Villanova-UConn live blog and Lost premiere discussion

Live blog for UConn tonight

Get ready for the biggest live blog event of the Villanova basketball season tonight as the 'Cats face #3 UConn.

Join us at 7 p.m., and have your snarky comments and snarkier fake usernames at the ready.

#20 Villanova (14-3) at #3 Connecticut (16-1)
7 p.m., 21 January 2009 at the XL Center.

TV: ESPN

Line: Connecticut -9.5

Facing hugely talented and third-ranked Connecticut, Villanova gets perhaps its toughest opponent of the entire season tonight. Will the Wildcats be able to get their first quality win of the season? It will be a tough task.

UConn boasts one of the best backcourts in the nation, featuring Jerome Dyson, AJ Price, and Kemba Walker. The Huskies' front line, with Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, Stanley Robinson, and Gavin Edwards, isn't exactly chopped liver, either.

KenPom predicts a 9-point win for the Huskies, giving Villanova just a 17 percent chance of victory.

Nova News, VUHoops, VBTN, and the all-new IBBW all run breathless previews.

Predict the final score in the comment thread below, and don't forget to stop back here for the live blog at 7 p.m.

'Nova back on bubble with win over UConn

Villanova 67
Connecticut 65
(box score)

#13 Connecticut: 21-6 (10-4 BE)
Villanova: 17-9 (7-7 BE, 3-1 B5)

Next game: vs. Marquette, 02/25 at the Wachovia Center.


Villanova took a huge step towards an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Saturday with a win over the 13th-ranked UConn Huskies.

UConn had won 10 straight games before running into the hungry Wildcats who have been fighting for their at-large lives since cracking a five-game losing streak earlier this month.

Villanova has now won four of its last five games, its only loss coming at Georgetown on a poorly regarded foul call with one-tenth of a second left on the clock.

Villanova's win also moves the Wildcats to .500 in conference play, and mostly solidifies the team's appearance in the Big East Tournament next month in New York.

The Wildcats used a high-energy attack on both ends of the ball to down the Huskies. Villanova had 13 points off turnovers compared to UConn's 8, and scored 9 fast-break points while allowing no run-out points for the Huskies.

Villanova also enjoyed a 20-3 advantage in bench points, mostly thanks to the efforts of the freshman Corey Stokes, who seems like he has finally found his shooting touch.

Be sure to check out the quantitative recap of the game posted at Villanova by the Numbers. Head over to Nova News for a UConn-Villanova top-ten list.

The students at "I Bleed Blue and White" have also posted some brief thoughts on the game.

A mostly-full Wachovia Center seemed to greatly aid the Wildcats on Saturday, especially in tough moments. This should help dispel any arguments that big-time games be moved on campus. In my opinion, the Wachovia Center provides an excellent homecourt advantage and lends a "big game" atmosphere to the proceedings.

It will be interesting to see if Monday night's game can attract as significant a crowd as the 'Cats look to solidify its NCAA resume vs. Marquette.

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

Next up for the Wildcats is another game at the Wachovia Center against the Marquette Golden Eagles. A win would put Villanova on the inside track for an at-large NCAA bid even with a loss in Freedom Hall next weekend.

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

• Dante Cunningham (S, 39 min)

  Cunningham played one of his best defensive games of the year. He banged down low with Hasheem Thabeet all game and held his own. Cunningham scored 9 points on 4-11 shooting and pulle din 5 rebounds. His defense, again, was the real story, as he patrolled the paint and helped hold the Huskies to just 24 points in the key. Cunningham also came up with a ridiculous 5 steals to lead the team.
  Grade: B+
  
  

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 35 min)

  Just like he did in last year's win over Uconn, Reynolds put the team on his back and refused to lose the game. Reynolds scored 18 points Saturday on 7-14 shooting, including 4 huge three pointers on 8 attempts. Reynolds also scored the last field goal for the 'Cats, a crucial layup over Thabeet to put the 'Cats ahead by four with 39 seconds left. Reynolds also co-led the team in assists on Saturday, with 4. He added 2 rebounds and had just 2 turnovers despite shouldering point duties for much of the game.
  Grade: A-
  
  

• Antonio Pena (S, 31 min)

  Pena played 31 hard minutes on Saturday, battling with UConn's big men on both ends of the court. He had a break-out moment in the second period where he scored a layup and a dunk on two straight possessions. Pena finished with 10 points on 5-12 shooting. He grabbed 5 boards, dished out 1 assist, and committed 2 turnovers.
  Grade: B-
  
  

• Corey Stokes (29 min)

  Stokes had a huge first half, stroking 4 three-pointers, before cooling down in the second. He shot 7-12 overall, including 4-7 from the three, and missed his only free-throw attempt. He had 1 rebound and 1 block, and did not notch any steals, assists, or turnovers. It was a solid game from Stokes, and it appears the McDonald's All American is now a legitimate threat from the three-point line.
  Grade: B+
  
  
  

• Dwayne Anderson (S, 27 min)

  Anderson 's insertion into the staring lineup has provided a huge boost to the 'Cats in terms of hustle, energy, and rebounding. Anderson, playing the wing, once again led the team in rebounds on Saturday, with 7. His threat as a scorer seems to vary by game; on Saturday he was just 2-4 from the field and a poor 1-3 from the foul line. He handled the ball very well, passing for 2 assists and committing 0 turnovers. He also played arguably the best defense of the game, grabbing 3 steals and showing lateral quickness on the perimeter.
  Grade: B+
  
  

• Corey Fisher (S, 18 min)

  Fisher's shooting woes continue. He was 1-6 from the field and 3-4 from the line on Saturday. His passing, however, was once again brilliant. Fisher racked up 4 assists in just 18 minutes, and looked fantastic running the fast break. If he can just find his shooting stroke and tweak his shot selection, Fisher will develop into one of the Big East's best point guards. Fisher handled the ball reasonably well, but did commit 2 turnovers.
  Grade: B-
  
  

• Reggie Redding (13 min)

  Redding was brought in to defense UConn's guards, primarily Big-East player of the year contender AJ Price. Redding did a reasonably good job on Price, but I don't agree with Wright that it was necessary to sub him in on every defensive possession in crunch time. Sure, it works out well when there is a stoppage of play every trip down the court, but I can't help but wonder whether or not that strategy will backfire in future close games when Wright cannot sub Reynolds or another offensive thread back in before the 'Cats get the ball. Redding has been fairly hopeless on offense lately. On Saturday, he was 0-3 from the field for no points. He did handle the ball well, dishing out 2 assists and committing 1 turnover, a controversial 5-second violation. His defense was good.
  Grade: C+
  
  

• Shane Clark (7 min)

  Clark sank a pair of free throws but again played poorly in his 7 minutes of court time. I don't know why Clark has seemingly regressed so thoroughly. Clark may indeed be suffering from fatigue, and if so, we wish him a speedy recovery. In any event, Clark's defense has suffered this year, and he is something of a liability on the court in recent outings.
  Grade: D
  
  

• Malcolm Grant (1 min)

  Despite a Philadelphia Inquirer article ostensibly "debunking" all rumors about Malcolm Grant's lack of playing time, I am nowhere near convinced that size considerations are the only factor. Grant is simply too good to sit the entire game, size be damned. Fisher and Grant are about the same size; even if you assume that there are only 20 minutes for the "small guard" in the 200 minutes of game time, should the split really be 18-1 in Fisher's favor? And that's assuming that a bigger lineup is necessarily better. There continue to be times, even during this win streak, that the offense sputters and simply cannot score. At those times, Malcolm Grant would be a welcome presence out there, and I simply do not understand why Jay Wright has come to such a different conclusion.
  Grade: Incomplete
  
  

• Did not play: Casiem Drummond (foot), Jason Colenda (CD), Frank Tchuisi (CD).

'Cats look to cool down Huskies

vs.

Villanova Wildcats (16-9, 6-7 BE) vs.
#13 Connecticut Huskies (21-5, 10-3 BE)

Date: Saturday, February 23, 2008
Location: Wachovia Center (Philadelphia, PA)
Time: 12:00 p.m. EST
Television: ESPN

Official 'Nova coverage: Official Site
UConn coverage: UConn blog (excellent blog by UConn beat writer)

Villanova welcomes the nation's hottest team to the Wachovia Center Saturday, as the 13th-ranked Connecticut Huskies travel to Philadelphia to take on the streaking Wildcats for a matinée matchup.

Losers of three of their first six conference games, the Huskies have ripped off 10 straight victories and now stand at 10-3 in the Big East, just a half-game back of Georgetown and Louisville.

Like Villanova, Connecticut doesn't carry a senior on the roster. The maturity of their underclassmen, however, has increased tenfold from a year ago. Anchoring an imposing frontline is likely the Big East's most improved player, Hasheem Thabeet. The 7'3" sophomore not only chips in 10.3 ppg and 7.9 rpg, but leads the conference in blocked shots with 115, a 4.4 per-game average. Jeff Adrien (14.4 ppg and 9.2 rpg) and Stanley Robinson solidify the frontcourt for UConn, which as a team averagea 42.5 rebounds each game.

A.J. Price has put behind his off-court issues and has put it together this season. The reigning Big East player of the week, Price averaged 24.5 points and 8 assists last week in wins versus Notre Dame and South Florida. In light of Jerome Dyson's alcohol-related suspension, Craig Austrie has proven to be a valuable replacement.

Keys to the game

Emphasize rebounding: UConn is an extremely efficient rebounding team. Villanova, despite its size, is a very good rebounding team, as well. To win this game and halt the Huskies, 'Nova needs to clean up the glass. This assignment starts with Cunningham, Pena, and, to an extent, Dwayne Anderson.

Penetrate: Villanova's guards can not be afraid to take it to the rim. Two of the better dribble-drive penetrators in the Big East, Fisher and Reynolds, should take it to Thabeet and get him in foul trouble early. Remember last year when Scottie went off for 40 points. It was his effective penetration that made defenders play a step off of him, allowing for Scottie to drain open threes, as well.

Start hot: Getting off to a fast start will be of the utmost importance. Wednesday night, 'Nova took WVU out of the game from the get go. If 'Nova can start strong this game and build a quick lead, it may go a long way into getting into UConn's head.

X-factor

Wachovia crowd: Nothing compares to the Pavilion, where the 'Cats are undefeated on the season. Unfortunately, Villanova tends to choose revenue over home-court advantage when it comes to scheduling primetime matchups, with the majority of them being played out at the Wach. While the crowd acts as a sixth man for 'Nova at the Pavilion, it has essentially been taken out of games this year at the Wachovia Center. Blame it on the size of the arena or what have you, but something is not right. 'Nova fans need to get loud and keep the noise high all game to help guide the 'Cats to victory.

Remember to predict the final score and post your own thoughts on what should be a great match-up.

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.

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).

Carnage in the top 25

It was a rough night to be a top 25 team in college basketball. Of the nine teams in the top 25 that played tonight, six lost. Five of the eight top-25 games tonight ended in upsets.

#11 Duke fell in Atlanta to unranked Georgia Tech, 63-74. It was the Blue Devils' second straight loss.

#10 Oklahoma State was annihilated by #6 Kansas, 57-87. Though this was not an upset per se, the wide margin of victory and sheer dominance exercised by the Jayhawks certainly came as a shock to the Cowboys.

#12 Butler, the darling mid-major du jour, was beaten in overtime by the relatively unknown Illinois-Chicago.

#20 Tennessee lost a nail-biter to intrastate rival Vanderbilt, 81-82. The Volunteers had come into Nashville with a 9-game win streak intact.

#22 UConn was exposed by a very good, but unranked, Marquette team. The Golden Eagles went into Storrs and ended the Huskies' 31-game home win streak in their 73-69 win.

Finally, #25 Maryland, everyone's favorite sleeper pick in the ACC, was embarrassed at home by conference foe Miami.

#7 Pitt, #6 Kansas, and #1 UNC managed to win their games, though Carolina trailed for a while against the unranked Virginia Cavaliers. Pitt beat a DePaul team that had been flying high after its win over Villanova.

In Big East action not previously mentioned, Louisville blew out South Florida, and upcoming Villanova-foe Syracuse beat Rutgers in Jersey.

Just another Wednesday in the wacky world of college basketball.