#7 Pitt bests 'Nova

#7 Pittsburgh won its 20th game last night, defeating Villanova 65-59 at the Wachovia Center.

#22 Notre Dame edges 'Nova

Villanova 63
#22 Notre Dame 66
(box score)

#22 Notre Dame: 17-4 (5-3 BE)
Villanova: 13-6 (14-6, 3-4 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: vs. #9 Pittsburgh, 01/29 @ The Wachovia Center.

Villanova dropped an eminently winnable game tonight against the 22nd-ranked Fighting Irish in South Bend. The Wildcats indeed looked like the better team for much of the game, but simply could not close the deal at the end.

Villanova led by as much as 7 as late as 6:50 to play in the game, but then allowed a 9-0 Notre Dame run. During that stretch, which took up only 2 minutes and 16 seconds on the game clock, Villanova managed to commit 3 fouls and miss 3 layups. The momentum shifted to Notre Dame.

But it's not as if Notre Dame didn't try to give Villanova every opportunity to win the game -- it did. In an ending befitting a sloppy, poorly executed game overall, the Irish allowed Villanova three distinct chances to tie the game with a three. Though all three attempts missed, Notre Dame could have locked up the game without the drama. After all, the Irish did lead by 6 with 37 seconds remaining.

Villanova could not take advantage, however, and thus fell to 3-4 in-conference, with #9 Pittsburgh coming to town on Monday.

It was an ugly, low-scoring, foul-ridden, rotten game. Poetry in motion, it was not. The halftime score was 25-21 in favor of Villanova, which led by 4 at the break despite putting up half the points it scored in its first game against Notre Dame, 10 days ago.

So what went wrong for Villanova? A few things. First, poor shooting. The 'Cats shot the ball at a horrendous 33.3 percent clip, 20-60 from the field. That said, it wasn't much worse than Notre Dame's hardly-scorching 16-46 shooting effort, 34.8 percent. That's just how ugly this game was.

That's right, Villanova actually made 4 more field goals than the Irish. Notre Dame more than made up for it, though, at the foul line, sinking 29 free throws in a ridiculous 37 attempts. Villanova can not make a habit of giving conference opponents the chance for 37 free points.

Correspondingly, the 'Cats spent much of the game in foul trouble. Nardi and Clark fouled out, while Cunningham and Sheridan played with 4 fouls.

Despite all that, Villanova was in the game and actually was leading down the stretch. It was the team's inability to execute in the clutch that did in the 'Cats tonight. Jay's rotation may have been partially to blame.

Scottie Reynolds played 35 turnover-free minutes before losing the ball twice in his last 3 minutes. Reynolds was visibly exhausted at the end of the game. Nardi also looked tired before fouling out in his 35th minute.

Perhaps these two could have been given breathers while Dwayne Anderson and Bilal Benn filled in. Anderson did not see the floor and Benn played only 5.9 seconds. Jay Wright knows his team's stamina better than anyone, but it seems to me that if our best player is too tired to carry the team in the clutch, he should get some rest before the game goes down to the wire.

Similarly, our big men ran the floor in the growing shadow of foul trouble. With Dante, Clark, and Sheridan all in danger of fouling out, why not sub in Casiem Drummond (did not play) for a spell?

Hopefully these substitution issues can be overcome before the biggest game of the season so far Monday at the Wachovia Center versus the top-ten-ranked Panthers. An upset over Pittsburgh may serve as Big-Dance insurance if Villanova finds itself on the bubble in March.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 38 min)

  Reynolds continues to carry the team offensively. Scottie has led the team in scoring the past 4 games, and 6 out of the last 7. He is one of the best rookies in the country and one of the best guards in the conference. Reynolds struggled from the field in the first half, missing all 6 of his shots. He turned it on in the second half, though, shooting 5-8 from the floor to finish with 19 points. Scottie continued his excellent free-throw performance, netting 8-9 tonight. Despite handling the ball the entire game, he committed only 2 turnovers, though both were key mistakes in crunch time. He was clearly tired at game's end; Jay needs to find a way to rest him a little if he is going to be needed in the closing moments of close games. Scottie also led the team in assists, with 8, and steals, with 3. He quite literally left it all on the table tonight, trying to will his team to victory, but came up just short. You can't ask for anything more.
  Grade: A-




• Mike Nardi (S, 38 min)

  Nardi played a good game on the offensive end tonight. He scored 11 on decent shooting, 4-11 from the field and 3-7 from the three. He added 3 assists, 2 steals, and had just 1 turnover. Where his game lacked was on defense. Notre Dame's two starting guards lit up the 'Cats for 37 combined points, and many of those were due to defensive lapses by Nardi. Mike also committed 2 terrible fouls on 3-point shooters well after the ball's release. (One of those shots was later ruled a two-point attempt.) Nardi eventually fouled out of the game.
  Grade: C+




• Will Sheridan (S, 31 min)

  Sheridan got a lot of run tonight, 31 minutes, despite facing foul trouble. The team seems to function best, however, with Will getting 20-25 minutes of playing time. In the last two wins against Texas and Providence, Sheridan had 24 and 23 minutes, respectively. I do not see what Jay Wright sees to justify so many minutes. Sheridan shot 1-4 from the field, and did not reach the foul line. He had just 4 rebounds despite receiving more playing time than any other Villanova post player. By contrast, point guard Reynolds managed 3 rebounds, and reserve guard Reggie Redding had 4. Sheridan had 1 turnover and no steals, assists, or blocks. His defense was marginally better, but it was itself not without mistakes, and it certainly did not make up for the non-existant offensive effort. Why not give Casiem Drummond some minutes in the post, especially against Notre Dame's big, slow, lumbering front line? Will's best role is as a defender against quick, slashing, high-scoring post players, and Notre Dame doesn't have any.
  Grade: D-





• Dante Cunningham (S, 28 min)

  Cunningham's emergence as an excellent player on the low block has been key to the team's recent improvement. He continued his good offensive play tonight, scoring 11 on an (as always) efficient 4-7 from the field. He did take a step backwards at the foul line, shooting 50 percent tonight, including two absolutely huge misses with the game on the line. Though he performed well on the glass with 7 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive end, he somehow managed to commit 5 turnovers. Though he entered the game leading the 'Cats in steals on the season, he did not get any picks tonight. He added a block and an assist, but also committed 5 fouls and was disqualified. In short, it was Dante's usually efficient offensive game plus a lot of mistakes and bad fouls. Hopefully the foul and foul-shooting issues can be soon resolved.
  Grade: C+





• Shane Clark (S, 19 min)

  Clark played an inconsistent, unspectacular game tonight; those two adjectives could also describe his body of work for the year, unfortunately. Shane scored only 5 points, shooting 2-6 from the field. He did not reach the stripe. He pulled in 4 rebounds and 1 steal, but committed 2 turnovers and 5 fouls. Those numbers just don't cut it for a starter. Clark usually excels defensively, but that was not the case tonight, as he was a step slow on the perimeter and ineffective in the post.
  Grade: D+
  
  

• Curtis Sumpter (26 min)

  Curtis was still hurt tonight and maybe should not have played at all. Not only was he limping around on a bruised shin, he was possibly risking further injury by overcompensating for his hurt leg. He shot a dismal 3-13 from the field, missing several easy layups. He was 0-4 from the three-point line. One bright spot was his 5-6 performance from the foul line. He also led the team in rebounds with 10, and had 2 steals and a block. Sumpter had a great look at a three-pointer to tie the game at the end, but could not sink the shot. In short, Sumpter was bad on offense but surprisingly effective on the defensive end. Hopefully the leg heals quickly because we will absolutely need his offense againt Pitt.
  Grade: C-




• Reggie Redding (22 min)

  Redding has played his way into the 7-man rotation and has been inking major minutes of late. The best word to describe Reggie's game is "smooth," with "cool" a close second. He makes few mistakes and glides up and down the floor. His defense has also been improving, and I am now ready to say he ranks with Benn as the team's best lock-down defender. Though Reggie did hit his first 3-pointer in conference play tonight, he has yet to find his offensive stroke. Redding was 1-5 from the field and a surprising 1-3 from the free throw line. He needed to hit all 3 of those free throws, as they came with under 35 seconds to play. Redding added 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist while committing only 1 turnover. When he gets his shooting on track, watch out.
  Grade: B-




• Incomplete grades:
  Bilal Benn (1 min).



• Did not play:
  Dwayne Anderson (CD), Casiem Drummond (CD), Frank Tchuisi (CD), Ross Condon (CD), Andrew Ott (RS), Antonio Pena (RS)

Clemson gets robbed at Duke (w. video)

Right after scoring 5 points in a single trip down the floor to tie the game, the #17 Clemson Tigers got robbed by the officials when #10 Duke was awarded an extra 2 full seconds on the final possession. What happened next? Duke scored with one-tenth of a second left on the clock to "win" the game. If the error hadn't been made, time would have run out 1.9 seconds prior to the winning basket and the game would have been sent to overtime, and Clemson had the momentum.

Instead, the Dukies get another batch of Cameron Indoor home-cookin' and take the win, 68-66. The worst part about the whole thing is that the referees actually took the time to review the play on the television monitors and somehow concluded that act of Clemson's catch, shot, flight, and made basket took only 0.6 seconds, contrary to any definition of common sense.

This sort of thing seems to happen unusually often at Cameron Indoor Stadium, doesn't it? And surprise, surprise, ESPN's Mike Patrick, play-by-play announcer and Duke-fanboy extraordinaire, had nothing to say about the bonus 2 seconds during the broadcast. To be fair, ESPN did highlight the error on the ensuing broadcast of SportsCenter.

Here is the key play on YouTube. The timing error is clear as crystal. Here's hoping the ACC will investigate this situation.



For those interested, here is the original, unedited ESPN broadcast of the last 12 seconds of the game. Notice how Patrick tries to advance the ridiculous argument that Clemson's last basket only took up 0.6 seconds including the catch, shot, and flight of the ball. Unreal.

Villanova dismisses Providence

Villanova 82
Providence 73
(box score)

Providence: 13-6 (3-3 BE)
Villanova: 13-5 (14-5, 3-3 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: at Notre Dame, 01/27 @ The Joyce Center.

The dreaded "letdown" after beating two ranked teams at home is always possible, especially when your team travels to the Dunkin' Donuts Center for a game against the tough Providence Friars. Thankfully, no such letdown occurred, and the 'Cats won their third straight game, four out of their last five.

Victory tonight came sloppily for the Wildcats, who committed 19 turnovers. Villanova did force the Friars into 22 turnovers of their own, however. The 'Cats shooting was fairly good at 53.3 percent from the field, but Providence shot an even-better 55.3 percent. Villanova won the battle of the boards by a 33-23 margin.

The win pulled Villanova to an even 3-3 in conference play. Next up for the Wildcats is a grudge match against Notre Dame in South Bend, on Saturday. If Villanova manages a win there, the team will certainly be ranked in the top 25 come Monday afternoon.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 40 min)

  Reynolds has officially taken the team onto his shoulders. He is the floor leader of the Wildcats and the team's best scorer. He scored 20 -- leading the team -- on good shooting. Reynolds was 7-14 from the field, including 2-4 from the three. He shot 4-5 from the foul line. Reynolds also led the team in assists, with 6, and pulled in 3 rebounds. One eye-popping stat was his 9 turnovers, but a few of those were charging calls that were dubious at best. Reynolds played a great game aside from the turnovers, which plagued both teams tonight.
  Grade: B+




• Mike Nardi (S, 39 min)

  Nardi has really found his stroke. This was his best scoring game of the new year. Mike shot a blazing 7-10 from the field, including an excellent 5-6 from the three-point line, for 19 points total. He had 4 assists and 2 rebounds. He committed 3 turnovers, including a crucial misdirected inbounds pass during crunch time, but otherwise had a good game.
  Grade: B+




• Reggie Redding (30 min)

  Redding had his best game of the season tonight. He played tenacious defense in his career-high 30 minutes, leading the team in steals with 4. He also had 3 rebounds and an assist to go with his 5 points. What's more, he looked fantastic in breaking the Friars' press, and had zero turnovers even while facing Providence's cranked-up pressure defense. He still hasn't found his three-point shot (0-3), but watch out when he does.
  Grade: B+




• Shane Clark (S, 27 min)

  Clark had a solid all-around game tonight, doing a little bit of everything. He shot 5-10 from the field, scoring 11 points. He also co-led the team in rebounds with 6. He added a steal, an assist, and committed 2 turnovers in his 27 minutes. His 0-4 three-point shooting tonight leaves a lot to be desired, but Clark is getting it done where it counts, on the defensive end. One adjustment that could be made is to not channel the ball to Clark in the press-breaking defense, as his dribbling ability is a liability against a pressure defense.
  Grade: B-
  
  

• Will Sheridan (S, 23 min)

  Sheridan shared the team lead for rebounds, pulling in 6, but was very quiet from the offensive end. Will shot 2-7 for 4 points, and grabbed 2 steals while committing just 1 turnover. All in all a solid but quiet game for Sheridan.
  Grade: C+




• Dante Cunningham (S, 17 min)

  Cunningham's minutes tonight were severely limited by early foul trouble. Nonetheless, Dante was able to put up some decent numbers in his 17 minutes. He scored 13 points on efficient 5-7 shooting, and grabbed 5 rebounds. He continues to lead the team in steals for the season, adding 2 tonight. He also had a spectacular block. Dante is by far our best low-post player, and his skills should come in handy for the post-season run.
  Grade: B




• Curtis Sumpter (16 min)

  Sumpter returned to action tonight after sitting out the last game with a bruised leg. The injury does not seem to have fully healed, as Sumpter was limping up and down the court and was very limited in his lateral motion. His offensive game was sharp as he scored 7 points on 3-5 shooting, including a beautiful three pointer. His defensive prowess, however, suffered, no doubt due to the injured leg.
  Grade: C+




• Casiem Drummond (7 min)

  Casiem's efforts were fairly quiet in his 7 minutes of play. He scored 3 points on 1-1 shooting, and added a rebound, an assist, a steal, and a turnover. His defense looked good.
  Grade: C




• Incomplete grades:
  Bilal Benn (1 min).



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

Dante's dunk over Durant

I think anyone who was at the Texas game will remember Dante Cunningham's huge jam over Kevin Durant. Here it is in YouTube form.



Also, 'Cats fan ak3883 has made a 91 MB high-res version for download. That version is really spectacular if your computer can handle it.

Foye matches career high

Villanova alumnus Randy Foye matched his career high in points tonight, scoring 25 as the Timberwolves were blown out by the league-best Phoenix Suns, 102-131.

With leading scorers Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis serving suspensions for the 'Wolves, Randy shouldered the team's scoring load. Foye played 38 minutes and shot 9-17 from the field, including a blistering 5-6 from the three. He also was 2-4 from the free throw line. Randy added 6 rebounds and 2 assists to go with his 25 points.

Foye is getting more and more playing time for the 'Wolves, and his performance and numbers so far are propelling him into the forefront of the rookie-of-the-year race.

Villanova topples #21 Texas

Villanova 76
#21 Texas 69
(box score)

#21 Texas: 15-4 (3-1 B12)
Villanova:  12-5 (13-5, 2-3 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: at Providence, 01/23 @ The Dunk.

The story just before the game was the loss of Villanova's leading scorer, Curtis Sumpter, who was out with a bruised leg. The story during the game, however, was all about how the rest of the Wildcats stepped up and produced their second straight win over a ranked team.

Today, they got it done on the defensive end. Villanova held Kevin Durant, arguably the best player in the country, to 12 points overall and just 1 point in the second half. Durant had entered the game averaging 34 points his last 4 games.

Despite getting a career-high 25 points from rookie point guard D.J. Augustin, Texas could not stay with Villanova today.

With the likes of Durant, Augustin, and Texas guard A.J. Abrams playing, it is saying something to note that the best freshman on the floor at the Wachovia Center Saturday was Villanova's own Scottie Reynolds.

Reynolds once again put the team on his back and lit the Longhorns up for 26, one point short of the career high he set earlier this week against Notre Dame.

After adding in good performances by Dante Cunningham and Shane Clark, decent outings by Mike Nardi and Will Sheridan, and competent play from reserve guards Bilal Benn and Reggie Redding, Reynolds' scoring was enough to lift the 'Cats to an unlikely 2-0 record this week.

Next up for the 'Cats is Providence at the always-tough Dunkin' Donuts Center. Villanova will likely again be without Curtis Sumpter, according to Jay Wright. Wright said that Sumpter would probably return for Villanova's rematch with Notre Dame on Jan. 27 in South Bend.

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

• Scottie Reynolds (S, 38 min)

  Scottie is getting a lot of national attention, and it is well deserved. Since Jay Wright unleashed Scottie and urged him to call his own number a few games ago, the freshman sensation has been on a tear. Reynolds led all scorers today with 26, and flew all around the court, going wherever he pleased whenever he wanted. He took it to the rim at will. His first step and ability to finish are unparalleled. Reynolds also co-led the team in assists, with 6, and led the team in steals with 3. He shot a decent 6-15 from the field and 2-6 from the three, and an excellent 12-13 from the line. His 4 turnovers don't even sour the performance at all, since his defense was so solid. Reynolds even helped guard superstar Durant on the perimeter, giving up about 8 inches. There is no question now that Reynolds is Villanova's best player.
  Grade: A




• Mike Nardi (S, 38 min)

  Nardi played another good game tonight. He co-led the team in minutes (38) and assists (6), and scored 13 points. He shooting was a little off: 4-14 from the field and 3-11 from the three. Many times he was the beneficiary of a Reynolds drive and kick-out for the open three, only to see the shot rim out. If and when those shots start falling, the 'Cats are going to be hell to defend. Nardi also had 3 turnovers and 2 steals.
  Grade: B-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 37 min)

  Cunningham has truly emerged these past two games as a primary offensive option. Dante scored 16 and pulled in 6 rebounds. He also had the most spectacular play of the night, a thunderous dunk all up on the grill of national player of the year candidate Kevin Durant. Perhaps most important, however, was Cunningham's role in shutting down Durant for most of the second half. One strange note is that Dante, the team's leader in steals, did not get any tonight. He also did not turn the ball over, however. Great game from Dante, who has emerged as the Cats' best post presence on both sides of the floor.
  Grade: A-




• Shane Clark (S, 34 min)

  Clark put in a solid effort tonight, posting a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He also doggedly pursued Durant everywhere but in the low post. His defense on Durant may be why Villanova won the game. Clark got sloppy right at the end of the game, missing two huge free throws and fouling a three-point shooter in the closing minutes. These mental lapses were probably due to the exhaustion of chasing around Durant all game. Clark's first start was a great defensive effort, with decent offensive work, as well.
  Grade: B
  
  

• Will Sheridan (S, 24 min)

  Sheridan looked comfortable out there today. He pulled down 7 rebounds and scored 6 points on 2-4 shooting. He did turn the ball over a few times, but it was an otherwise solid effort.
  Grade: C+




• Reggie Redding (18 min)

  Redding got some major minutes tonight. He looked sharp on the floor. Redding has excellent court awareness, not only for a freshman, but for any player. The ball handling and defense looked solid. The only problem was his shot. He missed all of his 3 shots, including 2 three-point attempts that had no chance. He did manage to shoot 2-2 from the free throw line, however. I think his shot will find itself as he gets into rhythm with more playing time.
  Grade: B-




• Bilal Benn (9 min)

  Benn is such a great defender. It's rare to notice a player explicitly for his defense, but that is the case with Benn. Bilal did a little but of everything in his 9 minutes, notching 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist, and 1 turnover. It would have been nice to see him hit the pair of clutch free throws he missed, but otherwise it was a good run for Benn.
  Grade: C+




• Incomplete grades:
  Dwayne Anderson (2 min), Frank Tchuisi (1 min).



• Did not play:
  Curtis Sumpter (leg), Casiem Drummond (CD), Ross Condon (CD), Andrew Ott (RS), Antonio Pena (RS)

Sold on Durant

I'm sold on Kevin Durant.

Before the season started, the NCAA basketball media hype machine was focused squarely on one person: Ohio State's Greg Oden, the incredible 7-footer serving his one year in the college ranks before the NBA's number-one draft pick made him millions.

Oden has been good, maybe even as good as expected, all while playing through injury. But another freshman has stolen the show this winter, and that freshman is Kevin Durant of Texas, and he happens to be coming to the Wachovia Center tomorrow.

Durant looks like the real deal, one of those "I saw him when"-type players. Thanks to a recent NBA rule change that requires high-school phenoms to wait one year after their class's graduation to submit themselves into the draft, the college game will benefit greatly from increased star power. Oden and Durant are just the first wave, but I think Durant particularly has the chance to be something we've never seen before.

At 6-10, 225, with a vertical leap out of the arena, Durant is a rare athletic specimen. But that's just the beginning of the story. It's his game that sets Durant apart. Built like a power forward, he plays like a 2-guard, facing the basket and slashing to the rim at will. The only differences are that Durant is quicker than most guards, and his shot is blocked far less often in the lane once he gets there.

As if that weren't enough, Durant is also effective on the perimeter jumpshot. He is putting down threes at a respectable 37.4 percent clip, and he is able to shoot over pretty much anyone quick enough to get out to him before the shot is in the air.

In short, the only way I can see to guard a player like Kevin Durant is with Kevin Durant himself. Since human cloning has not been perfected, expect Durant to be a superstar for a long, long time.

Durant comes into the Wachovia Center tomorrow to face the 'Cats averaging 24.5 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for the year. He has picked up the pace the last 4 games, however, putting up 34 points and 13.5 rebounds during that stretch. Durant is also usually good for 2 steals, blocks, and assists per game. In short, he can do it all.

It is going to be interesting to see how the Wildcats handle a player like Durant. I like Villanova's chances in this game, especially if it plays like it did Saturday.

But whatever the outcome, at least when people talk about Kevin Durant, I can say "I saw him when."

'Cats run over #20 Notre Dame

       Villanova     102
#20 Notre Dame    87
          (box score)

#20 Notre Dame: 15-3 (3-2 BE)
           Villanova:  11-5 (12-5, 2-3 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: vs. #21 Texas, 01/20 @ The Wachovia Center.

Night and day. That is the difference between tonight's win over #20 Notre Dame and the loss last weekend at the Carrier Dome. Tonight's game wasn't just a win, it was a coming-out party.

It wasn't so much that the 'Cats won, though beating a ranked team is always an achievement. After all, Villanova was favored by 3 points before the opening tip. What mattered most was how decisively Villanova won tonight's game. The 'Cats were in the driver's seat the entire way, dominating a good Irish team. How did they do it? Like I said, it was a coming out party.

It was a coming out party for freshman Scottie Reynolds. Though he had breakout games against DePaul and Georgetown, scoring 25 and 16 respectively in those contents, Reynolds dominated the game tonight like he had never before. This was Scottie's game. His career-high 27 points were impressive; still more impressive was how he scored them. At times I forgot I was watching Reynolds and thought I had stumbled in a time warp to last year, so much did his drive and float tactics resemble Randy Foye's. And there were times when Reynolds' #1 jersey could have been filled by its previous caretaker, Kyle Lowry, and his defense-be-damned determination to get to the rim.

It was also a coming out party for sophomore Dante Cunningham. All season, Dante showed flashes of brilliance, efficiently defending, rebounding, and scoring in the paint, but his efforts were always limited. Why can't they involve Dante more in the offense, I opined in this space. Well involve him tonight they did; Dante scored a career-high 19 in his usual efficient manner. What's more, Cunningham was the focal point of the offense. The team worked hard to get the ball down low to Dante in position, and it paid off, as many of us suspected it would.

Most of all, though, this was a coming out party for Jay Wright. All season long, critics had wondered whether Jay could adapt his guard-loving "take 'em" offense to his current stable of talent. Those questions have now been answered. The offense ran sublimely tonight. The offensive sets were executed crisply and with purpose; feeding the ball inside opened up the quality long-range shot opportunities the 'Cats had been sorely lacking.

The defense also looked fantastic tonight. It held the Irish to a very respectable 39.4 percent shooting, and made excellent adjustments whenever it seemed Notre Dame had cracked the 'Cats' code. Notre Dame's 15-34 (44 percent) performance from the three is partially misleading. Although some of those looks were open as the result of a defensive breakdown, several of the successful shots were closely guarded. Russell Carter alone made three or so three pointers that no defense could have stopped.

Wright also made good use of his bench talent, and the rotation finally seemed to coalesce. Wright's substitutions tonight kept his players running hard, his team's chemistry intact, and the starters' stamina maintained.

After Texas's epic three-overtime loss at Oklahoma State last night (one of the best games I have ever seen), I was resigned to the fact that the Longhorns would probably gore Villanova at the Wachovia Center on Saturday. Durant and Augustin looked unstoppable. After tonight, though, I can say in all honesty that if the Wildcats play on Saturday the way they played against Notre Dame, Texas will be the second ranked team in a row they send packing.

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

• Curtis Sumpter (S, 29 min)

  What a night for Sumpter. The fire in the paint is back. Curtis scored 21, which is routine. What isn't routine is how efficiently he did it. Sumpter shot an excellent 7-12 from the field, and an even-better 3-4 from the three. Curtis took good three pointers, not jacking longshots, and it paid off tonight. Sumpter also totaled 6 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. Even the defense looked better, though not perfect. Sumpter did everything tonight, and he did it well.
  Grade: A-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 30 min)

  Dante was an absolute monster tonight on the way to his career-high 19. His offensive efficiency did not suffer as he became the primary scoring option. If anything, it improved. Dante was 7-11 in shooting from the field. He notched 9 rebounds and 3 steals, leading the team. Also of note was a bone-jarring drunk that brought the house down. It's hard to imagine a better night for Cunningham. Let's hope there are many more to come. He gets a perfect grade tonight.
  Grade: A




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 37 min)

  I said everything you need to know about Scottie tonight in the opening comments. I only wish there were a higher grade than A to give him. We know he scored 27 points, but how many shots did he take? Try 12. 27 points on 8-12 shooting from the field. Reynolds was also 9-10 from the free throw line, and 2-3 from the three. Scottie Reynolds is now Villanova's best player, bar none. We will go as far as he takes us this year.
  Grade: A




• Will Sheridan (S, 32 min)

  Sheridan must feel good tonight. After a string of poor performances, Will shut up many of his critics with a solid game. He shot 3-6 from the field, scoring 6, on mostly good shots. The step away jumpshot just inside the arc is back. Sheridan also co-led the team in boards with 9. He did get burned on defense a few times, but tonight was a huge step in the right direction for Sheridan.
  Grade: B




• Mike Nardi (S, 36 min)

  Michael Nardi is back. He really found his role tonight: distributor first, spot shooter second, hustle all around. Nardi led the team in assists with 7. He also found his stroke again, scoring 18 on 6-13 shooting. He shot 4-10 from the three, double the percentage of his last four games. He put in a good defensive effort, and stayed with Notre Dame's perimeter threats after allowing a few open looks early.
  Grade: B+




• Shane Clark (23 min)

  Clark played his sixth-man role well tonight. He played good defense, shot a decent 3-5 from the field to score 9 points, and pulled in 6 rebounds. He was also a perfect 4-4 from the line. The best part of Clark's 23 minutes, though, was an out-of-nowhere power jam to finish a play on which pretty much everyone in the arena thought he would shoot a lay up. He is a spectacular athlete. If he ever improves his handle and shot, the NBA had better watch out.
  Grade: B
  
  

• Reggie Redding (8 min)

  After not playing at all at Syracuse, Reggie was the seventh man in the seven-player rotation tonight. He looked good. The box score says he had 1 rebound, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers in 8 minutes. What the box score won't tell you is that he played good defense, handled the ball well, and had great court awareness. Two of those turnovers, by the way, were traveling violations called after he had been pushed by a double-team in the backcourt. Had the refs properly called those fouls, he would have had only one turnover. I would like to see more of Reggie, especially in the three-guard set so beloved by Jay Wright.
  Grade: B




• Incomplete grades:
  Casiem Drummond (3 min), Bilal Benn (1 min), Dwayne Anderson (1 min).



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

A-Ray drops 22, leads Celtics in loss

Villanova alum Allan Ray put up 22 points, leading his team in scoring tonight in the Boston Celtics' 96-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Ray scored his career-high 22 points in just 28 minutes played, which is nevertheless also a career high in minutes for the rookie. The Celtics started a strange lineup of four forwards and one point guard, but rookies Ray and Kentucky star Rajon Rando saw significant minutes and made outstanding contributions off the bench.

Ray sank 6 of 9 shots from the field, and hit 3 of his 5 three-point attempts. He also was 7-8 from the free throw line.

A-Ray and the Celtics next play Sacramento at home on Friday night.

'Cuse kills the 'Cats

Villanova 64
Syracuse 75
(box score)

Syracuse: 14-4 (3-1 BE)
Villanova: 10-5 (11-5, 1-3 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: vs. Notre Dame, 01/17 @ The Pavilion.

After a statement win over Georgetown in Washington, Villanova looked to even its conference record with a win at Syracuse on Saturday afternoon. Victory, however, was not in the cards for the 'Cats, as the team suffered perhaps its worse loss of the season at the hands of the Orange.

Although the game started out beautifully with an alley-oop from Reynolds to Cunningham to make the score 2-0 Villanova, it was pretty much all downhill from there. The Wildcats couldn't make shots, couldn't play defense, and couldn't score in transition. Syracuse shot a blazing 54.5 percent from the field, while holding the Wildcats to an anemic 36.1 percent. I use the word "holding" lightly, as Villanova missed several wide open looks.

Villanova was able to force 20 turnovers while only giving the ball away 12 times, an excellent margin. The 'Cats could not capitalize, however, as they were outscored on the fast break 11-2. Despite the plus-8 turnover margin, 'Nova managed only a 17-16 edge in points off turnovers.

The real problem, however, was shooting. Villanova's freeform offensive philosophy produced precious few easy buckets. The "take 'em" approach that worked so well with three NBA guards last year seems to be languishing this season, as the 'Cats have precisely one player who can create off the dribble as the offense requires.

With three new, highly touted guards coming in next year, Jay Wright may indeed want to stick with his guard-centric, create-for-yourself style. It does seem that the offense will create a lot of headaches this year, however, as the only player who gains any advantage from the offensive sets is Reynolds.

Villanova may not have won this game with any kind of offense, though. The Wildcats missed shots at a fantastic rate yesterday; in the second half they managed to miss fully two-thirds of their shots, going 10-30.

The 11-point final margin of victory for Syracuse is fairly misleading, as the Orange were comfortably ahead the entire second half and were in complete control of the game.

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

• Curtis Sumpter (S, 37 min)

  Sumpter once again led the team in scoring, putting in 24. He shot well from the field, 9-17, and from the three, 3-5. He grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the team, and had 3 steals. He only committed 1 turnover. These numbers are fantastic by any measure, but Villanova did lose the game. Sumpter is an excellent scorer, true, but sometimes the team needs him to take charge during dry spells and moments of panic. Curtis has rarely done that this season.
  Grade: B+




• Dante Cunningham (S, 34 min)

  Cunningham's performance as the point man of the full-court press is a sight to behold. His long wingspan and natural athleticism give him a major edge in forcing turnovers. He co-led the team in steals with 3. Dante also grabbed 4 boards and scored 4 points on his typically efficient 2-3 shooting. This sounds like a broken record, but they need to involve Cunningham in the offense more.
  Grade: B




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 32 min)

  It was a frustrating game for Reynolds, especially following his two career-best performances against DePaul and Georgetown. Scottie started out the game well, finding Dante on a beautifully-timed alley-oop and swishing a threeball. Inconsistency crept into his play, though, especially in the second half. Reynolds finished with 4 turnovers, leading the team. He also could not seem to find his stroke. Reynolds shot 4-15 from the field, and a terrible 2-10 from the three. He is a better shooter than that, but the shots weren't going in on Saturday.
  Grade: C-




• Will Sheridan (S, 22 min)

  Sheridan was a non-factor in the game despite starting and playing for 22 minutes. He was 1-3 from the field with 2 points, and only managed to get 2 rebounds. Sheridan is a competent role player, but would he be starting if he weren't a beloved senior? It may be time to look in other directions for the team's post minutes.
  Grade: D-




• Mike Nardi (S, 38 min)

  Frustration was the word of the day for the senior leader Nardi. He scored 17 points, second on the team, but he did it on 5-17 shooting, including a dismal 2-10 from the three. Nardi is in a major slump, shooting 13-51 from the field in his last four games, 25 percent. He is also 7-34 from the three in that span, a 20.5 percent success rate. The team needs a second major scorer to complement Sumpter, and unless he is set up by his teammates, Nardi may not be able to play that role. Nardi is a tremendously better shooter when he is able to catch and fire open and in rhythm. What he cannot do is create his own shot. Yet that is what he has been trying to do lately, with the expected results. I am a big Mike Nardi fan and cannot wait to see him get it back on track.
  Grade: D+




• Shane Clark (14 min)

  Clark was very quiet in his 14 minutes, scoring just 3 points on 1-4 shooting. He grabbed two rebounds and committed 2 turnovers. He may have suffered a minor injury during the game as he saw no action in the final minutes.
  Grade: D
  
  

• Casiem Drummond (12 min)

  Drummomd played no role in the offense in his 12 minutes, but looked good on the defensive end. He had 2 rebounds, an assist, a turnover, and even a steal. Count me in amongst the growing set of Drummond fans. I also believe either Casiem or Clark should be this team's fifth starter, with an edge to Drummond, because I like the offensive spark Clark can provide off the bench.
  Grade: C-




• Dwayne Anderson (5 min)

  In a game where Villanova could not score for its life, the highly touted "instant offense" provided by Anderson consisted of 0-1 shooting and no points. He literally had no statistics in his 5 minutes of play aside from 2 personal fouls. Why not take some shots, Dwayne?
  Grade: D-




• Bilal Benn (6 min)

  Maybe if Benn got more minutes he could get into the flow of the game better. With only 6 minutes played from the point, is it any surprise Benn could not contribute offensively? Benn is a good defender and should be able to shoulder the load a bit from Nardi. If Nardi is going to be playing 38 minutes per game while only hitting 1 in 4 shots, it's going to be a very long rest of the season. Benn, for his part, didn't do much of anything during his limited playing time, but that's not to say he couldn't given a longer period of run.
  Grade: D




• Reggie Redding (Did not play: coach's decision)

  Why didn't Reggie play? In a game where our guards couldn't make anything happen offensively, why not give Reggie some minutes? Is he that inept on offense? If so, that assessment differs greatly from the ability he showed in high school: namely, that he knew how to put the ball in the basket. The only real reason for not playing Redding that I can think of is that Villanova may be extremely close to signing Tyreke Evans. Though that would indeed be good news, it certainly doesn't seem fair to Redding if that is indeed the reason he stayed on the bench Saturday. I am not privy to private team matters or performances in practice, and it may be simply that Reggie is in the doghouse. But in a game where the offense is sputtering and the game is quickly getting out of reach, I would have thrown Redding in there to see what he could do.
  Grade: NA




• Incomplete grades:
  None.



• Did not play:
  Reggie Redding (CD), Ross Condon (CD), Frank Tchuisi (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.

'Nova stuns G'Town

Villanova 56
Georgetown 52
(box score)

Georgetown: 11-4 (1-1 BE)
Villanova: 10-4 (11-4, 1-2 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: at Syracuse, 01/13 @ The Carrier Dome.

The experts didn't give Villanova much of a chance tonight. Jay Bilas said he would be quite surprised if the 'Cats pulled out the win. Statistics guru KenPom's model gave Villanova only a 21 percent chance of victory.

Georgetown had won 7 games in a row by an average of 25 points per game entering tonight's contest. Villanova, on the other hand, had lost 2 straight and was looking at an 0-3 conference start if Georgetown won like it was supposed to.

All that was rendered moot by some excellent play by the Wildcats. Though the offense still has some kinks to work out, with Villanoca shooting just 38 percent from the field, the defense was sublime.

Villanova forced 22 Georgetown turnovers (it would have been about 26 if the refs hadn't missed several 10-second calls), and generally wreaked havoc on The Hoyas' offensive plans. Indeed, leading Georgetown scorer and monster in the middle Roy Hibbert did not even take a shot from the field, and scored just 2 points on free throws.

Overall it was a fantastic win for Villanova, and should imbue the team with some much-needed confidence for this weekend's road trip to the Carrier Dome.

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

• Curtis Sumpter (S, 16 min)

  Sumpter got into foul trouble early tonight, which severely limited his minutes. A few of those fouls were bad decisions on Sumpter's part, however. Curtis shot only 25 percent from the field, 2-8, scoring just 5 points. He grabbed 2 rebounds and committed 3 turnovers. It should be noted that Villanova played better without Curtis tonight, making major runs when he was on the bench. Overall it was a tough game for Sumpter, but look for a big rebound against the Orange -- we will need his inside scoring.
  Grade: D




• Dante Cunningham (S, 27 min)

  Cunningham had a big game tonight. He took 6 shots, which is huge for him, sinking 4 and scoring 8 points. He also led the team in rebounds with 8. He looked great on the blocks, and even exploded for a huge dunk on the baseline. It was a decidedly above-average night for Dante. The 'Cats need to feed him more down low.
  Grade: B




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 36 min)

  Reynolds carried the team again tonight, willing the 'Cats to victory. He was by far our best player on the court tonight, and that fact is quickly becoming a trend for the team. Reynolds scored a team-high 16 on 6-14 shooting, but the real story was his defense. Scottie was an absolute terror in the pressure D, notching 4 steals. He also played a key role in denying the Hoyas a speedy exit from the backcourt, which severely disrupted John Thompson's offensive sets. Finally, Scottie led the team in assists with 3. It's an A-minus tonight instead of an A because of the 5 turnovers, which mainly consisted of freshman mistakes Scottie should quickly overcome.
  Grade: A-




• Will Sheridan (S, 33 min)

  Sheridan looked much-improved on the defensive end. He was responsible for Hibbert much of the night, and Hibbert did exactly nothing. Still, Will played 33 minutes and did exactly nothing himself on offense. He scored 4 points on 0-2 shooting, but was perfect at the foul line. He also pulled in 4 rebounds and made 3 steals. A solid night defensively, but too quiet on the offense.
  Grade: C+




• Mike Nardi (S, 36 min)

  Though Mike's shooting woes continue, Nardi played 36 minutes and the team had a huge win, that's the bottom line. Mike was 1-7 from the field, including 1-5 from beyond the arc, scoring just 3 points. He did not get to the foul line. He had 3 rebounds and 2 assists, but also committed 3 turnovers. The defense looked a tad better; no one Mike was covering lit up the 'Cats tonight. Still, he is taking a lot of bad shots, and even Jay Bilas pointed out the verbal lashing bestowed upon Nardi by Jay Wright during a time-out after one such ill-advised shot. A great heads-up play at the very end of the game when he saved a possession largely mitigates a terrible night.
  Grade: C-




• Shane Clark (28 min)

  Clark was very clutch tonight. He scored 14 points, second on the team, on 3-7 shooting and a fantastic 6-6 from the charity stripe. Clark also scored 'Nova's last 4 points, cooly icing the win at the line. Shane led the team in three-pointers, sinking 2-4. He also had 3 rebounds, an assist, and 2 steals, with 2 turnovers. Though he still looks a little awkward with the ball, especially when he tries to put it on the floor, Clark is definitely improving.
  Grade: B+
  
  

• Casiem Drummond (13 min)

  Drummomd earned some major minutes tonight with his competent inside play. He shot an efficient 3-5 from the field, scoring 6, and grabbed 4 boards in his 13 minutes. He also managed to get a steal. His defense was solid. If Drummond does not manage to crack the starting lineup by the Big East Tournament (I think he will), he will at least be a major part of the rotation and possibly the first off the bench.
  Grade: B




• Dwayne Anderson (11 min)

  Dwayne's impact on the game is usually an immediate offensive spark. Though he did not do that tonight, he did play decent defense. He grabbed 2 rebounds and had 2 turnovers in his 11 minutes, and shot 0-1 from the floor, going scoreless. Still, he did not look bad out there, and should continue to see minutes in Big East play.
  Grade: C




• Incomplete grades:
  None.



• Did not play:
  Bilal Benn (CD), Reggie Redding (CD), Ross Condon (CD), Frank Tchuisi (CD), Andrew Ott (RS), Antonio Pena (RS)

DePaul downs 'Nova

Villanova 65
DePaul 73
(box score)

DePaul: 9-6 (10-6, 1-1 BE)
Villanova: 9-4 (10-4, 0-2 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: at Georgetown, 01/08 @ The Verizon Center.

Both teams came into the Pavilion this afternoon desperate to avoid the dreaded 0-2 start in conference play. Though DePaul had beaten some good teams, including Kansas and California, it had also lost to some bad teams (Northwestern, UAB), and its mediocre 8-6 Division 1 record made the Blue Demons a considerable underdog.

Villanova needed a win dearly after its loss to West Virginia, not only for confidence, but also as insurance against a brutal upcoming schedule. It got neither today as DePaul led for fully 39 minutes on the way to beating the Wildcats on their own floor.

What went wrong for Villanova? Defense, for one. Villanova allowed the Demons to shoot 49 percent from the field and 42 percent from the three. Bad shooting and shot selection also plagued the Wildcats. Villanova could manage no better than the same 38 percent from the field that it shot from behind the three-point arc.

During the game, my thoughts mirrored those expressed by the announcers. Sure, Villanova trailed now, but it was only a matter of time before the 'Cats pulled ahead and didn't look back. Well, they did pull ahead, by 1 with 8 minutes to play in regulation, but DePaul put an end to that 18 seconds later with a 3-pointer.

Villanova then let the game slip away. It was a game the Wildcats should have won. DePaul is a terrible road team; before beating Villanova today, DePaul's D1 record away from home was a dismal 1-7.

If Villanova hopes to make the NCAA Tournament this year, it is going to have to play much better than the performance put forth today.

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

• Curtis Sumpter (S, 37 min)

  Curtis is a much better inside player than he is a perimeter player. This may be a hard pill to swallow for Sumpter, whose NBA chances (if any) would seem to rely on him making the transition to the 2-guard. Right now, however, it's still the college game, where Curtis is dominant inside and worse-than-mediocre outside. Just look at the shooting percentages today: 50 percent from inside the arc, 20 percent from the three. This has been the story all season long. Shooting 2-10 from the three? Why is it necessary to hoist that many long-range shots? Many of them weren't even open looks. Curtis finished second today in scoring with 15 on 6-18 shooting overall; he also added 8 rebounds and 2 nice blocks.
  Grade: C-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 36 min)

  It was a very quiet game for Dante. He only took 3 shots, making 1, and grabbed just 3 rebounds. For what it's worth, he looked good on defense and leading the full-court press, but the time has come from Cunningham to assert himself offensively.
  Grade: C-




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 33 min)

  It's too bad the loss soured what was the best individual performance by a Villanovan this year. Scottie showed today what I have suspected (and written in this space) all along: his is the best three-point shot on the team. Reynolds stroked a scorching 7 of 11 three-point attempts, dropping 25 points on the DePaul defense. He shot 8-14 overall and contributed 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block, and made only 2 turnovers in a game where it seemed none of his teammates really cared whether they won or lost. Glance at the box score and you will note his 25 points, easily a career high. The real story, though, was how hard this freshman played, and how much his competitive spirit showed. He tried to put his team on his shoulders tonight, and it was almost enough for a victory. I expect big things from Villanova's only McDonald's All-American this season.Grade: A




• Will Sheridan (S, 30 min)

  After an atrocious effort in Morgantown, Will somewhat redeemed himself today. He was good on the glass with 9 rebounds, and a perfect 6-6 from the line. He also did not turn the ball over. There are still major problems, however, on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Sheridan shot 0-3 tonight, missing lay-ups that should have been in. He still plays almost no role whatsoever in the offensive attack. Sheridan also had some trouble defending the lane today; the Blue Demons scored at will in the paint when they felt like taking a break from sinking threes.
  Grade: C-




• Mike Nardi (S, 28 min)

  Villanova's radio announcers claimed that Nardi took the floor tonight with the flu. It seems entirely plausible, as Mike's effort tonight was well below his standards. Though Nardi has a solid stroke when his feet are set and he has an open look, he should not be taking contested threes. Mike shot a dismal 4-13 from the field, including 3-10 from three-point land. Nardi was also unable to finish on a few run-out opportunities, costing the 'Cats dearly in a game where every possession mattered. Nardi was not impressive on the defensive end, where he gave up numerous open jump shots. He did lead the team with 4 assists, but the shot selection and defense have to improve if Mike is to regain his swagger as senior team leader. Grade: D+




• Shane Clark (16 min)

  Clark was wholly unimpressive tonight. He looked awkward on both ends of the floor. Clark scored 5 points on 2-4 shooting from the field, and led the team in turnovers with 3, despite playing just 16 minutes. Is Villanova jersey #20 cursed, causing wobbly knees and general unfamiliarity with the basketball? We hope not, for Shane's sake.
  Grade: D
  
  

• Bilal Benn (14 min)

  Benn is Villanova's best defender, and that alone should earn him more minutes. In addition to bailing out the 'Cats' defense on the press and on the perimeter, Benn led the team in steals with 2. Bilal has a good handle and should look to take it to the basket more often. His shot is also decent. Unfortunately, Benn's offensive impact on the game tonight was nil.
  Grade:C+




• Incomplete grades:
  Casiem Drummond(4 min), Dwayne Anderson(2 min).



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

Watch DePaul game live online

ESPN Full Court is showing the game live right now for free.

Here is the direct link (thanks to BBManager on the VU Sports board).

It requires Windows Media Player.

West Virginia game grades

        Villanova 56
#25 West Virginia 67
(box score)

West Virginia: 11-1 (12-1, 2-0 BE)
Villanova: 9-3 (10-3, 0-1 BE, 3-0 B5)

Next game: vs. DePaul, 01/06 @ The Pavilion.

Villanova began its conference play with this tough loss at West Virginia. The #25 Mountaineers were clearly the better team tonight, as they hit open shots at will, and confused the Wildcats with John Beilein's much-feared 1-3-1 zone.

It isn't often I'll say this, but Jay Wright looked out-coached in the first half. Villanova looked completely unprepared on defense and baffled on offense against the stifling Mountaineer D. West Virginia even shut down VU's in-bounds plays, and picked off one of the "long bombs of last resort" so familiar to Wildcats fans these past few years.

Villanova quickly fell behind, and despite a mini-comeback in the first half, the Wildcats trailed by 22 at halftime.

Jay made a fairly good adjustment in the second half, adding a full-court press on defense, and focusing inside more on offense. This allowed Villanova to cut the lead to 4 at the 5:19 mark before West Virginia eventually pulled away.

Still, when the chips were down, the Wildcats could not guard West Virginia's shooters. The 'Cats allowed Frank Young to hit a gratuitous 8 three-pointers, of which several were wide-open looks.

Also, when the lead was cut to 4, Villanova abandoned the methods that got it there. Gone was the full-court press, and instead of pounding the ball inside on offense, which had been working, the Wildcats jacked some ill-advised threes.

Villanova had 16 turnovers tonight, including far too many in the clutch minutes. All in all, it was not the Wildcats' night. They will need to play more disciplined if they hope to pull even in conference play on Saturday against DePaul.

I think the team is better than what we saw tonight. If not for the atrocious first half, we may well have won this game. Jay Wright, as usual, said it best tonight in his post-game comments:

I don't think we are a bad team. I think we're a really good team that looked bad tonight. The first half told the story. They executed really well. We were just living on the edge there.

Sage words, Jay.

Onto the player grades. Click "READ MORE" below for player performance grades and analysis.

• Curtis Sumpter (S, 35 min)

  It was a tale of two halves for Curtis, who was off in the first 20 minutes but spectacular in the second period. After going 2-7 from the field and committing 3 turnovers in the first half, Curtis came out of the locker room ready to go on a tear. He shot 7-11 in the second half, and had no turnovers. He seemed to score at will in the post against the undersized Mountaineers. Sumpter finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 turnovers, and 3 steals. It was an above-average night that was spoiled by a sloppy first half.
  Grade: B-




• Dante Cunningham (S, 28 min)

  Cunningham is probably the team's most consistent player. He plays very efficiently and makes few mistakes. This, however, is starting to become more and more an indication that he needs to step up and play a larger role. As our best pure post player, most athletic defender and floor-runner, and leader in FG percentage, I want more of the offense run through Dante. I don't know if this is a Jay Wright issue or a Dante issue, or both, but Dante needs to step up: he is one of the team's best players. Dante scored 7 tonight on 1-1 shooting, and led the team in rebounds with 8. He also added 2 steals and had no turnovers. Very efficient play, now get him the ball more.
  Grade: B-




• Scottie Reynolds (S, 27 min)

  The cliche would be to say that Scottie looked every bit like a freshman tonight. Reynolds seemed a little dazzled in his Big East debut, making several poor decisions with the ball and totaling 4 turnovers in the first half. His play improved dramatically in the second half, where he committed only 1 turnover. Scottie hit the boards well, pulling in 5 rebounds, and had 2 steals to go with his 7 points. He only dished out 1 assist, however. Reynolds can certainly do better.
  Grade: C-




• Will Sheridan (S, 30 min)

  It was a rough night for Will. He was a total liability on offense, unable to score or even advance the ball usefully. He led the team in turnovers, with an unconscionable 6, including several that killed our comeback in crunch time. How he managed 6 turnovers without any ball-handling responsibility is beyond me. Sheridan took bad shots, finishing 1-5 from the field and scoring 2 points. His 7 rebounds were not enough to make up for the fact that Villanova played 4-on-5 on offense whenever he was out there. The team simply played much better with different lineups, and the fact that Sheridan had to go 30 minutes on such an off night is a mistake by Jay Wright. There is no way Sheridan should have seen that much playing time. It may be time to take the red shirt off Antonio Pena, depending on the status of his knee. We need another offensive presence down low, and at this point Bump is not the answer. Sheridan should rotate in for defense, but I do not think he should start as we move into conference play.
  Grade: F




• Mike Nardi (S, 29 min)

  I did a double-take when I looked at the box score and saw that Nardi had no turnovers tonight. That may be true, but it doesn't mean he didn't make any mistakes handing the ball. Time and time again he dribbled the ball directly into WVU's double team, instead of making an easy pass. Nardi was also very off in shooting tonight, going 3-14, including an atrocious 1-9 from the three. A few of those were desperation heaves in the game's final moments, but he did not shoot well overall. Mike managed to score just 12 points on his 14 shots, and spent a good chunk of the second half on the bench with foul trouble. We will need better scoring from him. One bright spot: he led the team in assists with 4. Grade: C-




• Shane Clark (29 min)

  Shane played 29 minutes tonight, but did not really contribute very much. After stroking a three-pointer to give Villanova its first points of the game, he missed his next 6 shots, finishing 1-7 from the field. He was OK on the glass, with 5 rebounds, and did add 1 assist and steal each to go with his 1 turnover. It was just a mediocre night for Clark, though, as he did nothing of note in the second half.
  Grade: C-
  
  
  

• Dwayne Anderson (12 min)

  Aside from a really nice drive-and-dunk that the announcers cited as the textbook way to exploit the WVU zone, Anderson was largely ineffective.
  Grade: C-




• Bilal Benn (7 min)

  Benn looked solid in his 7 minutes. He should have played more. He had an assist, 2 rebounds, and no turnovers in his limited action, and scored 2 points on 1-1 shooting. More important, however, he did not make many mistakes and played good defense. Look for Benn to get some increased playing time against DePaul on Saturday.
  Grade:B-




• Incomplete grades: Reggie Redding(3 min).



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

TV for tonight

Villanova's conference opener against #25 West Virginia will be televised tonight live for a lot of Wildcats fans.

The game is being produced by ESPN+ and was picked up by several local networks.

In Philadelphia, the game is being shown on WPHL, channel 17. In New York, you can find the game on the Fox Sports Net New York network. The game will also be aired by Comcast and Cox in several of their local areas throughout the Mid-Atlantic and South.

In short, check your local listings.

Boston residents, unfortunately, will be out of luck tonight, unless they have DirecTV with a sports package. If you're in Boston and want to see the 'Cats, try a sports bar with a satellite dish.

NBA names Foye rookie of the month

Randy Foye, the former Wildcat taken seventh in last year's NBA draft, was named the Western Conference rookie of the month of December by the league.

According to the Minnesota Timberwolves,

December highlights for the Villanova product include a 15-point and seven rebound effort at San Antonio on Dec. 13, a career-best 25 points in a 100-98 win over the Bulls on Dec. 26 and 18 points, four assists and two steals at New Jersey on Dec. 30. In his last four games of the month, Foye averaged 15.9 ppg and 50.0% shooting.

Jorge Garbajosa of the Toronto Raptors was the Eastern Conference rookie of the month.

DePaul TV status resolved

[UPDATE, Jan. 4, 6 p.m.]

WFMZ, Philadelphia's local channel 69, will air the game live at 2 p.m.


Rain this past weekend in Philadelphia led to the postponement of the annual Mummers Parade, forcing the event to be rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 6.

What does this have to do with Villanova basketball? Everything, my naive friend. WPHL, the Philadelphia local network slated to show the Jan. 6 game against DePaul, will also air the parade that same day. The parade begins and 9 a.m. and ends sometime around 7 p.m., while the game tips off in the Pavilion at 2 p.m.

This creates a time conflict. What will WPHL do? Villanova fans pondered this question for literally several days.

It seems we now have an answer. I talked to a station manager at WPHL today, who informed me that the game will be shown on tape-delay immediately following the conclusion of the Mummers Parade.

This places the broadcast around 7 p.m., well after the actual conclusion of the game (barring a record number of overtime periods).

The WPHL representative also told me that ESPN was considering showing the game without a local blackout on its ESPN Full Court network.

ESPN Full Court is having a free preview period from Jan. 5-12, both online and on television. If ESPN picks up the DePaul game, anyone with broadband Internet access or digital television should be able to watch the game live for free.