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).

"Nova Notebook" gives offseason insight

The Villanova media relations czar Mike Sheridan is back this offseason with his much-loved public relations column, Nova Notebook.

Nova Notebook gives Villanova fans an insider's view of the program, typically profiling a selected player with behind-the-scenes stories and quotes.

So far this spring, the column has offered features on Scottie Reynolds, Corey Stokes, the new Wildcat Taylor King, and the former guard Mike Nardi.

Sheridan is a very good writer and skillfully captures the essence of "Villanova basketball." Although his office has steadfastly refused to grant this Web site a press pass for each of the last two seasons, we maintain hope that 2008-2009 will finally be the year LetsGoNova.com makes it into press row.

The Nova Notebook column is published periodically in the summer, but assumes a weekly schedule in the fall as the run-up to the basketball season grows shorter.

The first Nova Notebook column ever was published on August 30, 2002, and chronicled the former Villanova guard Gary Buchanan's trip to Michael Jordan's basketball camp.

'Nova news roundup

Links and loose ends found across the Web and on campus.

Villanova managed to finish the 2007-2008 season with a #24 ranking on the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. This has to be considered a success for Coach Wright and his players, who grinded through a five-game losing streak en route to making the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in four years.

With the beautiful weather across the Philadelphia region, students were out in full force enjoying the sun the past two days at Villanova. Reports from West Campus indicate that several Villanova basketball players played a pickup game Thursday with some of their classmates. Apparently spotted at the game were Coach Wright and what looked like 2009 recruit Dominic Cheek.  The Duke transfer Taylor King was also seen touring the campus with Wright on Friday. Here is hoping the weather does nothing but sway these players to come to 'Nova.

Scottie Reynolds and Dante Cunningham will be honored by the Big Five at a dinner reception celebrating their selection to the 2008 All-Big Five teams. Reynolds made the first team and Cunningham was chosen for the second team.

Finally, nothing new to report on Malcolm Grant, who is still weighing transfer options.

Reynolds is Big East player of week

Villanova's Scottie Reynolds earned Big East player of the week honors today, the conference announced in a press release.

Reynolds averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in a pair of Villanova wins over DePaul and Syracuse last week.

Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell was selected as the conference rookie of the week. Hazell led all Big East scorers last week with 25.5 points per game in the Pirates' two wins over Louisville and South Florida.

Crowds roar at Hoops Mania (full recap)

CNN.com-style "story highlights":

• Hoops Mania now extremely popular.


• Video messages from Vitale, ex-VU-stars thrill crowd.


• Men's basketball team performs dance numbers.


• Million-dollar prize nigh impossible to win.


• Blue-White scrimmage a serious affair; full-contact hits and tenacious defense.


• Corey Fisher: Kyle Lowry with a better shot?


• Rapper "Mims" explains why he is hot.


• Bill Raftery: "I regret nothing" about 2005 UNC-game broadcast (A-Ray travel call).

The annual "Hoops Mania" pep rally for Villanova basketball has come a long way in just a few years. Though five years ago it was a modest affair in the Jake Nevin Field House, the event now regularly fills the 6,500-seat Pavilion.

This year's revival of the growing tradition did not disappoint; the packed house was treated to a cavalcade of celebrity guests, dramatic highlight reels, and valuable prize giveaways, all before the main event: the Blue vs. White intra-squad scrimmage.

Anticipating something special after last year's surprise performance by the rapper 50-Cent, students lined up in steady rain three hours before the scheduled 7:30 p.m. start time. By the time doors opened at 6:30, the line had stretched from the Pavilion's entrance at the nadir of Ithan Avenue all the way up the hill, nearly to the Lancaster Avenue intersection.

When doors opened, the student-section in the South stands quickly spilled over with enthusiastic fans, and students streamed into the East and West chair-back seats. The North stands were closed, replaced by a giant projection video screen.

Several Villanova recruits were in attendance. I saw Dexter Strickland sitting a few rows behind me, and there were rumors that mega-recruit Tyreke Evans was also in the building.

Festivities got underway with a three-point contest between two teams each made up of one men's basketball player and one women's player. In the contest, Shane Clark shot 5 of 13, and Dwayne Anderson was 6 of 14 from behind the arc.

Following the three-point contest was a long, detailed video message from Dick Vitale played on the giant video screen. An amazing highlight reel was also shown, splicing scenes from the previous season with Rocky-like montage shots of the Wildcats working out. The entire video was set to Kanye West's "Stronger," which was played at four different points in the evening, incidentally.

The video also featured cameo messages by various Villanova athletics celebrities, including Kyle Lowry, Randy Foye, Ed Pinckney, and Brian Westbrook.

Next came the official introduction of the the team. By my ear, the loudest cheers were for Scottie Reynolds and Jay Wright, but each player received an enthusiastic ovation. The players made their way down the South stands and into a line near center-court.

Once the entire team had been introduced, the sound system started laying down some funky beats, and the entire basketball team began rhythmically gyrating in a manner reminiscent of the performance by the Villanova Dance Team just minutes earlier.

The team's performance, which lasted several songs, was one of the more disturbing things I've ever seen; perhaps befitting a night that would end for many with Halloween parties was the eerily frightening image of Andrew Ott shaking his pelvis suggestively in time with song.

Nevertheless, the dance performance was a hit with the students, and the proper dance team soon joined the players for the final song.

Throughout the event, many prizes were given away in various familiar "timeout contests," such as Villanova's takes on the Price is Right and Let's Make a Deal. One student won a guaranteed seat at every home game this year; another won tickets to the Eagles-Cowboys football showdown next week at Lincoln Financial Field.

The biggest prize of the night, however, was $1 million cash. The randomly selected student had to perform a feat that I would wager no one in the arena that night could come close to achieving: to win the million dollars, he had to make 5 three-point baskets in under 25 seconds, including at least 1 three pointer from each baseline and 1 at the top of the key. Furthermore, only ten shots could be attempted in total.

My quick analysis told me that this was basically an impossible contest. Earlier in the night, sharpshooters Dwayne Anderson and Shane Clark made just 6 and 5 three-pointers, respectively, in more than twice the allotted time (60 seconds) and in more than the limit of 10 shots. What chance did this poor student have to thoroughly outperform Division-One athletes? Indeed, I would have only given Scottie Reynolds, perhaps the best three-point shooter in the Big East, a 1 in 20 chance of successfully completing the challenge.

Needless to say, the student failed to win the million, and in fact did not make a single three-point shot in the 25 seconds, as was to be expected. I must say that contest's rules seemed a little unfair to me considering how heavily the million-dollar contest had been promoted prior to the event. To be fair, the contestant was awarded an iPod Touch for his troubles.

Finally, it was time for the main event. But before the Blue-White scrimmage got underway, Jay Wright introduced the many "coaches" for the Blue and White teams, including the former Villanova forward Marcus "Big Dawg" Austin, the Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, and the National League MVP candidate Jimmy Rollins. The loudest cheers of the entire night, however, were reserved for Curtis Sumpter, who returned to the Pavilion to coach in the scrimmage.

For the scrimmage, the team was divided into two factions of roughly equal strength.

The White team featured guards Corey Fisher and Reggie Redding, forwards Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham, and center Casiem Drummond. A new walk-on by the name of "Russell" wore the #44 jersey for the White team as well, but he has not yet been added to the official Villanova roster Web page.

The Blue team included guards Scottie Reynolds, Malcolm Grant, Jason Colenda and Corey Stokes; and forwards Shane Clark, Antonio Pena and Andrew Ott. Junior forward Frank Tchuisi was out with an arm injury.

Though past scrimmages at Hoops Mania have been alley-oop-fueled jam fests with defense taking a back seat, that was not the case at the Pavilion Friday. The two sides played a serious brand of basketball despite the four 4-minute quarters with a running clock.

Tough defense was played, and a few hard fouls were committed. The White team jumped out to an early lead and never relented, winning by a final score of 28-19.

Several players performed well in the scrimmage, including Dante Cunningham, who looked like a monster in the paint, and Scottie Reynolds, who was the clear leader on the court. Reggie Redding showed some improvement in his offensive game, and Dwayne Anderson impressed the fans and announcers Bill Raftery and Jay Wright with his domination of the glass.

By far the most impressive show, however, was put on by the freshman Corey Fisher, who looked like he was playing at a different speed than everyone else. Fisher drained a pair of threes and dished out several pretty assists. He demonstrated a ridiculous handle, and played lock-down defense on fellow freshman PG Malcolm Grant, who struggled.

Though he was running circles around his teammates, Fisher was also in perfect control for much of the scrimmage. On one broken play with the shot-clock winding down, Fisher rescued a loose ball directed to his general direction, quickly drove to the rack, and dished off to Dante Cunningham for a slam that brought down the house.

Fisher's all-out hustle and ridiculously quick first step immediately reminded me of Kyle Lowry. The one major difference between the two at this stage of development may be the jump shot: Fisher is a significantly better shooter than Lowry, who I consider to be the most talented guard in Villanova history. Whether Fisher's game will live up to Lowry's lofty standards remains to be seen, but it certainly is off to a good start.

After the Blue-White scrimmage, which left several players drenched in sweat, Jay Wright introduced the special musical guest for the evening, the New-York-born rapper Shawn Mims.

Mims performed a few songs, including his #1 hit "This is Why I'm Hot," much to the delight of the now-raucous crowd. Full video of Mims's 7-minute performance is available on YouTube.

Mims's dramatic exit to the Northeast corner of the Pavilion signaled the end of Hoops Mania.

As I made my way out of the East seats, I noticed that the commentator Bill Raftery was standing a few feet away. I said hello to Raftery, then jokingly asked him if he now regrets his on-air defense of Allan Ray's dubious traveling violation during the waning moments of the CBS broadcast of the 2005 Sweet-Sixteen NCAA Tournament game against the eventual champion UNC.

"I regret nothing," said Raftery. "But what a night to bring it up," he added, referring to the ongoing Villanova love-fest at the Pavilion.

Reynolds nets 33 as 'Cats beat Carleton alumni

In what has become a familiar theme these past 10 months, Scottie Reynolds put his team on his back and carried Villanova to a win last night.

Reynolds, the sophomore guard from Herdon, Va., scored 33 points, and the Wildcats dismissed a motley assortment of Carleton basketball alumni in the Ravens' Nest, 77-62.

Most of the all-star opponents have played professionally in Europe or Australia, and the game was arguably the Wildcats' toughest of the weekend. The win improved Villanova to a perfect 4-0 on the Canadian exhibition tour, and the Wildcats returned to campus after the game.

Reynolds started the game scorchingly hot, as usual, from behind the three-point line, sinking 5 of his first 6 attempts. Despite the fast start from downtown, Reynolds's scoring was consistent throughout the game, with 17 points in the first half and 16 in the second.

The freshman guard Corey Stokes scored 12 points in 25 minutes to round out an excellent debut weekend. Fellow freshman Corey Fisher added 7 points and a team-high 5 assists, which is an excellent sign for the upcoming season.

Dante Cunningham, the junior forward, scored 10 points before fouling out.

The starting lineup for the game was Cunningham, Shane Clark, Andrew Ott, Reggie Redding, and Reynolds.

After the game, Jay Wright praised Reynolds's ability to score outside of handling point guard duties:

Scottie did a great job. I knew he was good off the ball but I thought he was terrific working with Corey Fisher and Malcolm Grant today.

'Cats open season tonight in Canadian tour

Villanova basketball officially kicks off tonight in Ottawa, of all places, at Carleton University.

The Wildcats will take on the host Carleton Ravens tonight at 7 p.m. in an exhibition game.

Yes, I had to look up Carleton's mascot on Wikipedia.

Tonight's game is the first of four exhibitions scheduled this weekend for Villanova. The 'Cats will face Queen's University (Ontario) tomorrow at noon in Carleton's gym, before heading across town that same day to play the University of Ottawa on its home court at 7 p.m Sunday.

The Canadian tour concludes Monday at noon back at Carleton, where Villanova will be matched up with a ragtag all-star team of the best players alumni from Carleton and the University of Ottawa.

The Canadian exhibitions also mark the debuts of Corey Fisher, Corey Stokes, and Malcolm Grant, the three highly touted freshman guards.

The Philadelphia Daily News runs a nice feature on the two Coreys, and Villanova released a press piece about Malcolm Grant.

Tonight's game will also be the first look at redshirt freshman forward Antonio Pena.

Far be it from me to make predictions, but Villanova should win all four games without breaking a sweat. There is simply no way any collegiate team north of the border will be able to handle Villanova's backcourt, which should be one of the best in the United States this season.

One of the things to look for in the four exhibitions is the backcourt interaction between the three freshmen and returning sophomore Scottie Reynolds, who is unquestionably the team's best scorer. Reynolds should move over to the two guard this year after handling point duties last season.

A video feed for the games is not available, which is a shame for a school with as large a basketball following as Villanova. It does not look like there will be audio for the games, either.

Box scores should be posted on the Villanova Web site at some point after the games. As always, check back here for more information as it becomes available.

Tyreke sets a date

Tyreke Evans has set a date for his much-awaited decision on where to attend college next fall.

Evans, the highly-recruited superstar guard, will announce his decision on Monday, November 12.

It's my understanding that the story first broke on the Villanova Rivals site; unfortunately I cannot link there, since the site follows the archaic model of forcing people to pay for news and information.

Luckily, Card Chronicle also runs the story, and doesn't want your credit card number.

Tyreke's leaders remain Villanova and Lousiville, with Memphis on the outside looking in. Texas and Connecticut are, at this point, extremely remote possibilities.

Tyreke's comments come one day after an excellent Sports Illustrated article devoted to his summer resurgence back to the ranks of a program-changing, elite talent.

SI's Kevin Armstrong reveals the fascinating fact that Tyreke has been hanging around Villanova, playing pickup basketball with some of 'Nova's best players off campus:

[Tyreke] is back in Pennsylvania, playing pick-up games at Villanova's off-campus practice gym against former Wildcats like Mike Nardi and Kyle Lowry as well as current guard Scottie Reynolds

Anyone else dying to see Reynolds hooping it up with Tyreke? Increasingly, it looks like we will have that chance.

If I were forced to assign odds at this very moment about Tyreke's eventual destination, this is my best guess:

Villanova: 50%
Louisville: 40%
Memphis: 5%
Everywhere else: 5%


More information should trickle in the rest of the summer, but it looks like Wildcats fans will have to wait till November before any official word is given.

It's official: Reynolds returns

Villanova University issued a press release today confirming that star freshman guard Scottie Reynolds will indeed return for his sophomore year.

Though this announcement was widely expected this week, the official word from the university should finally put to rest the last of speculation and worry on the Main Line.

Coach Jay Wright praised Reynolds in his official statement:

Scottie is a very mature and intelligent young man. He has high aspirations for his career as a basketball player as well as a deep regard for his academic career. He considered both of these factors and came to a decision that we're all proud of.

Reynolds will join a talented incoming class of three true freshmen and two red-shirt rookies next season as the Wildcats look to make another run at the NCAA Tournament.

PDN: Reynolds will stay

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's star freshman point guard, will return to the Main Line for his sophomore season, according to an article today in the Philadelphia Daily News.

Reynolds averaged 14.8 points and 4.0 assists per game in a stellar freshman campaign that earned him Big East Rookie of the Year honors.

Reynolds also gained national attention after being named national player of the week two times this season by ESPN analyst Andy Katz.

The Associated Press reported yesterday that Scottie had not yet considered making the jump to the pros, but that was before today's meeting with Jay Wright.

According to the PDN article:

The freshman and his coach, Jay Wright, met today but the meeting only reaffirmed Reynolds' gut feeling, namely that he should return for his sophomore season.

The article also says that Villanova will formally announce Reynolds's decision to stay tomorrow.

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.

Reynolds: Right now, I'm coming back

Villanova fans received some excellent news this morning in the form of a Sporting News article about star freshman guard Scottie Reynolds.

In the article, Reynolds is quoted saying he has not even considered making the early jump to the NBA yet. Scottie also says he never talked about the NBA with his family or with Villanova coach Jay Wright.

Says Scottie:

Right now, I'm coming back. I'm not even thinking about it. Of course there are the questions, but right now I'm not thinking about it. I'm ready to take on a new challenge for next year.

While Reynolds could choose to go pro at any time, this statement really lowers the odds that Scottie will forgo his remaining college eligibility this spring.

The article also reveals that Villanova senior Curtis Sumpter will undergo medical testing to determine how reliable his knees are before the NBA Draft, and that senior Mike Nardi has applied for dual citizenship in Italy to play professionally there next year.

Best and worst cases for 'Nova

ESPN's Pat Forde is by far my favorite college hoops scribe, so it's only appropriate today to highlight what he has to say about Villanova in his 64-team wildest dreams and worst nightmare guide.

According to Forde, here is the best-case scenario for Nova:

Curtis Sumpter and Scottie Reynolds carry the Wildcats to an unlikely second consecutive regional final, upsetting Kentucky, Kansas and Southern Illinois along the way. Jay Wright outdresses every coach in his path, smiles graciously at all times, and between games helps old ladies across the street outside the arena. Back home in Philly, Phil Martelli remains bald.

Hey, I'd take an Elite Eight. It's also good to see Jay Wright finally getting some attention for his meticulously selected wardrobe.

The worst nightmare:

Wright loses a button on his pinstripe sport coat, gets several hairs out of place and earns a technical as his Wildcats shoot 29 percent and melt down against Kentucky. Reynolds scores 30 in a losing effort and proceeds directly to the pros.

Joking aside, poor shooting is always a legitimate concern for this streaky Villanova team. Reynolds turning pro after a fantastic NCAA showing is another real threat. Let me be the first to say it: Stay, Scottie, stay. Great things are coming next year.

Those two issues are where the concerns end, though. There is no way on Earth that Jay Wright loses a button or messes up his hair.

Reynolds is Big East Rookie of the Year

As was widely expected, Villanova freshman Scottie Reynolds won the Big East Conference Rookie of the Year award tonight in New York.

Reynolds was selected by the league's head coaches for the honor. The Rookie of the Year award was part of a series of annual Big East Conference awards also announced tonight.

Georgetown's Jeff Green won the Player of the Year award, and Mike Brey of Notre Dame was Coach of the Year.

Reynolds averaged 18.4 points per game in conference play, second in the league. His 40 points in Villanova's win at Connecticut were the most points scored by any player in a Big East game this season. Reynolds also averaged 4.1 assists per game in conference play.

Reynolds again Katz's national player of week

ESPN's Andy Katz has named Villanova's fabulous freshman Scottie Reynolds his national player of the week for the second time this year. Reynolds led Villanova in scoring in each of its two wins last week, notching 40 and 22 points against Connecticut and Syracuse respectively.

Reynolds also earned Big East player of the weekhonors for his performance.

Katz praises Reynolds and says he could be instrumental in the Wildcats' post-season hopes:

Reynolds remains the best pickup in years for a coach after another coach moved to a new program. If Reynolds keeps this up, he could find a way to help Villanova make a deep run in the Big East tourney.

Sumpter, Reynolds win All-Big-East honors

Villanova's Curtis Sumpter was named a member of the All-Big-East first team, and freshman Scottie Reynolds earned second-team all-conference honors in the annual end-of-season awards selected by the league's head coaches.

The full rosters are available on the Big East Web site.

Reynolds also was selected as a member of the Big East All-Rookie Team. Along with Connecticut's Jerome Dyson and Seton Hall's Eugene Harvey, Reynolds was one of just three unanimous selections to the 11-member rookie team.

Villanova senior Mike Nardi earned an All-Big-East Honorable Mention nod.

Conference player of the year and rookie of the year awards are expected to be announced tomorrow.

Reynolds wins BE Rookie of the Week. Again.

Villanova's sensational freshman point guard Scottie Reynolds has won the Big East Conference Rookie of the Week accolade for a third time this season.

The Big East press release points out that Reynolds averaged 31.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.5 boards, and 3.0 steals in last week's victories over Connecticut and Syracuse.

The Big East also noted that Reynolds has now improved his in-conference scoring average to 18.4, second in the league.

Villanova fans can bet the farm that Reynolds will win the Big East Rookie of the Year award this week. Reynolds also has a chance to make the all-conference team. Stay tuned.

ESPN: Reynolds a "Hiro"

O.K., I thought ESPN was a sister network of ABC, not NBC. I'm not sure how happy the corporate masters are over at Disney, but ESPN's Andy Glockner is obviously a huge fan of "Heroes," the breakout NBC drama.

Glockner devotes his entire "Drive to 65" bubble-watch column today to Villanova's own Scottie Reynolds, drawing parallels between Reynold's game last night with the supernatural abilities of the Heroes cast.

According to Glockner, Reynolds used his "special powers" to save Villanova's season. He is right. Reynolds's performance last night was fairly superhuman.

Glockner goes on with his metaphor:

[S]hould we start calling Villanova's Scottie Reynolds "Silar," after the evil character in "Heroes" who kills people and takes their powers? Reynolds certainly was Villanova's hero Wednesday night. He killed UConn from behind the arc, showing his newfound ability to go thermonuclear with a 40-point explosion in a four-point win greatly enhanced Nova's at-large hopes. Reynolds has been anything but invisible down the stretch, having poured in 90 points in his last three games. [...]

Right about now, Oklahoma fans probably are hoping that Reynolds can come and erase their memory. [...]

Glockner didn't move Villanova to the "lock" column yet, as I would have. But he did place the 'Cats and upcoming opponent Syracuse into the "should be in" category, which really should be re-titled "all but in" this late in the season.

One more thing to note. Glockner closes his column with what I hope becomes a new Villanova catchphrase:

Bottom line: If Reynolds is able to read the minds of the selection committee, he's probably feeling pretty good about his team's chances right now. Save the Wildcats ... save the world

Save the Wildcats, save the world. Indeed.

Will Reynolds go pro?

After Scottie's 40-point explosion in Storrs last night, the college basketball world is abuzz with Reynolds chatter. One of the most frequent discussions today is will Scottie go pro, and if so, when.

The folks over at BigEastHoops sure seem to think he is going pro, and sooner than later, to boot. One of their writers, Donald, says "so long, Scottie," estimating there is a 100 percent chance he leaves this year:

Mark my words: Scottie Reynolds is gone after this year. Corey Fisher, one of the top prep guards in the country is going to Villanova next year, so he’ll have the share the ball (and limelight) with him next year. As it is, Reynolds doesn’t stand much to gain from staying next year. He’s shown improvements each month of the season, culminating in his 40 point performance last night in a win over UConn. He’s a bit undersized to play in the NBA (kind of like Khalid El-Amin), and that’s not going to change next year. He would be smart to leave.

Willie, another one of their pundits, sets the over/under for Scottie leaving at two years. Willie later says there is a 0 percent chance Scottie stays for his junior year, which makes his over/under a bit skewed. Well, good thing he's a basketball writer and not a bookmaker.

So what's my take on this issue? I believe Reynolds will go pro, and I believe he will leave early. I don't think it will happen this year, though, due to the fact that this year's draft class is over-stuffed with talent.

Here is my best guess on the probabilities. Note that I think Reynolds has a 95 percent chance to go pro overall.

After year:	Chance Reynolds will have gone pro:
Freshman	15%
Sophomore	55%
Junior	80%
Senior	95%

At this point, the team needs to concentrate on its NCAA Tournament run. But it's always nice to have a player be a part of the national discussion. Here's hoping Scottie helps bring home an NCAA title during his 'Nova career, no matter what the year.

Reynolds explodes at UConn as 'Cats punch dance ticket

Villanova 78
Connecticut 74

• box score
• ESPN highlights (Flash required)

Connecticut: 17-12 (6-9 BE)
Villanova: 19-9 (20-9, 8-7 BE, 4-0 B5)

Next game: vs. Syracuse , 03.03 @The Wachovia Center.

It might have been a little too close for comfort, but Scottie Reynolds and the Villanova Wildcats stamped their NCAA dance card tonight with a victory at the University of Connecticut.

With the win, Villanova improved to 8-7 in Big East play, thus ensuring at least a .500 finish in conference. Several national bracketology experts declared before the game that with one more win the Wildcats would be solidly in the NCAA field of 65, and I agree. Villanova's name will be called on Selection Sunday; we are now playing for seeding.

The story tonight was Scottie Reynolds. The freshman once again put the entire team on his back and willed the Wildcats to the win. Reynolds dropped 40 points on the Huskies to become the highest scoring visitor ever at the Gampel Pavilion, where the 'Cats had only won once before.

Reynolds shattered all kinds of records tonight. He now holds the highest single game point total for a freshman this season in the nation, beating out consensus player-of-the-year Kevin Durant. Reynolds also now becomes the leading single-game freshman scorer in Villanova history. He missed that same accolade in Big East history by a single point. Finally, Reynolds is the only Wildcat to score 40 points this decade.

With the 40-point performance in Villanova's biggest game of the season, Reynolds also erased any doubt about who would earn the Big East Conference's rookie of the year award. Now Reynolds' name must be seriously considered for national rookie team honors and the first-team all-conference award.

Villanova has three starting scholarship seniors about to embark on their final post-season run, but there is no question about whose team this is when the chips are down. Will Scottie "pull a Carmelo" and lead his team to great post-season heights nearly singlehandedly as a freshman? Only time will tell, but he sure has a great start.

On Saturday, Villanova closes out its regular season with a 2 p.m. game against the Syracuse Orange at the Wachovia Center. Though both of the teams should be safely in the tournament at this point, Saturday's game has tremendous seeding implications, and could provide the winner with some immutable bubble insurance should several conference tournaments end in upsets.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 36 min)

  Unbelievable. Unstoppable. Unreal. It's difficult to describe the degree to which Scottie Reynolds carried Villanova tonight. For starters, Reynolds scored 51 percent of the Wildcats' points tonight while playing just 18 percent of their minutes. If you add in the 6 points Reynolds set up with his team-leading 3 assists, Reynolds accounted for 59 percent of the 'Cats offense. And in reality, it was even more than that. The game plan for tonight was simply "give it to Scottie." Sure, the other Wildcats did a great job setting some high ball screens for Scottie, and grabbing some offensive boards, but on offense it was basically one-on-five. And we won. That's how good Reynolds is. Hall-of-famer Jim Calhoun knew the plan, knew who was getting the ball, and knew where it was going, but the UConn coach and his players simply could not stop Reynolds.
  
  Let's take a look at the statistics. Reynolds shot a remarkable 12-25 (48 percent) from the field despite the fact that he was was the primary focus of the Huskies' defense, and everyone in Storrs knew it. At 6-15, he was 40 percent from the three, which is the equivalent of 60 percent from inside the arc. Reynolds got to the line a ridiculous 14 times, and netted 10 of those free throws in what was arguably the "weakest" part of his game tonight. Scottie led the team in assists with 3. Reynolds also grabbed 4 rebounds, committed 4 turnovers, and snagged 2 steals. It was simply a sublime, dominating performance from the freshman, hopefully one of many more to come.
  Grade: A




• Mike Nardi (S, 32 min)

  Nardi played well for most of the game by playing within himself. He drilled two open threes and shot a perfect 6-6 from the line to finish with 12 points on 2-6 shooting from the field. He did make bad decisions with the ball, however, especially in crunch time. Nardi co-led the team with 4 turnovers, including two inexcusable back-to-back turnovers that let the Huskies right back into the game at the end. If this team is going to have any hopes of an NCAA run, Nardi has to improve in the clutch. Mike added 3 rebounds and 2 assists.
  Grade: C-




• Curtis Sumpter (S, 28 min)

  This was the prototypical game from Sumpter at his best, free to play a complementary role on offense. He looked superb in cleaning up the boards, especially on his 3 offensive put-backs. He led the team in rebounds with 10. Sumpter also scored 18 points on 7-15 shooting, and was 4-5 from the foul line. He had 1 turnover, and 1 block. Getting 18 and 10 from Curtis would be huge the rest of the way, especially if it is in his preferred complementary mode.
  Grade: A-




• Will Sheridan (S, 28 min)

  Sheridan played some good defense on UConn's imposing young front line before fouling out. He finished with 0 points on 0-3 shooting, but did grab 7 rebounds. He did a lot of the important "little things" to win the game. He led the team with 4 steals, and added 2 assists. Aside from the complete lack of offense, a good game by Will.
  Grade: B-




• Shane Clark (27 min)

  Clark was quiet for the majority of the game. He did hit two huge free throws at the end to seal up the victory, but was generally missing in action before that. Clark shot 1-4 from the field and 2-4 from the line to finish with 4 points. He only had 2 rebounds, and did not get any steals, blocks, or assists. His defense was probably his strongest point tonight.
  Grade:C-
  
  

• Reggie Redding (16 min)

  Redding did not make much of an impact on the box score, but the box score was not the only story. Reggie provided some absolutely crucial relief minutes for the foul-plagued 'Cats. He handled the ball strongly and did not commit a turnover. Reggie also made one of most critical plays of the game at the very end when he cooly completed a long pass down the court while double-teamed, breaking a ferocious Husky press. Redding scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting, and dished out 2 assists. His defense was excellent.
  Grade: B




• Dante Cunningham (S, 15 min)

  Cunningham finally moved back into the starting lineup tonight, but spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble. He really looked out of it offensively, shooting 0-4 for 0 points. He grabbed 4 rebounds but committed 2 turnovers. Uncharacteristically, he had no steals or assists. Dante needs to get back in his excellent mid-season form, and the sooner, the better.
  Grade: D




• Casiem Drummond (15 min)

  Aside from Scottie Reynolds, Casiem Drummond was the surprise player of the game for the 'Cats. Though he had been relegated to the bench for the past several games, Drummond seized his opportunity tonight to provide 15 minutes of excellent low-post play. He played outstanding defense on the formidable Husky front line, and grabbed 5 rebounds. He scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting. The box score does not credit him with a steal, but he had a beautiful strip and layup immediately following a UConn inbound. I would not complain at all if Drummond saw some significant minutes in the post from here on out.
  Grade: B




• Incomplete grades:
  Bilal Benn (2 min), Dwayne Anderson (1 min),



• Did not play:
  Frank Tchuisi (CD), Ross Condon (CD), Andrew Ott (RS), Antonio Pena (RS).