orange spanning four halves and seven overtimes, Villanova quickly accepted its fate and folded before even thirty minutes of playing time had elapsed.

As an eternal optimist when it comes to Villanova basketball, I usually save the "game over" comments and text messages for when the game is truly out of reach, a tipping point that had to be re-calibrated after the Wildcats made up 15 points in two minutes against LSU last year.

Not tonight. It was clear that as soon as Louisville made its run, and then prematurely extinguished the Wildcats' response, that Villanova was done. Game over.

Some other fans quickly attributed the team's failure to "exhaustion," an argument that usually smacks of absurdity, but seems especially ridiculous considering Syracuse played the equivalent of three basketball games in 26 hours on the same court -- and won, too.

No, the reason Villanova was beaten so soundly and so thoroughly tonight had less to do with exertion than with preparation. The Wildcats were not ready to take the floor. Whatever plan Wright and his staff cooked up was totally obsolete by the time the halftime clock expired.

Villanova played right into Louisville's hands. First, the 'Cats had no effective plan to deal with -- surprise! -- Rick Pitino's world-famous press. Indeed, Villanova was forced to burn a timeout on its very first possession when Shane Clark was unable to inbound the ball after the game's first basket. That, in a word, is embarrassing.

It's not like Louisville's press worked to perfection on that first play: several Wildcats just stood around on the inbound. Were they not expecting Rick Pitino to press? That's like being surprised to learn that bears shit in the woods.

Second, Villanova left home on the defensive perimeter, time and time again, allowing Louisville to rotate the ball for open shots.

Despite the early signs of poor preparation, Villanova managed to eke out an eight-point lead in the first 20 minutes, largely because the Cardinals could not connect on their perimeter looks.

In the second half, two things happened that quickly turned the game. One, Louisville finally started making its open looks. Two, Villanova completed its complete devolution into a team that cannot handle the ball under pressure -- under any circumstances.

Villanova turned the ball over 23 times, often when the ball was not even being defended. A few times just the threat of pressure caused this ill-prepared Villanova team to throw the ball away.

Even when Villanova didn't turn it over, the offense was often rushed and pathetic. The Wildcats offered up a few "air-ball turnovers," or shots that have so little chance to go in they should just be counted as official turnovers.

You'd think after suffering from the full-court pressure in Villanova's home loss to Louisville earlier this season, Wright and his staff would concoct a few tricks to ease the pressure.

Well, if they did, it did not show tonight. Villanova absolutely withered under the Cardinal pressure, and put up little resistance on the defensive end, too.

Note to Wright and co.: Pitino does not hold a monopoly on the press. It is fully legal, even advisable, to respond to pressure with pressure of your own -- at least if your team is conditioned well enough to perform it.

Another perhaps faulty assumption the astute observer might make is that after seeing how frustrated the Cards became on offense when they weren't able to get open perimeter looks off the second pass, the Villanova staff would emphasize staying at home on the perimeter in the second period.

Pitino himself even admitted it at the half and after the game. He said his team suffers when forced to go one-on-one, and thrives when it can make the extra pass on the outside for a better look.

So why did Villanova's wing players collapse nearly every time in the second half, allowing jumper after jumper to swish through the net, erasing any hopes for the first Villanova Big East championship of this millennium?

The fact is that Louisville was better coached, better conditioned, and better prepared than the Wildcats, and that let the Cardinals turn an 8-point deficit into a 14-point win rather easily in a single half.

After the game, Wright praised Pitino's style. "We knew this was going to be tough when you're playing the Big East champions," Wright said. "I love how they play. "

I love how they play, too, Jay. My only hope is that maybe you were taking notes.

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

Villanova now awaits its seed and first-weekend location, to be determined on Sunday night by the all-powerful NCAA selection committee.

My guess is that Villanova will be a #3 seed slated to play at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, which would mean its next game will be on Thursday against a #14 seed automatic-bid winner from a small conference.

Hopefully, Villanova will use the intervening week to get its act together enough to make a nice tournament run.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 38 min)

  Just an awful night for Reynolds. He could not find the bottom of the net (1-6) and missed all 3 of his three-point attempts. He committed a whopping 6 turnovers. The only things saving Reynolds from the dreaded "F" are his 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals. Reynolds was hounded on Friday by Louisville's pressure defense, but he will have to pick it up if the Wildcats want to play beyond next weekend.
  Grade: D-




• Reggie Redding (S, 32 min)

  Despite Thursday's clutch finish, I've noticed that Redding has the tendency to either choke or disappear in big moments. He did a little bit of both Friday night, emerging from second-half obscurity to miss two key free throws that would have brought the 'Cats within 5 and completed a 5-0 Villanova run. Redding was 1-3 from the field, and an inexcusable 1-4 from the foul line. At least he didn't have any turnovers. Redding added 6 rebounds but just 1 assist -- so much for Jay Wright's designation of Redding as the team's "best playmaker."
  Grade: D




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 29 min)

  Anderson shot relatively well while his teammates struggled. He often benefited from an off-balance Cardinals defense -- at least when the Wildcats managed to get the ball across halfcourt. Anderson was able to connect on some nice jumpers while shooting 5-8 overall, including 2-4 from the three. He added 5 rebounds and 2 assists. His decent shooting night was sullied, however, by his 4 turnovers.
  Grade: C+





• Corey Fisher (26 min)

  Fisher shot well on Friday but simply could not take care of the ball. Seven turnovers...ugh. Here is where I can't blame the loss entirely on the coaching. While it's true that Fisher had an uphill battle to break the Cardinal pressure without (seemingly) much help from the sidelines, there still is no excuse for him to throw the ball away so many times. Fisher shot 4-8 from the field, including a good 3-5 from the three. He was a perfect 3-3 from the line, as well. He dished out 3 assists, grabbed 2 rebounds, picked up 2 steals, and scored 14 points. Very decent numbers, except for the 7 turnovers.
  Grade: D+
  
  

• Dante Cunningham (S, 24 min)

  Cunningham had a very nice first half, but then disappeared in the second, mired by foul trouble. I don't know why he sat for so long in the second half -- what was the worst that could happen, Jay? We were already getting crushed; so what if Dante fouls out? In his 24 minutes, Cunningham played well. He shot 5-11 from the field, and was a perfect 4-4 from the foul line. He pulled in 9 boards and committed just 1 turnover. The foul trouble, however, was killer, because Cunningham was such a big part of the team's offense.
  Grade: B




• Corey Stokes (23 min)

  Stokes couldn't find the stroke from the three (1-5) or from the field in general (1-9) tonight. He did pull in 6 boards, but he committed 2 turnovers, and did not collect any steals, assists, or blocks.
  Grade: D
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 21 min)

  Just a dreadful night for Clark. Airballs (plural.) Two big, memorable turnovers. Just 2 rebounds in 21 minutes. Clueless ball handling. Bad inbounding. Clark shot 0-6 from the field, but was a decent 5-6 from the foul line. Not enough to move the grade up from the floor, though.
  Grade: F
  
  

• Antonio Pena (6 min)

  Pena missed his only shot and collected just 1 rebound in 6 minutes. He didn't get much of an opportunity tonight, but he did very little in the brief time he was out there.
  Grade: D





• Incomplete grades: Russell Wooten (1 min).



• Did not play: Frank Tchuisi (CD), Jason Colenda (CD), Maurice Sutton (RS).

Fisher, Cunningham, Wright win Big East honors

All of the Big East Conference awards have now been announced, and Villanova did very well for itself, earning some nice accolades across a variety of categories.

Villanova backup point guard Corey Fisher won the Big East's 6th Man award, which goes to the player who makes the greatest positive impact off the bench.

This site has been saying for a long, long time that Fisher should get more minutes, and this award seems to validate that position. Unless the player is a 6th-man specialist like Manu Ginobili, winning the 6th man award probably means the player should be starting!

Still, it's a nice honor for Fisher, whose improvement this year has brought Villanova much success.

Speaking of improvement, Villanova's senior forward Dante Cunningham was named the conference's Most-Improved Player on the year. Cunningham has stepped up his scoring output this season after playing a more limited offensive role his first three years.

Villanova's head coach Jay Wright earned Big East Coach of the Year honors. Although it is hard to see how Marquette's Buzz Williams did not win this award, Wright's COY honors are a nice acknowledgment of the team's success this year after a somewhat slow start.

Villanova opened the conference play by losing two of its first three games, but the season really picked up after the Wildcats were able to beat then #3 Pittsburgh in the last college basketball game ever at the Spectrum. Villanova now sits poised to earn a top-4 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

Wright's selection as coach of the year is not something I necessarily agree with, given the questionable substitution and end-game strategy decisions made this year, but it is still nice for Villanova to take home the award. Wright and Villanova last won Big East COY in 2005-2006, when Villanova earned a #1 seed in the NCAA torunament.

Dante Cunningham was also named to the All-Big-East second-team, and junior guard Scottie Reynolds earned a Big East Honorable Mention.

'Nova clinches double bye with Prov. win

Providence 80
Villanova 97
(box score)

Providence: 18-12 (8-10 BE)
#11 Villanova: 25-6 (13-5 BE)

Villanova flexed its offensive muscles on Thursday night as the Wildcats exploded for 97 points to defeat Providence in the year's final game at the Pavilion.

With the win, Villanova secured an all-important top-four finish in the Big East, and the two days of byes that go along with it. The Wildcats will now be seeded all the way into the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament on Thursday.

Villanova also maintains its position as a potential top-3 seed in the NCAA tournament, which is crucial if the Wildcats would like to play the first two rounds in their home-away-from-home at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

It was an excellent offensive game for the Wildcats, who scored 57 points in the second half and shot well overall. Scottie Reynolds, Dwayne Anderson, and Corey Fisher all played outstanding games for Villanova, and the 'Cats looked unstoppable when all their weapons were blazing.

Providence finishes the regular season with an 18-12 record, which normally might not earn a team an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament. The Friars, however, are 10-8 in the country's best conference, and boast a premium win over then-#1 Pittsburgh.

Conventional bracketology wisdom suggests that Providence would have been a lock with a win over Villanova, but will now need to win one at Madison Square Garden to have a good chance on Selection Sunday.

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

Villanova now has a full week off to prepare for its post-season. After a grueling Big East season, I am sure the rest will be welcome.

According to the official bracket (PDF), Villanova will next take the court on Thursday at 2 p.m. In practice, however, the game always starts later than that, closer to 2:30.

Villanova will face the winner of the #5 vs. #12/#13 game, which will most likely be Marquette.


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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 36 min)

  Reynolds continued his scorching shooting ways tonight, shooting an excellent 9-13 from the field. He also put in an outstanding performance from the three, hitting 5-9, or the equivalent of shooting 83% from the two. He did miss both his free throw attempts, which is a bit troubling, since his free throw shooting seems to be dropping off a bit lately. Reynolds added 4 steals, 4 assists, and just 2 turnovers. Let's hope Scottie can continue his hot streak through the entire month of March.
  Grade: A




• Dante Cunningham (S, 36 min)

  Positives tonight were 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. The negatives, however, were substantial. Cunningham shot a dismal 8-17 to get those 19 points, including several missed jumpers that he probably should have passed on altogether. He missed 4 of his 7 free throw attempts, as well. Cunningham also led the team in turnovers, with 5, committing a whopping 71.4 percent of the team's turnovers despite playing 18 percent of the team's minutes. If you haven't surmised this already, I really hate turnovers, especially by forwards. Perhaps worst of all, however, was Cunningham's defense, which was uncharacteristically soft tonight. Cunningham allowed at least three uncontested lay-ups or dunks. All in all, the positives save this grade from the dreaded "F," but it was nonetheless one of the worst games for Cunningham of the season.
  Grade: D




• Reggie Redding (S, 31 min)

  Redding was Mr. Pass tonight, dishing out 11 of the Wildcats' 26 assists. Those assists definitely earned him 31 minutes, but Redding's normal reason for playing so much, defense, was lacking tonight. Redding was responsible much of the night for covering Weyinmi Efejuku, who lit up the Wildcats for 29 points. Redding was not fast enough to stay near Efejuku at all, which could bode ill for the Wildcats against teams with similar star players. Aside from his excellent passing night, Redding had little other statistical impact. He shot 1-3 to score 2 points, and added 0 turnovers, steals, or blocks. He grabbed 2 rebounds. Those 11 assists go a long way to make up for a terrible night defensively, but it still was not much better than average for Reggie.
  Grade: C+





• Corey Fisher (27 min)

  Twenty-seven minutes are more like it for Fisher, unquestionably the team's most potent sparkplug. I'd prefer his minutes get up to the mid-thirties, but I guess it's one step at a time for Wright. Fisher shot 3-9 from the field, including 1-3 from the three, to go with his excellent 6-6 performance from the foul line. He handled the ball perfectly, dishing out 6 assists while committing 0 turnovers. His defense was outstanding, and he grabbed 4 steals. He was quick enough to stay with anyone on the perimeter, as well. It was a nearly perfect game for Fisher aside from the slightly reduced scoring output of 13. Fisher showed tonight he could have an excellent impact on the game even while not making many baskets, and this should finally (hopefully?) earn Fisher some more minutes in the post-season.
  Grade: A-
  
  

• Corey Stokes (21 min)

  Stokes was a major force in this game. He continued his hot shooting from the three, hitting 3-5. He also used his good height and strength to grab 4 rebounds and 1 block. He played decent defense, and added 1 steal. I think 21 minutes tonight was a big under-utilization of Stokes. Imagine how hard it will be for Villanova's opponents to contain the Wildcats with all four of Stokes, Fisher, Reynolds, and Cunningham firing on all cylinders. In order for this to happen, Stokes has got to get the minutes to heat up and stay effective.
  Grade: B+
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 20 min)

  Clark was not at all effective on offense (1-5 shooting, no foul attempts, no assists), but was a little better on the defensive end. Clark had 2 steals and 5 rebounds in his 20 minutes. I'd like to see 10 of his minutes go immediately to Stokes, but you have to admire Clark's hustle.
  Grade: C
  
  
  

• Dwayne Anderson (S, 17 min)

  Anderson, troubled by early fouls, still managed to score 19 points in 17 minutes, which is excellent. And he shot very well, 7-11, 3-5, and 2-2. Anderson, who had missed his 12 prior three-pointers before the game, is the ultimate streak shooter, and it's great to see him take those shots when he is hot. He also added 7 rebounds in just 17 minutes: compare that to Cunningham's 8 in 36. Anderson also added 3 assists, 1 block, and 4 steals in a phenomenal effort, playing half the game. If we extrapolate what his line would have looked like with 35 minutes, we get 39 points, 14 rebounds, 8 steals, 2 blocks, and 6 assists! Of course, it would have been difficult for him to maintain that pace, but what a game for Anderson despite the fouls.
  Grade: A





• Antonio Pena (9 min)

  Just 9 minutes, but a bit of a resurgence for Antonio Pena. He shot a good 2-4, showing intelligent awareness and spacing on the offensive end. He also was a perfect 2-2 from the foul line. He added 1 rebound, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in his very limited time.
  Grade: B





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



• Did not play: Maurice Sutton (RS).

Villanova handles Notre Dame

Villanova 77
Notre Dame 60
(box score)

#11 Villanova: 24-6 (12-5 BE)
Notre Dame: 16-13 (7-10 BE)


Villanova broke away in the second half on Monday night to soundly put away a Notre Dame team fighting for its post-season life.

The Wildcats used an offense firing on all cylinders to scorch the Irish for 45 second-period points on the way to an easy win, despite a score knotted at 32 at the half.

I actually agreed with Jay Wright's rotation for much of the game. It was good to see Fisher and Reynolds out there together for good stretches, and I like how the team clicked offensively with two Coreys and Reynolds as threats. The only real problem I had tonight was Wright's continued under-utlization of Stokes, who could be a major weapon if he played more than one-third of the game.

All in all, though, it was a well coached game by Wright, who seems to have rebounded from his disaster against Georgetown last Saturday. Let's hope he can keep it up against tougher competition in the post-season.

With the win, Villanova keeps its chances of a double bye in the Big East tournament alive. The Wildcats now need to beat Providence and have Marquette lose to Pittsburgh to earn the #4 seed and the two days off that go with it.

More important, Villanova kept itself in a plausible position to receive a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament, which would likely place the Wildcats in Philadelphia for the first weekend, a tremendous advantage.

Looking at the current state of the top-15, it looks like Villanova will have to defeat Providence on Thursday and then win at least one game in Madison Square Garden to stay in the 3-seed conversation.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, all but sealed its fate in the NIT on Monday, barring a McNamarian run in the Big East Tournament.

The Irish find themselves behind 10 teams in the conference with better resumes: Connecticut, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Villanova, West Virginia, Syracuse, Georgetown, Providence, and Cincinnati. All but the last three of these teams should be in the field at this point.

Although the argument could be made that all of remaining three serious Big East bubble teams deserve to get into the NCAA tournament, my guess is that just two will make it, and I give the advantage to Georgetown and Providence, pending each team's final few games.

Congratulations to an anonymous reader for most closely predicting the game's final score.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 39 min)

  Before the game, I was telling one of my friends that Scottie Reynolds should shoot more threes, because that is how he heats up on his epic scoring efforts. Looks like Reynolds got the memo on that one. Reynolds scorched the nets at the Joyce Center, scoring 23 pints on excellent 8-12 shooting, including a fantastic 6-7 from the three. And it's good to see him playing 39 of 40 minutes with no major signs of fatigue. It didn't hurt that Corey Fisher was around for 20 minutes to handle point duties for Reynolds, either. I would like to see Reynolds play the two-guard for 30+ minutes in Villanova's post-season. Reynolds finished the game with good numbers across the board: 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 turnover. It was one of the best overall performances by a Villanova guard I have ever seen. Complete, mistake-free, excellent all around.
  Grade: A




• Reggie Redding (S, 38 min)

  Redding played well against Notre Dame, but was it 38-minutes well? I guess it worked out. He was quietly efficient on the offense, shooting 3-5, including 1-1 for three, to score 7 points. Redding added 4 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, and 2 turnovers to his well-rounded effort. He looked good on the defensive end after giving up some key plays against Georgetown.
  Grade: B




• Dante Cunningham (S, 35 min)

  Cunningham shot 8-18 tonight, which is not a bad night for a shooting guard, but should be embarrassing for a power-forward. I don't know why the conventional wisdom seems to be that Cunningham's work in the offseason paid off in the form of a new, ultra-reliable jump-shot, because to me it looks like the same old shot. Except that this year, Cunningham takes a lot more of them. I lost count of how many jumpers he missed during the game: thankfully the play-by-play in the box score remembers. Cunningham was 6-16 on jump-shots. Let that number stew around in your head for a while, and remember you are considering a once-efficient power forward, and not John Starks in the NBA Finals. Cunningham was 8-18 overall, so that means he was 2-2 on non-jump shots. Now, the official box score has a very loose definition of a jumper, so it categorizes some paint shots as jump-shots, but I can assure you that Cunningham made more from the inside and missed more from the outside. Can you imagine how much better it would have been for Villanova if Cunningham didn't miss 10 jumpers? Having Cunningham shoot low-percentage shots from outside the key is a double whammy for the 'Cats: not only are they bad shots, but it leaves Cunningham, the team's best rebounder, out of place for any chance at a carom. Wouldn't you rather 10 more shots for Stokes from the outside, with Cunningham underneath for the rebound, instead? I would, too. Against the Irish, Cunningham finished with 8 rebounds. He added 1 turnover, and 0 blocks, assists, or steals.
  Grade: B-




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 24 min)

  Anderson just could not find his shot. As the ultimate streak shooter, he has got to recognize when he is on and when he is not. Against the Irish, he was most certainly off. The nadir of Anderson's night was a missed wide-open 2-pt jumper from the baseline that was a complete air-ball. Things were going so well for Villanova, though, that a few seconds later, after an offensive rebound, Anderson was dunking it in anyway. But shooting 2-9, including 0-4 from the three, could hurt the team, especially when most of those shots weren't even close. Anderson played well otherwise, notching 6 boards, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, and 1 turnover. Playing 24 minutes seems about right for Anderson, too. Just stop missing so many shots!
  Grade: C+




• Corey Fisher (20 min)

  Sure, Fisher was 0-5 from the field, but the shots he took were good, high-percentage shots. A player can only be judged on his decisions, and not his results. Fisher also passed the ball very well, dishing 3 assists in half a game, and he would have had more had some of his pass-recipients finished easy looks. He also had 1 block, 1 steal, and zero turnovers. So what if he scored just 2 points? Fisher played well. He was plagued by foul trouble against Notre Dame, which is why he played just 20 minutes. I am convinced he would have seen another 10 minutes despite his cold shooting if fouls were not an issue.
  Grade: B-
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 18 min)

  Clark turned it on in the second half, playing his trademark cleanup game of put-backs and efficient shots. And thank goodness. This is Clark's bread-and-butter, and let's hope he can keep it up. He sat in the first half with two quick fouls, and honestly, the offense looked pretty good without him. But there is no denying the value he brought in the second half with his hustle game, and there is always a place for that on the court. Clark shot a good 5-7 from the field, but only managed 1 rebound in 18 minutes. He had 0 assists, turnovers, steals, or blocks, and was 2-3 from the foul line. One thing Jay Wright needs to be careful of is leaving Clark, who misses nearly half his free throws, on the court at the end of close games where fouling becomes a factor.
  Grade: B
  
  

• Corey Stokes (13 min)

  Ugh, why only 13 minutes for Stokes, who is by far the team's best shooter. Did you know that Stokes is shooting 44 percent from the three? That's too high a percentage! That means he needs to take more threes! I really don't know why Stokes was only allotted 13 minutes tonight; it just seems Wright keeps him on a very short leash, often yanking him out of the game after a few possessions. What I do know is that to beat teams that will put up more resistance than a fading Notre Dame, Villanova will need another scoring thread to complement Reynolds, Fisher, and Cunningham. Stokes is definitely that guy. He was pretty quiet against the Irish, scoring just 3 points on one really nice shot. During a possession at the end of the first half, Stokes freed himself to rotate to the top of the key, caught the ball in stride, and drained a gorgeous shot. I wish he would launch a few more of those in increased minutes.
  Grade: B-
  
  

• Antonio Pena (13 min)

  During the game broadcast, announcer Jay Bilas echoed a joke from this space a few games ago about Pena on a milk carton. Well, it looks like Pena is back, albeit in a slightly diminished role. Pena shot a decent 2-4 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line for 6 total points. He had 3 boards, and no assists, turnovers, steals, or blocks.
  Grade: B-





• Incomplete grades: Frank Tchuisi (0+ min), Jason Colenda (0+ min).



• Did not play: Russell Wooten (CD), Maurice Sutton (RS).

Jay Wright blunders away key game

If there were ever any question about how poor an end-game coach Jay Wright is, that question was answered today, and then some.

Jay Wright made just about every possible end-game error in the final minutes of a close game against Georgetown.

From right off the top of my head:

1. Failing to make sure his team knew the shot clock was running down in a timeout huddle. What was he doing in there? What is being discussed in timeouts if not the immediate tactical consideration of the current possession? Reynolds was forced to hoist a 30-footer upon realizing at the last second the shot clock was nearly down to zero. Horrendous tactical coaching.
   
   
2. Ridiculous "offense-defense" substitution, yanking both point guards for defense. On a crucial possession, Georgetown point guard Chris Wright was able to blow by Reggie Redding for an easy layup because there was no one quick enough to guard him. This is why point guards typically guard other point guards, especially ones as talented as Wright. Horrible coaching.
   
   
3. Down three with under a minute to go and coming off a timeout, Villanova's offense is routed through Reggie Redding? Is that serious? And Redding just throws the ball away. And this is off a timeout? That's the best you can do, Jay? Terrible coaching.
   
   
4. Down three with under 30 seconds left, Wright keeps Corey Fisher on the bench. Why? Fisher is the team's best penetrator. Clearly, in that situation, there is plenty of time left for a drive to the basket. Just score quickly. Instead, Villanova wastes 10-15 seconds, and Corey Stokes takes a horrible, off-balance, guarded three, which misses. Some of the worst coaching of the year.
   
   
5. Down by five with under 10 seconds to go, Stokes hits a long three to pull the 'Cats within two points with exactly 3.5 seconds left. Wright, properly, calls timeout, and then benches Reynolds and leaves Fisher out. Result? No one on Villanova can even catch Chris Wright to foul him, and the final 3.5 seconds (eternity in a basketball game) tick away with Villanova unable to even give a foul. Off a timeout! And, may I ask, what was Jay Wright's plan if, miraculously, his team was able to get a turnover? His two best scorers were on the bench! If we got a turnover with 2 seconds left in Georgetown's back-court, there was no one to shoot it but Stokes! Was Wright's plan to call a timeout there, with 1 second left? Horrible, horrible, horrible.

I would love to hear any argument that Jay Wright didn't cost the team this game. The five above points don't even go into how lazy, lackadaisical, and unmotivated the team seemed to play the entire game. Len Elmore, calling the game, even said the Wildcats seemed "content" out there while trailing, lacking any hunger to win the game. Embarrassing.

Villanova just lost a game where the winning team scored TWO field goals in the last 9:22 of the game. You read that correctly. It's quite an accomplishment, to lose such a game.

I have been saying for the entire year that Wright's poor end-game tactics would cost this team in a big spot. Well, it doesn't get much bigger than this. Villanova was in the absolute driver's seat for both a double-bye in the Big East tournament, with a double-bye all but guaranteed by winning out. The Wildcats also were in position to land the top-3 seed in the NCAA tournament likely needed to stay in the Wachovia Center.

A lot of good playing at home in the Wachovia Center did today. Thanks to Wright's tactical and strategic blunders, Villanova is now on the outside looking in for both a double-bye, which is unlikely now, and a top-3 seed for the NCAA tournament.

But neither of those tournaments will matter much to Villanova fans if Jay Wright continues to cost his team close games by end-game mismanagement that would make a grammar-school jayvee coach cringe. I know my grammar school coach would not have been happy watching this game.

And neither was I.

A traditional recap with player grades will be up by Sunday night. Forget the grades; you all know how I feel about this game, and most of you disagree with me. Let's move on with the Notre Dame preview.

Feel free to discuss the end-game situation in the comment thread.

Is 'Nova in a downward spiral?

GreyCat of Villanova by the Numbers has created an outstanding and informative post called Performance vs. Expectations, tracking Villanova's result in each game against the final margin predicted by Pomeroy.

The results, provided in awesome-chart-form by Greycat, look a little bit like the stock market over the past few years. As in, not good.

Below, I have modified GreyCat's chart in a highly unscientific and inartistic way by marking my approximation of the trend line in a bright-blue paint trail via Seashore.

The trend is certainly not encouraging. Click on the chart for a larger version.
Villanova's performance vs. expectations seems to have peaked sometime near the Marquette game, and has been falling ever since. Though Villanova has won eight of its last nine games, this is definitely not the momentum you'd want heading into post-season play.

As GreyCat remarks:

The blowout of Marquette marked a high point in expectations. If the team had "settled" on a performance plateau, I believe succeeding games would have "declined" toward the X axis. Instead the margins have gyrated widely but largely, below the X axis. Hopefully the Wildcats will refocus for the stretch run in the regular season.

This makes perfect sense, even if you're not mathematically inclined. After the Marquette win, expectations were highest. So if performance had remained level following that peak in expectation, the chart would have settled gently toward the axis. Instead, as Greycat points out, the data points have jumped mostly below the axis, a clear indication of under-perfomance.

GreyCat also notes the correlation between under-performance and being on the road in his excellent analysis. This is a bit troubling, but it is a good thing Villanova has the inside track on playing the first two NCAA rounds in Philadelphia.

Go read his post in full, as it is very interesting work.

What do you think of this decline versus expectations? Please remember, the "expectations" here were not created by a human, but by KenPom's cold and calculating statistical model, so don't just assume expectations were arbitrarily too high.

Nova News agrees on Fisher PT

I have been receiving a lot of heat in the comments section for blasting Jay Wright's mismanagement of his lineup, especially regarding point guard Corey Fisher's playing time.

After every single game, you could find here the drumbeat of criticism, charging that Fisher was receiving far too little playing time. My argument is that as the clearly best player on the team, Fisher should be leading the team in minutes. But he isn't, and in fact, trails behind several far inferior Wildcats in playing time.

I've further argued that Fisher's increase in playing time should not come at the expense of Reynolds, because the team plays best when they are both in there together, and ballhandling requires at least one of the two point guards to be in at all times.

Tim, the Nova News blogger, weighed in on his site tonight in agreement.

In a nice, long piece called Something Smells Fishy, Tim questions Jay Wright's decision to keep Fisher in limited time despite the growing statistical evidence that he is among the most effective Wildcats on the court.

Tim admits that although winning eight of nine games is nice, Fisher still needs more playing time:

I don't necessarily believe that Fisher should get more time at the expense of Reynolds because frankly, they are the two best guards on the team. Neither do I believe it is imperative for Fisher to start because he is valuable as a sixth man. What I am simply saying is Fisher should be getting more playing time, period.

Tim wraps up his essay by saying "the bottom line is Corey Fisher is too good to be sitting on the bench for 12+ minutes a game."

Agreed. And Fisher certainly shouldn't be sitting for 16 minutes when the 'Cats struggle to defeat one of the worst teams in major-conference history by a measly two points.

Something smells fishy, indeed.

Of course, this isn't the first time that Wright has refused to play a talented point guard for seemingly no earthly reason, and we all know how that one turned out.

Here's hoping Wright can change his ways before it's too late.

Villanova sputters past DePaul

Villanova 74
DePaul 72
(box score)

#12 Villanova: 23-5 (11-4 BE)
DePaul: 8-20 (0-15 BE)


Villanova once again played down to the level of its competition in an ugly two-point victory at DePaul Wednesday night.

The Wildcats used a second-half run to build a solid lead, erasing an improbable half-time deficit, before collapsing yet again in the game's final minutes to allow a DePaul comeback.

Despite Dar Tucker's successful heave for three at the end of the game, Villanova was able to emerge with the slim victory.

A win is a win, right? Well I'll take it, but it wasn't pretty. Conceding that it's great Villanova managed to escape with the win, let's look at what went wrong that kept the game so close.

Jay Wright inexplicably continued to keep the Coreys on the pine tonight. Fisher and Stokes combined for just 43 minutes, despite playing very well. By contrast, the hopeless duo of Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark (4 pts on 1-8 shooting) combined for 45 minutes.

With Reggie Redding already in there for defense, does Jay Wright think that giving Anderson and Clark more minutes than the two electric sophomores is a good idea? I sure don't. I think it almost cost us a game against 0-15 DePaul.

And how good was the defense, anyway, allowing such a poor shooting team to score 72 points? And it would have been much more, too, if DePaul had made more of its wide-open threes.

When a team ranked #10 in the nation barely escapes with a 2-point win after trailing for most of the game to a team that has lost 15 consecutive games, something is wrong. And I would argue that something is Jay Wright's ham-handed substitution tactics.

Case in point: The Wildcats scored just 25 points in the first half, a horrible output. The only Villanova player with the slightest offensive pulse in the first period was Fisher, who scored 9 points in limited time.

So does Wright start Fisher to begin the second half? Of course not. In fact, Fisher languished on the bench until the 12-minute mark in the second, when Wright finally brought him off the bench...only to yank him from the game 5 minutes later. Fisher played just eight minutes in the second half. Eight. Was Fisher really 50 percent worse in the second half than the first (16 min)?

It's the same story with Corey Stokes. With Villanova scoring just 25 in the first half, was Dwayne Anderson (0-6 from the three in 29 minutes) really 53 percent better than Stokes (3-7 in 19 minutes)? Of course not. So why did Stokes receive 53 percent less playing time?

Face the facts, Nova Nation. Wright is so ingrained in his ways, stubborn to the core, that he simply refuses to make the in-game adjustments needed to consistently win games against NCAA-caliber opponents.

It's a very frustrating time to be a Villanova fan. On the one hand, you have to be thrilled with winning eight of the last nine games, and being in the driver's seat for a #2 or #3 seed in the NCAA tournament.

On the other hand, you have to be very concerned with some of the warning signs that this team might not last long in the NCAAs. Barely beating Rutgers and DePaul, two of the worst major-conference teams in the country, is one such warning sign. Allowing teams to come back from the dead with shots to win the game (Syracuse, DePaul, among many others) is another bad sign.

But the worst thing of all is simply the lack of trust in the head coach experienced by some fans. Yes, Wright coached his way to a two-point victory over DePaul, underperforming the Pomeroy prediction by a whopping 14 points.

But what happens when his refusal to make in-game adjustments comes into play against a team that isn't a pushover? What happens when his poor handling of end-game timeouts and offense-defense substitutions runs into a team that can take advantage of those opportunities?

It feels like a ticking clock, and Villanova's luck with Wright at the helm is bound to run out at any time.

In NCAA and BET seeding news, it was a good night for Villanova. Marquette lost to UConn, which will enable Villanova to earn a double-bye in the BET with some more Wildcat wins and/or some help from Marquette.

If Villanova goes 3-0, a double-bye is guaranteed for the Wildcats, except in one outlandish instance.

[This statement updated and corrected multiple times; thanks to reader Brian and to Nova Nut for their help on the tiebreakers].

Villanova can go 3-0 and still lose the double-bye if all of the following happens:

1. Nova beats G'town, Notre Dame, and Providence. (going 3-0)
2. Marquette beats Louisville and Syracuse. (going 2-1)
3. Louisville beats SHU and West Virginia. (going 2-0)
4. Pitt beats Marquette, UConn, and SHU. (going 3-0)
5. UConn loses to Notre Dame. (going 0-2)

This scenario would require 11 distinct games to all fall exactly right for Villanova to miss the double-bye while going undefeated. Another way of looking at it is there are eight games Villanova cannot control, and as long as Villanova takes care of business on its end, all eight games would have to go wrong for the 'Cats to play an extra day.

Assuming each of those eight games has a 50-50 chance of going either way (for simplification), the chances that Villanova wins all three remaining games and gets shut out of the double-bye are 1 in 256.

Otherwise, as long as Marquette loses to Pittsburgh, any other combination of Wildcat wins and Marquette losses totaling at least four will clinch the double-bye for Villanova. Any combination of Villanova wins and Marquette losses equaling five or more clinches the double-bye for Villanova regardless of the outcome of Marquette-Pitt.

If Marquette beats Pitt and the number of Marquette losses plus Villanova wins equals four, Marquette gets the better seed. Thanks to the Big East's obscure tiebeaking rules (PDF), in that scenario, Marquette gets the higher seed with equal records, equal-head-to-head, equal wins vs. Pitt, but a win over either Louisville or West Virginia, who both beat Villanova. However, if Marquette beats Pitt and Villanova wins out, that will catapult Villanova ahead of Pitt, so Villanova gets the double-bye anyway.

Clemson also lost tonight, which will let Villanova jump over the Tigers on the NCAA S-curve if the Wildcats keep winning.

Finally, URI upset Dayton tonight on a spectacular buzzer-beater, which improves Villanova's RPI.

Congratulations to an anonymous reader for most closely predicting the game's final score.

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

• Reggie Redding (S, 35 min)

  Redding played another good game tonight. He shot 4-5 to score 9 points, and he led the team in rebounding, with 9. Redding also led the Wildcats with 5 assists. He added 1 steal, 1 block, and 3 turnovers. Redding choked big-time at the end of the game, missing the front end of a crucial one-and-one. Aside from that, It was a well rounded game for Redding, who earned his team-leading 35 minutes tonight. I am not saying Redding should be getting 35 minutes per game; if he gets less in order to get Fisher or Stokes in there more, that is something I'd be for.
  Grade: B+




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 32 min)

  Reynolds struggled for a good portion of the game before really turning it on in the closing minutes to help win the game for the Wildcats. He had one drive and layup that was so spectacular I was surprised it did not make the Sportscenter top plays. He shot 5-11 to score 18 points, but was cold from the three at 1-4. He was very good from the line, shooting 7 of 8. Reynolds pulled in 6 rebounds and grabbed 2 steals. He did not pass the ball well, notching just 1 assist. He had 2 turnovers.
  Grade: B+




• Dante Cunningham (S, 31 min)

  Cunningham led the team in field goal attempts, again, and I guess I can't begrudge him his shots this time, since he put them in at a reasonable rate against DePaul (7-13). Oddly, missing jumpers wasn't a problem tonight; it was several missed layups that hurt his shooting percentage. Cunningham did not do very well on the boards, grabbing just 5 rebounds. He was listed, once again, as a forward in the box score. The best part of Cunningham's game tonight was his 4-4 free throw performance, including two big ones in the endgame. He co-led the team in turnovers, with 3, and added 1 block,
  Grade: B




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 29 min)

  As hot as Anderson was against Syracuse, he was that much colder at DePaul. He shot terribly, inexcusably bad. Anderson was 1-7 from the field and a ridiculous 0-6 from the three. Like I said the past two games, Anderson needs to keep shooting when they're going in, and stop shooting when they're not. After going 0-3 from the three, maybe it's time to focus more on his well regarded hustle game, instead. Is it possible Anderson got a little taste of the glory that comes with leading the team in scoring last time, and got a little carried away? In any event, Anderson should be able to contribute in other ways if the shot is not falling. He did grab 6 rebounds tonight. He also had 2 steals to go with his 1 assist and 1 turnover.
  Grade: D




• Corey Fisher (24 min)

  Is there some secret rule Jay Wright is abiding by that says Corey Fisher can only play 24 minutes? This is the second straight game that Fisher has topped out at 24 minutes, missing a full 40 percent of the game, despite playing at the highest level. Fisher overcame his limited playing time -- did I mention eight minutes in the crucial second half? -- to play a very good game. He shot an excellent 5-8 from the field, including 1-2 from the three. He had 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 turnovers. Two of his assists came on spectacular long passes into the paint. One thing that doesn't show in the box score is the increased energy of Villanova's offense when Fisher is running the show. Get him more time.
  Grade: A-
  
  

• Corey Stokes (19 min)

  Stokes still struggles to see the court as much as the bench, but he is clearly the best shooter the Wildcats have. Against DePaul, Stokes shot 3-7 from the three to score 10 points. He was not able to get much else going in his limited time, notching 0 assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks. He did avoid any turnovers, which was nice. I'd like to see Stokes taking more long-range shots, especially when Anderson is cold.
  Grade: B-




• Shane Clark (S, 16 min)

  Clark was not all that effective in his 16 minutes. Still, I think 16 minutes is more reasonable for his game, so I'm not complaining. He missed his only shot from the field, but was 2-2 from the foul line to score 2 points. He added 2 rebounds, 1 turnover, 0 assists, and 2 steals. The 2 steals were nice for a forward in limited time.
  Grade: C-
  
  

• Antonio Pena (14 min)

  Pena's playing time nearly tripled tonight after he mysteriously saw just 5 minutes against Syracuse. Pena didn't do all that much, but did have one really nice basket on the assist from Fisher that also drew a foul. He shot 1-2 and was 1-1 from the free throw line to score 2 points. He added 3 rebounds and 2 assists, but committed 2 turnovers.
  Grade: C





• Incomplete grades: None.



• Did not play: Frank Tchuisi (CD), Jason Colenda (CD), Russell Wooten (CD), Maurice Sutton (RS).

Villanova completes Syracuse sweep

Villanova 89
Syracuse 86
(box score)

#12 Villanova: 22-5 (10-4 BE)
#24 Syracuse: 19-8 (7-7 BE)


Well, it came down to the wire, but Villanova earned its best road victory of the season with a three-point win at Syracuse.

The Orange, aided by a mini-collapse by Villanova, came back from down seven with half a minute remaining to hoist an open look at what would have been the game-tying three in the closing seconds.

Johnny Flynn's shot, however, found the rim, and Villanova finally came away with a solid victory on the road.

I still don't like Wright's decision to play the Coreys so lightly (24 for Fisher, 13 for Stokes), and his weird offense-defense substitution at the end of the game. Does Wright realize that if he yanks both point guards for a crucial defensive possession, and Syracuse scores anyway, he has to face a press without any ballhandlers? Was his plan to burn timeouts every time? I don't get it.

Wright's offense-defense substituting nearly cost Villanova the game. The Wildcats were up a nearly insurmountable seven points with 36 seconds left. Wright's lack of preparation for the Syracuse press, and his inexplicable reliance on poor ballhandlers and free throw shooters could have been disastrous.

Syracuse pulled to within two points on defense, and ended the game down three on offense, with three looks at the tie. If the game had gone to overtime, the momentum was with the Orange.

Despite the troubling last-minute lapse by the 'Cats, the game was the latest victory in Villanova's hot streak. The Wildcats have won eight of their last nine games and improve to #10 in the nation.

The Big East is loaded at the top end, with a ridiculous five teams in the top ten.

The win keeps Villanova in the driver's seat for a three-seed in the NCAA tournament. Earning a top-three seed would greatly increase the Wildcats' chances of playing their first two rounds in Philadelphia, although it also depends on where other top seeds are slated to play.

As the season draws to a close, we are more and more concerned with bracketology. Looking at the top-ten ranked teams in the AP, Villanova appears to have a decent shot at Philadelphia, but only if the Wildcats are able to win out the rest of their games and remain in the top ten.

One possible scenario for 16 pod captains:

Team	Site
Pittsburgh	Dayton
Connecticut	Philadelphia
Oklahoma	Kansas City
UNC	Greensboro
Memphis	Kansas City
Louisville	Dayton
Duke	Greensboro
Marquette	Minneapolis
Michigan State	Minneapolis
Villanova	Philadelphia
Missouri	Boise
Clemson	Miami
Wake	Miami
Kansas	Boise
Arizona St.	Portland
Gonzaga	Portland

Remember, only two "pod captains" (top seeds) can play in each first-round site. The NCAA tries to keep 1-4 seeds close to home, and tries to make sure that these protected seeds don't play any opponent too close to its home court in the first round. That is why it's unlikely for Villanova to play in Philadelphia unless it is as a top seed.

It would be better for Villanova for Missouri to lose, because if the Tigers earn their way to a Kansas City first round, Memphis might have to go to Greensboro, bumping Duke to Philadelphia or Miami.

A Wake Forest hot streak would also bode ill for Villanova's Philadelphia chances, although the Deacons and the Blue Devils could just swap sites.

Also, keep an eye on a scorching Kansas team, and surging Florida State, both of whom could take up crucial spots in Kansas City and Miami, respectively.

But it's too early to worry about all the possible permutations.

The bottom line is that if Villanova keeps winning, the chances are very good Wildcats fans will get to watch their team in a very familiar Wachovia Center.

Congratulations to reader "Sean Don" for most closely predicting the game's final score.

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

• Dwayne Anderson (S, 36 min)

  Love, love, love Dwayne Anderson's game, especially when the shots are falling. I criticized him last time for going 0-4 from the three, but I am thrilled that he kept shooting when they were going in at Syracuse. Anderson shot a decent 8-14 from the field, including a hot 4-6 from the three to score a team-high 22. He had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, and 1 steal. I like when he is involved in the offense, especially in the running game. Keep it up.
  Grade: A-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 34 min)

  It's an unpopular opinion, but I think Cunningham is hurting the team with all his poor shots. Despite what the announcers say, Cunningham is simply not a good jump-shooter. Yes, he can hit the open 15-footer, but take that out to 17 feet, or put a man on him, and he can't find the bottom of the net. I miss the days when Cunningham's line would read something like 6-8 shooting and 10 rebounds. Nowadays, Sunday's 5-14 is business as usual for Cunningham, who for some reason has assumed a role at the center of the offense. On an unrelated note, the Syracuse game was the first time (at least that I've noticed) that Cunningham was listed in the official box score as a center, not a forward. I don't know what that's all about, because Dante is a textbook college four. Cunningham scored 12 points on his hideous 14 shots. He did well on the boards, leading the team in rebounding with 12. He also passed the ball very well, with 6 assists, and cut down on his recent penchant for turnovers, committing 2. He had 0 blocks and steals. Good all around game for Dante, except with all the bad shots.
  Grade: B-




• Reggie Redding (S, 34 min)

  A monster game for Redding, doing the things he does best -- defense and passing. Six steals! Seven assists! And he shot a judicious 3-5 from the field. He was also 5-6 from the foul line, but he missed the most crucial free throw of the game at the very end, which would have put Villanova up by four instead of three. The offense definitely suffers with him out there sometimes, but with 6 steals and 7 assists, he earned his 34 minutes on both ends of the floor Sunday.
  Grade: B+




• Shane Clark (S, 31 min)

  Clark bounced back from his recent slump with a good game, at least offensively. He shot 6-8 from the field, and pulled in 5 rebounds on the offensive glass, to finish with 15 points and 8 rebounds total. I am still not sold -- at all -- on the defense. Sometimes it's like playing 5 on 4 on defense, with how slow he is to rotate or contest an outside shooter. And I can't remember how many times I've seen Clark just let a penetrator go right past him to the basket. That said, credit where credit is due for a nice hustle game. Clark is at his best with put-backs and follow-ups. I don't like to see him take jump-shots (his two misses were jump-shots that weren't even close), but more power to him on glass cleanup duty.
  Grade: B
  
  

• Corey Fisher (24 min)

  Five minutes more than last time and still 10 minutes too few. It's clear, now, that Fisher is by far Villanova's best player. Would anyone disagree? So why are there always five or more players with more time than him? Even against Syracuse, four players played nine-plus more minutes than Fisher, even though Fisher was the best player on the court. It makes zero sense to me. Against 'Cuse, Fisher continued his hot shooting, going 5-6 from the field, 1-1 from the three, and 5-7 from the foul line. When you shoot 5-6 from the field as a guard, it probably means you should be taking more shots. Fisher finished with 16 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal, and 3 rebounds. Imagine what he could have done with 10 more minutes.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 23 min)

  I don't agree with just 23 minutes for Reynolds, but Wright doesn't like to play Scottie and Fisher together, which is a mistake on his part. Reynolds shot 4-9 to score 10 points, but was cold from the three (1-5) and the line (1-3). He had way too many turnovers (5), including two really disastrous turnovers in the game's final minute. It was a sub-par game from Reynolds, who needs to move to the two guard if this team is going to make any kind of tournament run. You read it here first. Scottie is an All=American talent from the two, but his proficiency at the one is less than desirable.
  Grade: C-




• Corey Stokes (13 min)

  Is it just me, or does Jay Wright often seem to yank out Stokes after any missed shot? (Steeling myself for many profane "it's just you" comments...) Stokes, a rhythm shooter if there ever were one, needs to be left out there to warm up. How can Wright not see this? It would be obvious to the laziest assistant in grammar school intramurals. Just 13 minutes for Stokes after his monster game against RU? I don't get it. Against 'Cuse, Stokes scored just 3 points on 1-4 shooting. He grabbed 3 rebounds, and had 1 block and 2 turnovers.
  Grade: C-




• Antonio Pena (5 min)

  I really don't think Pena is so bad that he has played himself completely out of the rotation. Has Pena regressed this much from when he was starting every game? If so, why has Wright allowed that? Or was Pena never good enough to start? Either way, it's baffling and unusual for a former every-game starter to be seeing so little time.
  Grade: Incomplete





• Incomplete grades: Antonio Pena (5 min), Frank Tchuisi (0+ min).



• Did not play: Jason Colenda (CD), Russell Wooten (CD), Maurice Sutton (RS).

Villanova survives Rutgers scare

Rutgers 72
Villanova 82
(box score)

#13 Villanova: 21-5 (9-4 BE)
Rutgers: 10-16 (1-12 BE)


Villanova avoided what could have been a soul-crushing defeat on Thursday by barely closing out the hapless Rutgers Scarlet Knights in a game that was much closer than many predicted.

Corey Fisher helped save the Wildcats with excellent bursts of play from off the bench, where he inexplicably spent most of his time during the game.

Maybe the Jay-Wright-apologists among our readers here can explain why Wright would -- for the majority of the game -- bench a player who had 14 points on 4-5 shooting, 3 assists, 0 turnovers in his limited and non-contiguous court time. Especially coming off a game in West Virginia where he was just about the only Wildcat to show up. I certainly have no idea.

To me, it seems like the opposite of what a coach would want to do.

Maybe if Wright spent less time worrying about whether his assistants' suits are tailored, and more time studying the game of basketball, Villanova wouldn't have been taken to the brink by a Rutgers team that lost by the same 10 points to a team called "Binghamton." At home, no less.

We'll have to hope GreyCat of Villanova by the Numbers generates some plus-minus data for this game, but I'd wager the numbers were heavily positive when Fisher was on the floor.

To me, giving Reggie Redding 28 minutes, and Shane Clark 23, while the best player on the team was glued to the bench is an insult not only to Fisher, but to Villanova fans watching the game.

The backlash against Wright's decisions is not only coming from my keyboard. Many posts on Rivals' Villanova message board also criticized Wright's playing-time allocations, some far more harshly than in the views expressed here.

Wright's stubborn and illogical coaching didn't cost Villanova the win -- this time. But when the Wildcats can't put away a truly awful Rutgers team in the Pavilion while Wright keeps his hottest player on bench, you know the team in its current incarnation is not ready for the Big East and NCAA tournaments.

Villanova is enjoying an excellent position right now, as the Wildcats are all but a lock for the NCAA tournament and are jockeying for a high seed. I just don't want to see it become all for nothing in March because the Wildcats' best talent is sitting on the bench.

When and how Wright's poor coaching will ultimately end Villanova's season is not yet known -- but trust me, unless something changes radically between now and next month, it surely will.

Congratulations to reader "Mills" for most closely predicting the game's final score.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 33 min)

  Reynolds led the team in scoring again, and along with Fisher and Stokes, totally bailed Villanova out of what could have been a disaster. He shot 5-11 from the field to score 21 points. He was a cold 1-4 from the three, but an outstanding 10-11 from the foul line. Being asked to handle the point for most of the game, he had 6 assists, but also committed 4 turnovers. He added 2 steals. I think Reynolds would be much better off playing the 2, but it's clear he is one of the best players in the Big East regardless.
  Grade: A-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 31 min)

  Seventeen shots is too many for Cunningham, even if he is trying to do his best Curtis Sumpter impression. Dante's game is efficient offense, power rebounding, menacing defense, and running the floor well. If he does play professional basketball, it will be for those reasons. It will not be because he has "developed" an unreliable jump-shot from 17 feet. Cunningham made 5 of the 17 shots, and rounded out his box score with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, 1 steal, and 1 block.
  Grade: C-




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 31 min)

  I am a big fan of Anderson's hustle game, but no way should he ever be shooting 3-11 from the field -- including a disastrous 0-4 from the three. The six rebounds were nice, but he should have been looking to pass a bit more often. In a perfect world, Villanova would start Cunningham, Anderson, Redding, Reynolds, and Fisher, and let opponents try to deal with the Wildcats' speed and scoring.
  Grade: C-




• Reggie Redding (28 min)

  Not Redding's best game. He shot 1-1 from the field, which was nice, but didn't do much of anything on offense. Is Redding's defense that much better than Fisher's, to sacrifice 28 minutes of offense? I don't think so. He added 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 turnover, and 2 steals. The 2 steals were nice, and I still think Redding should be starting. I just don't understand the rotation the way Wright has implemented it.
  Grade: C-




• Shane Clark (S, 23 min)

  Clark was not too much of a liability on the offensive end. He shot 3-5 to score 6 points and was generally quiet and ineffective. He only managed to get 2 rebounds in 23 minutes, or 1 more than Corey Fisher had in 19. He was bad on defense, a step slow and repeatedly in the wrong spot. I just don't see what he did to earn 3 minutes against RU, much less 23. But maybe we shouldn't question Wright's genius: after all, we did win the game.
  Grade: D+
  
  

• Corey Stokes (22 min)

  Stokes was scorching from the field, shooting 6-9 and 5-7 from the three to score 17 points. Why did he only get 22 minutes, when fellow swingmen Shane Clark and Reggie Redding both got more? Another Villanova playing time mystery! The only negative about Stokes's offensive game on Thursday was that he did not reach the foul line. But, man, what a shooting night he had. Stokes also had 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, and 2 steals. Villanova's future success looks very much tied to the Corey and Corey show -- if only they could get off the bench. It's telling that the two players who received "A" grades here managed to combine for just 41 minutes, when it should be more like 70.
  Grade: A





• Corey Fisher (19 min)

  See the main post above. Fisher was dominating in his brief appearance in the Rutgers game. He was unguardable, and the fastest player on the court by a significant margin. He brought explosiveness and unlimited upside to the offense. He handled the ball flawlessly. He was not -- unlike Clark and Redding -- a liability on defense. Fourteen points, 4-5 shooting, 4-4 from the line, 3 assists, 1 rebound, and ZERO turnovers -- what does this add up to? For Wright, it's 19 on-and-off minutes and a well-worn spot on the bench.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Antonio Pena (9 min)

  When I opened my fridge this morning, I saw Pena's face on a milk carton. The headline was "Missing: Have You Seen This Forward?"
  Grade: D+




• Frank Tchuisi (S, 2 min)

  Frank got the start on senior night, which was a nice gesture. I am sure he has worked very diligently in practice during his four years on the team, but it is a shame that Jay Wright could not teach Tchuisi enough not to be a complete disaster on the court after all these years. Tchuisi has size and appears reasonably athletic, so his total basketball incompetence speaks volumes about Wright's teaching skills, or lack thereof. Against Rutgers, Tchuisi committed two fouls in two minutes, and was promptly sent to the bench. Forget incomplete, I've seen enough for a grade.
  Grade: F





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



• Did not play: Maurice Sutton (RS).