'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).

Marquette grades and Anderson update

Marquette 84
Villanova 102
(box score)

#10 Marquette: 20-4 (9-2 BE)
#13 Villanova: 20-4 (8-3 BE)

Villanova exploded for another 100-point game as the Wildcats won their sixth straight game last night with a decisive victory over #10 Marquette.

With the win, Villanova puts itself in great position to earn a top-4 seed in the Big East tournament, and the crucial double-bye that goes along with it.

If the Wildcats can get past West Virginia on the road tomorrow night, they will crack the top 10 in the rankings and will be on the inside track to get a protected seed in the NCAA tournament, and possibly play in Philadelphia's first-round site at the Wachovia Center.

The big negative from last night's victory was senior starting forward Dwayne Anderson's knee injury early in the second half.

Today, Anderson underwent a knee examination, and the diagnosis is a hyperextension and bone bruise in his left knee.

"This is good news," said Rob Good, Villanova's team orthropedic surgeon. "It's hard to say exactly how long Dwayne will be out for. He will be day-to-day as we monitor the soreness."

In a statement released today, Villanova head coach Jay Wright seemed relieved that the injury was not more serious:

We're very fortunate that this is a bone bruise. It is a painful injury but one that will have no affect [sic] on the structure of Dwayne's knee. We'll see how he progresses over the next few days and then make a determination about his availability on Friday.

It looks like Anderson will probably miss tomorrow's game at West Virginia, and then be on track to play thereafter.

With the win over Marquette, Villanova moves to 20 victories on the season. Congratulations to reader "Geesus" 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, 35 min)

  Reynolds put in 27 points on very good 10-17 shooting, including 5-11 from the three. It was so refreshing to see Reynolds free to play the two guard, where he is by far most effective. The move to the two, with Fisher handling the point, also allowed Reynolds to play 35 minutes without getting tired, and with only one foul. I cannot emphasize enough how much more effective Villanova's offense is with both Fisher and Reynolds on the court at the same time, and I feel like Villanova's emphatic win over Marquette justified my position. Would Wright have stumbled into this plan without the injuries of Clark and Anderson that allowed Fisher to take over the point? We might never know. Let's just hope he sticks with it. Reynolds added 4 rebounds and 1 assist, and did not commit any turnovers. His only weak spot was a random 2-5 performance from the foul line, but that does not tarnish his excellent game.
  Grade: A




• Dante Cunningham (S, 33 min)

  With all the fireworks in the back-court, Cunningham had a quiet 15 points on good 7-12 shooting. He cut his turnovers to 3 (from 7, last game), and added 1 block and 1 steal. Cunningham does not seem to be crashing the boards as much as he once did, as he had just 4 rebounds in 33 minutes. Making Cunningham the third option on the offense is devastatingly effective, as the perimeter threats free up the mid-range for Dante.
  Grade: B




• Corey Fisher (32 min)

  Fisher was able to come into the game twice "before his time," due to injuries to Shane Clark and Dwayne Anderson. Fisher's 32 minutes at the point guard, quite simply, won the game for Villanova. Fisher's able and energetic handling of the ball freed Reynolds to do what he does best, which is score from the perimeter. Fisher scored 21 points on 6-10 shooting, including a scorching 4-5 from behind the arc. He was also 5-7 from the foul line. Fisher handled the ball well, dishing out 4 assists and committing only 3 turnovers against the best perimeter defensive team in the nation. Fisher has emerged as the team's most important player. He will probably start at West Virginia, with Anderson likely out, but if Jay Wright has any basketball sense at all, Fisher will start every game, barring injury, for the rest of his Villanova career.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Reggie Redding (S, 27 min)

  Redding struggled greatly against the more talented and athletic Marquette perimeter. He was 0-4 from the field, including 0-3 from the three, and shot a bad 2-4 from the foul line. He led the team in turnovers, with 4. Two bright spots were his good rebounding, with 6, and passing, with 6 assists. The much-vaunted Redding defense was not all that effective, as Jerel McNeal lit up the scoreboard with 23 points. Redding will likely rebound with a better performance against less talented back-courts.
  Grade: C-
  
  

• Shane Clark (S, 26 min)

  Clark played the game of his life against Marquette, following up the previous game of his life against Syracuse. Clark scored 16 points and was a perfect 6-6 from the field, including 3-3 from the three, though I have to mention one of those threes was on a ridiculously lucky bounce. He was 1-2 from the foul line. Clark grabbed 7 rebounds, leading the team, dished out 3 assists, and added 1 block. He turned the ball over just 1 time. Clark will have to keep this up with the probable loss of Anderson for at least one game.
  Grade: A
  
  

• Corey Stokes (21 min)

  Stokes was hounded by the nation's best defender in Jerel McNeal for much of the night, but he still managed to play a decent game. He shot 2-5 from the field, but did not attempt a three-pointer. He rounded out his line with 4 rebounds, an excellent 5 assists, and 0 turnovers. Look for Stokes to get move involved against West Virginia.
  Grade: B




• Dwayne Anderson (S, 13 min)

  Anderson started out the game on fire, scoring several early buckets. He was 4-6 from the field, including 1-2 from the three, to score 10 points in just 13 minutes of play. He grabbed 3 rebounds and committed no turnovers before leaving the game with an injured knee. He will likely miss the WVU game and will be day-to-day after that.
  Grade: B





• Antonio Pena (11 min)

  Pena turned in an efficient performance in his limited action. I want to see Pena get more minutes, and he probably will, considering Anderson's injury. Pena scored 5 points on 2-3 shooting. He grabbed 3 rebounds, blocked 1 shot, and passed for 1 assist.
  Grade: B




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



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

'Nova wins big, Anderson hurt

[Click here for the full recap and player grades]

Villanova soundly beat an excellent Marquette team tonight, 102-84. The Wildcats were on fire on offense, especially in a scorching, 52-point second half.

Starting senior forward Dwayne Anderson left the game at the start of the second after sustaining what appeared to be a knee injury. There are rumors of a knee hyper-extension, but no official word yet. Will update the site with Dwayne Anderson details and the Marquette player grades for tomorrow.

Update: Reports are now saying it was a knee sprain. No word on severity.

Second Update: It was only a hyperextension. Good news.

Anderson out with stress fracture

Swingman Dwayne Anderson, Villanova's most improved player last year and a projected starter, has been sidelined with a stress fracture in his left foot, according to a story by ESPN.

Villanova coach Jay Wright said "Dwayne is one of our significant leaders and this is a great loss for our team," according to the ESPN article.

Anderson is said to be out indefinitely.

Shane Clark, another Villanova forward, is also out for 3 to 6 weeks after undergoing knee surgery.