Selection show live blog

Here is the selection show live blog.

All down to Selection Sunday

[Join LetsGoNova.com for a special live blog shortly before the selection show at 6 p.m.]

It wasn't a perfect day Saturday for Villanova's bubble hopes, but it was good enough that the Wildcats are still in fine shape to receive an at-large bid tonight.

The good news: Kent State and Memphis won, preserving two crucial at-large bids. UNC defeated the late-surging Virginia Tech, which has beaten absolutely no one this year and will find itself in the NIT.

The bad news: Temple knocked off St. Joe's, taking the A10 championship and an available bid. Georgia won two games in one day, and the Bulldogs will threaten to steal a bid tomorrow afternoon.

There are just two games left that will affect Villanova's chances:

• Arkansas vs. Georgia (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
• Wisconsin vs. Illinois (3:30 p.m., CBS)
  

I would feel great going into the selection show tonight if both Arkansas and Wisconsin won; in that scenario, the Wildcats would very likely get into the field. I would even be comfortable if just one of those two teams won, because the numbers still work out for Villanova to be invited.

If both Arkansas and Wisconsin lose, the bubble shrinks from three at-large spots to just one (assuming Arizona and Kentucky are already in), and then Villanova fans will really be sweating it out.

It would still be possible for 'Nova to get the last at-large bid with upsets in the Big Ten and the SEC, especially if the committee snubs Arizona or Kentucky, but it would be a lot safer for all three Wildcat teams if the Badgers and Razorbacks can get the job done.

Join LetsGoNova.com for a special live blog shortly before the selection show at 6 p.m. Be sure to participate and let your feelings be known as the brackets are unveiled this evening.

Live blog for G'town today

If you're stuck at work or school for one of the biggest Villanova games in recent memory, or simply watching from home, join Let's Go Nova at 12 noon today for a live blog of the Villanova-Georgetown game in the Big East Tournament.

After a huge win over Syracuse in the first round of the BET, Villanova faces the top-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in Madison Square Garden in New York.

Though the Syracuse victory may have already earned Villanova an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, a win over the Hoyas would remove all doubt, and would vault the Wildcats off the 12-seed line into more hospitable territory.

The game will air live on ESPN nationwide at 12 noon. Check this post for the live blog shortly before tip time.

Live blog for Louisville today

The Wildcats play arguably the biggest game of the season as they look to move up the NCAA bubble against the Louisville Cardinals.

Join Let's Go Nova at 4 p.m. today for a live blog of the game.

Sorry about the lack of a pre-game post; NovaFan09 is on spring break, and I have been away from the computer for a few days.

You can use this thread to predict the game's final score until the live blog begins.

The game will air at 4 p.m. live on CBS nationwide except in some markets (like Los Angeles).

Live blog tonight for WVU

Join LetsGoNova.com for an interactive live blog tonight during the West Virginia game.

The game will air at 8 p.m. on WPHL in Philadelphia and SNY in New York. Check this post at game time for the live blog.

The Wildcats will take to their home court tonight as solid underdogs. West Virginia is favored by two points in the sportsbooks, and the statistical guru KenPom and his model predict a six-point Mountaineer victory.

Don't forget to check out NovaFan09's preview of the game, and to predict the final score in our ongoing contest.

See you at 8 p.m.

Live blog of 'Nova-GT tonight

Join Let's Go Nova for its first live blog of the season tonight at 7 p.m. for Villanova's game at #8 Georgetown.

The game will air at 7 p.m. on ESPN, and the live blog (below) should begin at tip time.

[Update] The live blog was a roaring success, but a bad call at the end of the game cost Villanova what would have been its biggest win in several years. If you missed the live blog and would like to take a look at it, you can read it in full below. (Just click the circular arrow.)

Feel free to also comment about the game and the call at the end in this thread until the recap and grades post is up much later tonight.

Oklahoma game-thread

The Villanova Wildcats travel to Norman, Okla., to try to break the Sooners' nation-leading 49-game non-conference home winning streak. This will be the biggest test for Villanova so far this year.

[update @ 8:51 p.m.] Villanova wins, 67-51, to improve to 6-1 (7-1) on the year. This win may well place Wildcats into the top 25 come Monday.

Player performance grades will be up by tomorrow morning. All the live in-game updates are below the fold.

[update @ 8:48 p.m.] Though the game is won, we just had a 5-second violation and a shot-clock violation. Those shouldn't happen. Thank goodness the game wasn't close at the end.

[update @ 8:47 p.m.] The game looks in hand with Nova up 19 and under 2 minutes to play.

[update @ 8:43 p.m.] Nardi's perfect free-throw streak is over at 19. Nardi missed the front end of two technical foul free throws before making the second. Nardi just hit a huge falling away three to put Nova ahead 65-48 with 2:30 to play.

[update @ 8:38 p.m.] Curt hit two threes to end our 5-minute scoring drought. Nova is now up 61-45 with 3:50 in the game.

[update @ 8:29 p.m.] This game is difficult to watch. Neither team can get anything going right now, and it's a stalemate of incompetence. Jay just put in Reggie Redding to try to spark the offense.

[update @ 8:26 p.m.] Turnovers abound on both ends of the floor. Nova leads 55-42 with 9:36 remaining in the game.

[update @ 8:19 p.m.] Nardi and the offense look great, but we need to tighten up the defense. Too many easy looks for the Sooners. Nova up 53-40. Majerus is still calling Reynolds "Robinson."

[update @ 8:12 p.m.] Scottie has been called for a carry and a double-dribble on consecutive possessions. He also had a double-dribble in the first-half.

[update @ 8:07 p.m.] Nardi is looking great creating his own shot in the half-court, something we didn't see a lot of last year. Nardi's offensive game looks to have really improved. Nova leads 48-36.

[update @ 7:55 p.m.] Halftime. We are up 36-25. The game looked pretty sloppy the last few minutes of the half. Unnecessary fouls and turnovers were committed by both sides. I expect Nova to come out of the locker room looking a little crisper as Jay will no doubt emphasize playing less sloppily.

Scoring is pretty balanced for the Wildcats. Nardi has 9, Reynolds has 8, Cunningham 6, Sumpter 5. Sheridan and Clark have 3 each, and even Benn has scored 2.

[update @ 7:37 p.m.] Sheridan just airballed a three, leading to a Sooner fast break and score. Considering Will had missed his last shot, a wide-open 5-footer, why does he need to take a guarded three-pointer with 30 seconds on the shot clock? We also need to work on getting back on D. Oklahoma just scored twice on run-outs when we should have gotten back.

[update @ 7:34 p.m.] Villanova is up 28-18 at the under-4 break, but we are not taking advantage of all our opportunities. We have some pointless turnovers and have missed some shots we should have made. The defense has been solid, though. The press and constant on-ball pressure seems to be unnerving the Sooners. Hopefully we can keep up this pace in the second half.

[update @ 7:30 p.m.] Reynolds looked spectacular on a coast-to-coast steal and layup. He was so impressive Majerus even realized he wasn't Kyle Lowry.

[update @ 7:23 p.m.] Finally a drive-and-kick for a three! Nardi made a nice kick-out to Clark in the corner, who drained it. Nardi also hit a three of his own, and a left-handed runner. 'Nova leads 19-14 with 9:00 to go. Dwayne Anderson comes in for the first time.

[update @ 7:18 p.m.] Tied at 11 at the under-12 break. It's a close, physical game, as expected. Scottie was aggressive early on offense, which is a good sign. He needs to keep that up. Our offense seems a little disoriented at the early stages of this game.

[update @ 7:10 p.m.] Rick Majerus just criticized Lowry for not stopping a two-on-one Oklahmoma fast break that resulted in an alley-oop. Come on, coach, Kyle's with his team in Boston, and he has a broken wrist, and you still expect him to stop the Oklahoma break? Of course, Rick meant Reynolds, who is wearing Kyle's old number-one jersey.

[update @ 7:03 p.m.] The game is now underway on ESPN. I'll be making more opinion updates than play-by-play tonight, since most of you will be able to watch the game.

Villanova-Penn live thread

Villanova 99
Penn 89
FINAL

Villanova opens its Big 5 season tonight versus Penn at the Palestra. Check this thread for live, in-game updates and commentary.

[update 9:28 p.m.] Villanova improves to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in Big 5 play with a win over Penn tonight. Player grades will be up by Sunday morning.

A long list of detailed in-game updates in "Read More" land.

[update 9:25 p.m.]

Frank T at the line shooting two! He makes both! Nova wins 99-89!

[update 9:23 p.m.] The game is in hand but the free throw perfection is no more. Sheridan and Benn both missed a free throw. Nova up 97-87 with 14 seconds left.

[update 9:22 p.m.] Nardi hits two free throws, keeping the Wildcats perfect from the line. Nova up 95-84, 45 seconds left. Shane Clark fouls out at the other end on a Penn 3-pt attempt. Penn hits only 1 of 3 free throws. Nova ball, up 95-85, 27 ticks left.

[update 9:15 p.m.] Clark continues to be Mr. Clutch, hitting a shot in the lane to put Nova up 11. Clark commits a foul at the other end. Penn hits both free throws. Nova ball, 93-84. 1:08 left.

[update 9:12 p.m.] Penn makes 1 of 2 free throws. Clark comes up with the big rebound and is fouled. Clark hits both free throws, extending Nova's perfect streak. Nova leads 91-82 with 1:45 to play.

[update 9:09 p.m.] Curtis sinks another two free throws, putting Villanova up by 8, 89-81. Villanova is an astounding 19-19 from the stripe! Benn makes a terrible play on defense after a Penn player dribbled the ball off his foot. All Benn needs to do is not touch it and it would have been Nova ball. Instead Benn dives after the ball and commits a foul. Instead of being Nova ball, Penn now has 2 shots and the clock is stopped.

[update 9:06 p.m.] Sumpter hits two free throws to put Nova up by 8, 87-79, giving him 26 points on the night. Sumpter commits a stupid foul on the defensive end, however, stopping the clock and putting Zoller on the line. Zoller sinks both, giving him 31 points. Nova ball, up 6, 2:12.

[update 9:05 p.m.] Nardi drains a HUGE three. Penn misses at the other end but Sumpter threw it away. Penn scores. Nova ball, up 6, 2:30.

[update 9:04 p.m.] Penn made only 1 of 2 free throws. They are choking from the line here late. Reynolds made a nice drive but couldn't finish. Penn missed from the other end and now it's Nova ball with 3:15 left, up 82-77.

[update 9:01 p.m.] Penn scores 2. Sumpter misses a three. Penn rebounds and Shane Clark commits a foul on the defensive end. Penn trails 76-82 with 3:45 to play and will have 2 foul shots.

[update 9:00 p.m.] A beautiful Reynolds dime to Sheridan was nullified by a Penn foul on the floor. Sheridan makes both free throws to give Nova a 82-74 lead. 4:33 to play.

[update 8:58 p.m.] Cunningham fouls out. McMahon hits 1 of 2 free throws. Reynolds with a lightning-quick crossover drive to the basket, hits the layup and is fouled. Hits the free throw. Nova up 80-75 with 5:02 to play.

[update 8:55 p.m.] Shane Clark is taking over the game. He sticks a huge block on what would have probably been a Tommy McMahon three. Nardi's three-point attempt at the other end was in and out. Penn's ball and they call another timeout. Nova up 77-73 with 5:23 on the clock.

[update 8:52 p.m.] Huge offensive board by Shane Clark. He got fouled and sank both free throws. Sumpter then stole the ball at the other end. Nova up 75-73 with the ball, 6:20. Clark gets ANOTHER big O-board and calmly sinks the turnaround 12-footer, putting Nova up 77-73. Penn timeout with the ball, 5:56.

[update 8:50 p.m.] Tie game as McMahon hits 1 of 2. 73-73, Nova ball. 7:10.

[update 8:47 p.m.] Yet another backdoor cut left undefended by Nova will give Penn two more free throws. Nova is getting lazy on defense. Media timeout, Penn will shoot 2.

[update 8:45 p.m.] Jaaber missed both free throws and Scottie Reynolds responded with a cool three on the other end, giving Nova a 73-72 lead. 7:45 to play.

[update 8:43 p.m.] Jaaber got past Sheridan on a backdoor cut and was fouled. Penn leads 72-70 and Jaaber will have two free throws. Jay took a full timeout as Nova is on the ropes here.

[update 8:41 p.m.] A nice Nardi drive and lay-up gave Nova a 2-pt lead. But on the other end of the court, Nardi committed a reach-in foul, giving Penn 2 free throws, which it sank. Tied at 70, 9:36, Penn's at the line shooting two.

[update 8:39 p.m.] Tie game, 68-68. Dangerous against Penn in the Palestra. 10:00 even to play. Stay tuned.

[update 8:38 p.m.] Nova's man-defense is looking good. Penn is having trouble setting up any kind of offense. Unfortunately, Penn got 2 points on a broken-play with 2 seconds on the shot clock, and just picked up an old-fashioned 3-pt play in transition. Nova's lead is down to two, 68-66, Penn's ball. Cunningham picked up his fourth foul.

[update 8:35 p.m.] Media timeout with 11:39 to go. Nova leads 66-61 and has the ball. Dante just had a huge offensive rebound to save the possession after an ill-advised Sheridan shot. Anderson is back in the game so look to Dwayne to get going on offense again.

[update 8:29 p.m.] Clark just took a long three-pointer with a hand in his face that made me cringe. But it swished anyway, so what do I know? Penn answered with a 2, and Benn turned it over. Nova leads 66-59, Penn's ball, 12:22 on the clock.

[update 8:26 p.m.] Sumpter's stroke looks solid tonight. Curtis just hit a contested three, but Penn answered quickly with a three of its own. Nova leads 63-57.

[update 8:23 p.m.] CN8's broadcast just showed Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry in attendance at the Palestra, both wearing Yankees hats. Nardi hit a runner to put Nova up 60-53 with 15:28 left.

[update 8:18 p.m.] Penn is on fire from beyond the arc, with 3 threes already in this half. Tommy McMahon is heating up, shooting 2/2 from three-point land. Scottie Reynolds scored on a Foye-like drive/runner, and Will Sheridan hit two free throws. Nova leads 57-51 with 16:22 to play.

[update 8:17 p.m.] Two MORE Quaker turnovers and two Villanova fast breaks. 'Nova leads 53-45. Nardi just picked up his third foul but will remain on the floor with 16:35 left.

[update 8:15 p.m.] Second half underway. Sumpter hit a jumper and the Quakers hit a three. Villanova leads 49-43. If we do not pull away soon this one smells like it's going down to the wire, and we definitely do not want that in the Palestra.

[update 7:59 p.m.] Halftime. Villanova leads 47-40, thanks to its excellent shooting from beyond the arc. The Wildcats have sunk 8 of 19 threes, 16-28 from the field overall. The 'Cats are also perfect from the charity stripe, 6-6. Curtis leads 'Nova in scoring with 17 points, including 3 three-pointers.

Penn is led by Mark Zoller with 22 points and 5 threes. They are shooting extremely well, 6-7 from the three and 14-21 overall. The only reason Nova is leading is because Penn has turned it over 17 times.

[update 7:56 p.m.] Mark Zoller is killing the Wildcats' defense, scoring 22 points in the first half on 5 three pointers. Penn is on a 10-2 run, scoring off a Curtis Sumpter turnover and an airball. Nova leads 44-40.

[update 7:48 p.m.] Yet another long three for Dwayne, and two more Penn turnovers (15 total). Nova is up 42-30 at the last TV timeout of the half. Anderson and Sumpter each have 12 points. Nova is now 8-16 from the three, including 7 of the last 9, as the announcers just pointed out.

[update 7:43 p.m.] Sumpter just banked in a 3. Villanova was 6 for its last 6 three-point attempts. A Sheridan layup brings the Nova lead to 39-25 with 5:10 in the half.

[update 7:38 p.m.] Reynolds dribbled off a screen to hit a long, contested three, giving Nova a 34-25 lead and forcing a Penn timeout right before the under 8:00 media stoppage.

[update 7:36 p.m.] Anderson is providing such a spark offensively off the bench, hitting a long 3. Penn came right back down the court with a 3 of its own. Reynolds then turned it over leading to a Penn layup. Dwayne drained another three from NBA range, giving Nova the 31-25 lead with 7:00 to play.

[update 7:34 p.m.] Nardi takes a seat with two fouls. Benn and Reynolds in the backcourt now. Dwayne Anderson just threaded a gorgeous pass to Curt for a dunk. Nova up 25-19 with 8:54 to play. Lineup = Benn, Reynolds, Sumpter, Cunningham, Anderson. I love this lineup, great chemistry.

[update 7:29 p.m.] Sumpter just hit two threes off two Penn turnovers. Villanova leads 21-13 with 10:30 to play.

[update 7:21 p.m.] The game is tied 11-11 as the pace continues to be fast, furious, and sloppy with seven combined turnovers thus far. 13 minutes left in the half.

[update 7:14 p.m.] Nardi just scored his 1,000th and 1,003rd points as a Wildcat. Nova has tied the game 9-9 with 16 minutes left in the half on 5 quick points from Nardi, who has 7 of the Wildcats' 9 points. Nova's defense looks active but did get burned by a nice backdoor cut.

[update 7:11 p.m.] The game is underway. Penn jumped off to a 7-2 lead on a 7-0 run. Both teams look sloppy right now with 2 turnovers apiece. Jay Wright just called a timeout to try to Wright the ship early on here.

'Nova-Iowa live thread

Villanova is now playing Iowa in the Paradise Jam third-place game. For those of you who do not have FCSN TV, here is a link to a live radio stream: WHO-radio

[update 8:14 p.m.] Villanova 90 Villanova 89, Iowa 60. Final. Villanova improves to 2-1 (0-0) for the year. Full recap and player grades coming later tonight.

[update 8:30 p.m.] Ross Condon's three was ruled a 2. Villanova 89, Iowa 60.

In-game updates are below the fold.

[update 8:11 p.m.] Great game for the 'Cats. Box score is here. Full recap with player grades coming later tonight.

[update 8:09 p.m.] Ross Condon for THREE! Ross hit a three-pointer with three ticks left. Villanova wins 90-60, FINAL.

[update 8:07 p.m.] Frank T. scores!! Tchuisi just hit a layup to put 'Nova up 85-57 with 90 seconds to play.

[update 7:55 p.m.] Sumpter finally exits the game, finishing with 26 points on 7-10 shooting. Benn and Redding are now in.

[update 7:53 p.m.] Sumpter just got fouled hard. Why is he still in?! We are up 74-48 with 5:11 to play.

[update 7:48 p.m.] Iowa radio announcers: "Paradise is when you have a defense like Villanova." 'Cats up 70-45 off another Anderson three-pointer. 13 threes for the 'Cats. 6:55 to play.

[update 7:40 p.m.] Reynolds threaded an great pass down low to Dante, who missed it at first, and then put his own rebound back in. Count that as a "ghost assist" for Scottie. Sumpter also just hit two more 3-pt FG, he has 24 on the game, on 7-9 shooting. Nova up 27, 67-40, with 8:50 to play.

[update 7:32 p.m.] It's raining threes in the Virgin Islands. Dwayne Anderson just hit his second 3-pt FG, giving Villanova 10 threes and a 57-32 lead with 12:30 left in the game.

[update 7:30 p.m.] Villanova has forced another 5 turnovers early in the second half. Iowa now has 18 TOs on the game. Shane Clark just hit a huge three, putting Nova up 54-30.

[update 7:26 p.m.] Dwayne Anderson fed a sweet pass down low to Dante for a layup, putting Villanova up 50-28 at the 16-minute TV timeout.

[update 7:24 p.m.] Nardi hit a three and Cunningham had a fast-break lay-up off an Iowa turnover to put 'Nova up 20, 46-26.

[update 7:22 p.m.] 'Cats look a little cold coming out of the locker room. After two minutes of second half play, Villanova only has two turnovers and one foul.

[update 7:18 p.m.] On the floor for the 'Cats to start the second half: Sumpter, Sheridan, Reynolds, Nardi, and Cunningham.

[update 7:15 p.m.] The Wildcats' stifling defense forced 13 turnovers in the first half. Excellent. Second half is about to start.

[update 7:05 p.m.] A look at some stats at the half. Curtis Sumpter leads the Wildcats with 15 points, going an excellent 4-6 from the field. Mike Nardi has 13 points already, shooting 5-11, including 3-6 from the three. Dwayne Anderson has 7 points on 2-6 shooting. Clark and Cunningham each have 3 points. Benn and Drummond also have been in the game.

[update 7:01 p.m.] Villanova leads 41-24 at the half. The 'Cats have hit 7 three-pointers. The three-quarter-court press has proved devastatingly effective, forcing several Iowa turnovers and allowing the 'Cats to run a little bit. The team looks good right now. Hope they can keep it up in the second half.

[update 6:53 p.m.] Villanova just doubled up the Hawkeyes, 34-17, and are on a 31 to 8 run. (Or a 19 to 2 run). Nardi's fast-break three-pointer just forced an Iowa timeout with 2:26 left.

[update 6:49 p.m.] The 'Cats are playing great defense. Dante Cunningham just had a huge swat of an Adam Haluska would-be dunk, and then Villanova forced the Hawkeyes into a shot-clock violation. Still 29-17.

[update 6:47 p.m.] The run continues. Dwayne Anderson hit two free throws and a three-pointer to put the 'Cats up 29-17 with 5:30 to play.

[update 6:44 p.m.] Villanova is on a little run. Nardi hit 2 threes and Shane Clark hit a three. 'Nova is up 24-17 with 7 minutes to play in the half.

[update 6:33 p.m.] Sumpter just scored 7 straight points to put us up 2 with 10 minutes to play in the half.

[update 6:27 p.m.] Slow start for 'Nova... down 10-5 at the 12-minute mark. We are 2-10 from the field, and have given Iowa 9 free throws already.