Wright will stay at Villanova

Contrary to some foolish reports yesterday, Jay Wright will return to Villanova's sidelines next season, according to an article published this weekend by the Philadelphia Daily News.

Reporter Dana Pennett O'Neil writes that a source told the newspaper Jay Wright would not coach at Kentucky next year and that he is content at Villanova.

Says O'Neil:

The Jay Wright to Kentucky rumors can officially be put to bed. A source told the Daily News on Saturday that the Villanova coach isn’t headed to the Bluegrass State, that Wright already has made it clear that he isn’t interested in the job there and that he is very happy at Villanova.

This should indeed finally put to rest the consistent rumors that Wright and Kentucky were interested in each other, but some fans will not be completely satisfied until Kentucky officially hires a coach.

Luckily for those fans, Kentucky is expected to make a decision quickly to fill its coaching vacancy, as soon as April 5, according to speculators.

Jay Wright signs with Kentucky and 76ers

In a career move sure to send shock waves from Lexington to Philadelphia and beyond, Villanova head coach Jay Wright inked deals this weekend to become the next coach of both the Kentucky Wildcats and the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joint press conferences will be held simultaneously via Webcast from Lexington and Philadelphia on Monday, according to league and university officials.

Villanova resident and Sixers' executive Larry Brown brokered the deal. Widespread speculation about Wright's future with the 76ers arose this winter after Brown had been spotted at several Villanova basketball games.

No one, however, suspected that Brown was secretly recruiting for the Kentucky Wildcats, as well.

Kentucky had originally offered the job to Florida's Billy Donovan, but withdrew the offer when it became clear Wright would indeed accept both positions. Wright is expected to split his time equally between the teams, barring a proposed merger of the two squads under the name "Pennsyltucky."

Wright, who has manned the sidelines at Villanova for the past six seasons, signed a combined 4-year, $32 million contract with Kentucky and Philadelphia. The deal includes a $6 million "loyalty bonus" if Wright stays to the completion of the contract term with both teams.

According to sources, the package also contains a $401,000 annual budgetary provision for fine Italian business suits, diamond-studded buttons and cufflinks, and first-class airfare for trips to Wright's personal tailor in Milan.

Wright led Villanova to a 104-59 record during his tenure on the Main Line, and notched three NCAA Tournament appearances. He also coached the Wildcats to an Elite Eight and a Sweet 16 appearance.

Villanova Athletic Director Vince Nicastro said that the search for a new coach would begin immediately. According to Google News, the top candidates under consideration for the job are former Villanova coach Steve Lappas, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli.

Former Villanova star Jason Fraser is also expected to return to campus for a spot on the coaching staff, in order to teach Villanova's young big men the lost art of the double and (time-permitting) triple pump-fake.

Reporter: Wright rumors untrue

Brett Dawson, a reporter for Louisville's Courier-Journal, posted on his blog yesterday a piece refuting reports that Kentucky has already asked the Villanova athletic department for permission to interview Jay Wright.

Dawson called Philadelphia's Comcast Sports to ask about the rumor. According to Dawson, Comcast denied it ever reported that Kentucky had made formal contact with Villanova.

It now seems that yesterday's Kentucky Sports Radio blog article about Wright and the Kentucky job is incorrect, because it attributes part of the story to Comcast Philadelphia.

Blog: Jay Wright to interview at UK

[Update: Reporter Brett Dawson now writes that KSR's entire report is untrue.]

According to an article on the sports blog and podcast Kentucky Sports Radio, Villanova coach Jay Wright will interview for the University of Kentucky head coaching position within the next few days.

As reported by KSR, Kentucky has asked for and received permission to talk with Wright from the Villanova athletic department. [Update: whether or not this is actually true is the subject of considerable debate right now]

Says KSR:

We have confirmation today that Jay Wright, the handsome dapper coach for the University of Villanova [sic] either was interviewed yesterday by Mitch Barnhart or will be interviewed in the next two days.

Jay Wright is on the short list of candidates for the Kentucky job, although it appears Florida's Billy Donovan remains the first choice.

Donovan is sitting pretty at Florida, though, and would probably turn down any job offer. If that were the case, it would seem that Jay Wright would be one of the favorites to be offered the UK job, along with Tom Crean, John Calipari, and Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie.

Although Wright has repeatedly said he is happy at Villanova, calling it his "dream job," 'Nova fans cannot be happy with this latest news.

Considering the head job at Kentucky is one of most prestigious posts in all of sports, even someone in his "dream job" would have to take a long hard look at Lexington if offered the position.

CBS: Wright's name will come up at UK

CBS Sportline reporter Gary Parrish wrote today that Jay Wright will be among the names considered for the now-vacant head coaching spot at the University of Kentucky.

According to Parrish:

Names that will surface as possible replacements are Florida's Billy Donovan, Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie, Memphis' John Calipari, Marquette's Tom Crean, Villanova's Jay Wright, Ohio State's Thad Matta, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Texas' Rick Barnes and countless others. Also, don't be surprised if the interest of Louisville's Rick Pitino is gauged.

At this point, I think Jay Wright is a real long-shot for this job. Wright is sitting pretty right now at Villanova, with some great recruits coming in. Wright has also said repeatedly that Villanova is his "dream job," and I don't think he is crazy enough to leave a place where he is beloved to enter into the maelstrom that is the head coaching job at UK.

Remember, Tubby Smith won a national championship and went to four Elite Eights and seven Sweet Sixteens in his 10 seasons in Lexington. He also was 10-for-10 in first round NCAA Tournament games. If Smith, an excellent coach, was run out of town with that resume, why would Wright want to put himself in that position of unrealistic expectations?

If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Marquette's Tom Crean being tapped for this job.

Jay Wright talks Tourney in radio spot

On Tuesday, Villanova coach Jay Wright gave his first radio interview since losing in the NCAA Tournament's first round against Kentucky this weekend. Wright appeared as a guest of the the 700 Level Sports Fanatics program on Philadelphia SportsTalk 950 AM.

The entire 16-minute interview is available for download as an MP3.

Wright discussed his experience in the NCAA Tournament on the show, including why he feels Kentucky defeated Villanova on Friday. Wright also gave his Final Four picks (Kansas, Florida, OSU, and Georgetown), and admitted that he can't really relax and move on until after the entire tournament ends.

Wright revealed that his ideal end-of-game strategy when leading by three and defending with fewer than 10 seconds left is to foul, but he admitted that he doesn't always have the "guts" to follow through with that tactic in a real game situation. Ohio State's win in overtime in the second round of the tournament over Xavier after trailing by three with the ball at the end of regulation added fresh fuel to the fire of that ever-controverisal issue earlier this week.

Coach Wright also responded to the rumors regarding the freshman star Scottie Reynolds and his NBA prospects this spring. As previously reported, Wright said that he had not talked to Reynolds at all about his pro prospects, but that he will meet with Scottie individually later this week.

When asked about who will be the team's leaders next year, Wright said that rising juniors Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, along with Reynolds, will provide leadership to the very young team in 2007-08. Villanova adds five new players next season, three true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen, and will have no seniors on an inexperienced albeit talented roster.

Kentucky ends 'Nova's season

Villanova 58
Kentucky 67

• box score


• KenPom's "HD box score"

Villanova: 21-11 (22-11, 9-7 BE, 4-0 B5)
Kentucky: 21-11 (22-11, 9-7 SEC)

Villanova's season came to an end tonight with a loss to the #8 seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Chicago.

In a game where Villanova could not seem to find any other option on offense, Villanova freshman Scottie Reynolds scored 23 points.

The main problem for Villanova tonight was shooting: the team shot a dismal 18-55, clocking in at 32.7 percent for the game. Second half shooting was even worse, 8-28 and 28.6 percent.

The one silver lining of this loss for Villanova is that Kentucky's win should save coach Tubby Smith's job, thus snuffing out any Jay-Wright-to-Lexington rumors that were sure to crop up this spring if Villanova had advanced.

On to the player grades. I will not be grading the four seniors tonight, as I wish to simply thank them for their service to the program.

As always, click "READ MORE" below for player performance grades and analysis.

Seniors:


• Curtis Sumpter (S, 38 min)


• Will Sheridan (S, 30 min)


• Mike Nardi (25 min)


• Ross Condon (DNP--CD)


Thank you, seniors.


• Scottie Reynolds (S, 33 min)

  Aside from Sumpter, Reynolds was the only scoring option for Villanova. Kentucky coach Tubby Smith had five days to prepare for Villanova's Scottie-reliant offense, and Smith did a good job of denying Reynolds any open space in which to maneuver. Even as the focus of Kentucky's unrelenting defensive efforts, Reynolds managed to lead all scorers with 23. He shot 6-18 from the field, including 3-8 from three-point range. His 8-12 performance from the line included 4 uncharacteristic misses. It may be unrealistic, but when Reynolds is at the line, you expect them all to go in. Scottie had 3 turnovers, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. All in all, it was a valiant effort, but Reynolds simply did not have enough help this year on offense to take the team deep into the tournament. If Reynolds decides to return to Villanova next year, you can be sure the addition of the five freshmen will give Reynolds a lot more options on the offensive end of the court.
  Grade: A-





• Dante Cunningham (S, 28 min)

  Cunningham was not much of a factor tonight, which is a shame because Villanova sorely needed an interior scoring presence. Dante shot 1-5 from the field and never went up strong to the rim. He scored 4 points and was 2-2 from the line. Cunningham grabbed 3 rebounds, committed 2 turnovers, and had 2 steals.
  Grade: C-




• Reggie Redding (S, 20 min)

  Redding's ballhandling, passing, and defense were all solid tonight, but he was anemic on the offensive end. Redding shot 0-2 from the field, scoring no points, and passed up several open looks. He needs to build some shooting confidence this off-season if he hopes to see any time amongst Villanova's suddenly crowded backcourt. Redding led the team in assists tonight with 3, and added 2 rebounds. He did not turn the ball over. It was an excellent night for Reynolds in all aspects of the game except scoring.
  Grade: C+




• Shane Clark (22 min)

  Clark remained hobbled by injury and was fairly ineffective on both ends of the floor. He scored 2 points on 1-3 shooting. Clark collected 4 rebounds, and had 1 each of assists, turnovers, and steals.
  Grade:C-





• Incomplete grades:
  Caseim Drummond (4 min).



• Did not play:
  Bilal Benn (CD), Dwayne Anderson (CD), Frank Tchuisi (CD), Andrew Ott (RS), Antonio Pena (RS).

Nardi said good to go for tonight

According to Shannon Ryan of the Phildelphia Inquirer, Villanova coach Jay Wright said his starting guard Mike Nardi is almost completely healthy and will be a major factor in tonight's first-round NCAA game against #8 Kentucky.

Wright was confident that Nardi's 2-week-long struggle with a left-ankle sprain and a calf-muscle strain will no longer trouble the senior guard:

I think he is close to 100 percent. He practiced and looked very good. We look at it like we got our guy back.

Wright also said that Nardi's return allows freshman guard Reggie Redding to add crucial depth in the backcourt for the grueling tournament run.

TV coverage for tonight

Villanova's 9:30 p.m. game against Kentucky will be the primary game for 49 percent of the nation tonight, according to CBS. Check the broadcast map (below) to see whether your CBS affiliate will be going with the game.

Shaded in striped green, Eastern PA, Delaware, South Jersey, and Kentucky all get "constant" coverage, meaning the game will be shown the entire time no matter how close it is.

Most in the Northeast and Midwest will receive the 'Nova-Kentucky match-up as their primary game, but will be subject to cut-ins to other regional sites as in-game situations warrant.

Of course, viewers with DirecTV's NCAA basketball package will be able to choose which game of the four to watch. For cable and over-the-air viewers outside CBS's constant-coverage zones, a trek to a friend's house or a sports bar may be the best bet to ensure an uninterrupted Wildcats vs. Wildcats feed.

As a last resort, the Villanova game will be available for free as an online stream from CBS. If there are any problems with local "blackouts" on that site, try changing your zip code in the URL.

Click on the map below for a larger version.

Jay Wright on Jody Mac

Villanova coach Jay Wright appeared on the Jody Mac show last night on the WPEN radio network. Wright and Mac discussed Villanova basketball and the NCAA Tournament in the 13-minute interview.

The full interview is available as an MP3 to listen or to download.

Coach Wright shared his thoughts on the injury status of Mike Nardi, the game-plan against Kentucky, and his general approach to the NCAA Tournament.

Wright said he remains hopeful on Nardi's status and was confident he would be "good to go" on Friday. He also repeated his much-invoked mantra of treating the NCAA Tournament as a series of two-game mini-tournaments, to be approached one at a time.

Nardi suffers injury setback

Villanova guard Mike Nardi was forced to leave practice on Tuesday after re-injuring his sprained left ankle, according to the Associated Press.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said Nardi tweaked his hurt ankle in practice Monday. Though Nardi said he felt better at the start of Tuesday's practice, he was quickly forced to take the sideline.

It is unclear if Nardi will participate in practice on Wednesday. The senior from Linden, N.J, is also suffering from a strained left calf muscle.

"It's not drastic," said Wright, "but it's not where we want it to be."

Nardi is still expected to be available to play in Villanova's first round NCAA game against Kentucky in Chicago on Friday night, but it is doubtful he will be at his peak effectiveness.

Villanova is not the only Big East team struggling with injuries before the start of the tournament. Marquette's Jerel McNeal is definitely out for the first weekend of the tournament with an injured thumb on his shooting hand. The speedy sophomore guard is arguably the Golden Eagles' best player.

KenPom runs numbers on West bracket

Ken Pomeroy, the statistical oracle of college basketball, has published his much-vaunted "Log5" analysis on Villanova's West bracket of the NCAA Tournament.

The Log5 method is simply the application of a statistical formula to every possible NCAA tournament game for a given team.

The basic formula:

 
             A - A * B
  WPct = -----------------
         A + B - 2 * A * B

where "A" is team A's winning percentage and "B" is team B's winning percentage.

Pomeroy's analysis confirms the conventional wisdom about the top-side of the bracket. Namely, that the first pod, with Kansas, Villanova, and Kentucky, is quite strong, whereas the next pod, featuring Virginia Tech, Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Holy Cross, is extremely weak.

According to Ken, "The Jayhawks have the worst chance of all the No. 1’s to get to the Sweet 16, but the 2nd best to win the championship." I would agree with that.

Below are the numbers for the full bracket. Note that Villanova has the seventh-best chance of the 16-team region to advance to the Final Four.

                 2nd Rd  Sweet16   Elite8   Final4   
1   Kansas       99.19%   78.52%   66.68%   48.48%   
2   UCLA         98.08%   67.22%   38.23%   16.59%    
6   Duke         86.21%   51.88%   27.54%   11.37%    
3   Pittsburgh   89.71%   43.85%   20.50%    7.35%   
7   Indiana      71.17%   26.83%   11.68%    3.76%    
8   Kentucky     50.09%   10.76%    6.46%    2.69%   
9   Villanova    49.91%   10.69%    6.41%    2.67%
12  Illinois     50.70%   30.03%    6.59%    2.29%    
5   Va. Tech     49.30%   28.88%    6.21%    2.12%    
4   S. Illinois  82.89%   38.49%    7.52%    2.36%    
10  Gonzaga      28.83%    5.86%    1.43%    0.25%    
11  VCU          13.79%    3.05%    0.49%    0.06%    
13  Holy Cross   17.11%    2.60%    0.13%    0.01%    
14  Wright St.   10.29%    1.22%    0.12%    0.01%    
15  Weber St.     1.92%    0.09%    0.00%    0.00%    
16  Play-In       0.81%    0.02%    0.00%    0.00%   

According to the Log5 numbers, the Villanova-Kentucky game is extremely close. Kentucky is favored by 18 one-hundreths of a percentage point. As KenPom himself says:

Villanova has been playing better over the past month, while Kentucky’s defense has continued to regress. But Kentucky’s schedule has been the toughest in the land. The health of Mike Nardi could be crucial in deciding this one.

The Log5 also says that Villanova has only a 0.27 percent chance to win the National Championship. Hey, that's only 369.37-to-1. For comparison, Kansas's odds, according to the Log5, are 4.29-to-1. Florida's Log5 odds for a national title are significantly worse at 8.22-to-1.

In reality, I would put Villanova's odds at slightly better than 370-to-1. If the team gets rolling and can get to the Sweet 16, the draw is very favorable. Bodog is taking bets on 'Nova to win it all at 70-1, and perhaps double that would be the fair odds.

Wildcats vs. Wildcats

Kudos to "lowballj" for posting this amusing and appropriate Simpsons clip. Enjoy.

Most pick 'Nova over Kentucky

All signs point to the American public favoring Villanova over Kentucky in Friday's 8 vs.9-seed, first-round match-up.

Sports fans selected Villanova over Kentucky in both the CBS SportsLine National Bracket and the ESPN Tournament Challenge National Bracket. At the time of this writing, 60.2 percent of sports fans filling out ESPN brackets chose Villanova in the game.

If those percentages are accurate, it means Kentucky has less of a chance to win this game than a craps shooter has to make a point of 5 or 9. And we all know how difficult that is.

CBS Sportsline does not release the percentages associated with its national bracket. CBS did post the brackets of its panel of seven experts. Six of the seven experts chose Villanova to advance. The lone dissenter? Former Villanova head coach Steve Lappas. Take what you will from that.

Finally, the Las Vegas and offshore sportsbooks weigh in on the subject, installing Villanova as the 1-point favorite over the higher-seeded Kentucky at the time of this writing.

Nardi hurting but hopeful

The Associated Press pens a long piece about the status of Mike Nardi today.

According to the report, Nardi is still in a lot of pain, but is optimistic about playing in the NCAA Tournament. The senior guard had missed most of Villanova's two games in the Big East Tournament last week in New York.

The story begins somewhat dramatically:

Mike Nardi plays with a brace on one ankle, tape on the other, at less than full speed, and unable to make cuts. In the Big East tournament, he was in agony.

Other than that, Nardi is fine.

After missing practice on Sunday, Nardi underwent a bone scan for his injured left ankle on Monday morning. No further damage was revealed, but the ankle is still sprained. He also still has a strained left calf muscle.

Nardi was able to practice today. Coach Jay Wright and Nardi both remain hopeful Mike will be ready to go against Kentucky on Friday. Villanova was given the latest possible game in round one, which gives Nardi as much time as possible to heal.

According to Nardi:

I think I've rested it enough. I can't change the way it feels. [...] I want to have an impact on this team and hopefully we can do some damage.

Villanova's first-round NCAA game against #8 Kentucky tips off at 9:40 p.m. Villanova time on Friday night.

'Nova-UK will be Chicago nightcap

After six tense hours of mystery and debate, we finally have the approximate tip time for Villanova's first-round NCAA game against Kentucky on Friday at Chicago's United Center.

According to the official Kentucky athletics Web site, Villanova and Kentucky will be the second game of the second session, scheduled for 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Kansas game. Kansas's game against the play-in winner starts at 6:10 p.m. local time. This should place our game at around 8:40 p.m. local time, or 9:40 p.m. Villanova time.

UK Athletics has the full bracket with start times available as a PDF file.

Update: The official NCAA scoreboard now lists all the start times, and slates the Villanova-Kentucky game for 9:30 p.m. Eastern.