Second Half Scottie

Scottie Reynolds has made a reputation as one of the best closers in all of college basketball.  He seems to raise his game to another level whenever the stakes rise.  His statistics in the second half show this ability.

• Overall, Reynolds scoring average is at 18.8 ppg.  His second half scoring average is at 12 ppg.  This means that 63.8 percent of his points come in the second half.
• In Big East play, Reynolds scoring average is up at 20.6 ppg.  This boost is largely because of his second half scoring average which sits at 14.3 ppg.  This total accounts for 69.4 percent of his points.

While it is unclear where he ranks nationally or in the conference with these statistics, it would be safe to assume that he is either first or second in the Big East.  Meanwhile his 14.3 second half ppg in conference are more points than Georgetown’s Chris Wright, UConn’s Kemba Walker and Cincinnati’s Deonta Vaughn score per game.

-David Cassilo

‘Nova bounces back, knocks off WV 82-75

Villanova got the signature road win it needed and recovered from its loss to Georgetown with a very strong performance.  The win was also sweet revenge for a 93-72 loss in Morgantown last season.  Here are some of the interesting notes from the game:

• With the win, Villanova has not lost back-to-back games since Mar. 2 , 2008 when it fell to Louisville after losing to Marquette.
• Corey Fisher, who is quietly have a very strong season, set the tone early for the Wildcats and finished with 17 points.  Were it not for foul trouble, it could have been a very big night for Fisher.
• Scottie Reynolds led the team in scoring against, with 21 points.  With 19 of those points coming in the second half, he has been one of the best second half players all season.  I am trying to find out where his second half scoring average ranks nationally.
• The other three starters stepped us for Villanova, as well.  Specifically it was Antonio Pena who looked great, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.  Whenever he plays well, it greatly enhances Villanova’s chance of victory.
• The Wildcats got very strong contributions from Isaiah Armwood and Dominic Cheek, who had eight and seven points respectively.  Both have earned the right for more minutes, mainly because of their work on the defensive end, as well.
• Mouphtaou Yarou did not get into the game, and Maalik Wayns played just three minutes.  It remains to be seen what the reason for this was, but I suspect it has to do with being more consistent defensively.
• Speaking of the defense, the Wildcats played a lot better in that area, holding West Virginia to a 4-for-21 start from the field.  Villanova eliminated its press, and it seemed to help.
• Against the much bigger West Virginia team, the Wildcats won the rebounding battle, 37-27.
• Villanova was helped out from the free throw line as it made 19 of 22 attempts while West Virginia made just 18 of 32.
• Taylor King continues to struggle to find his stroke, missing all six attempts he had from the field.
• Da’Sean Butler, who had 43 points last time these two teams played, finished with just 13 after making 2 of 12 shots from the field.
• West Virginia actually outscored the Villanova bench, 22-19.

- David Cassilo

What was exposed against Georgetown?

Many reasons are being tossed around for Saturday’s 103-90 defeat at Georgetown.  Among them is the travel problems, wide foul discrepancy, hot Georgetown shooting (specifically, Jason Clark) and the poor Villanova shooting in the first half.  Now that Villanova has lost again, let’s examine some of the problems that have been exposed:

1) Fouls

While many will point to yesterday’s high foul total as partly the referee’s fault, the fact remains that Villanova is fouling at an extremely high rate.  The Wildcats have attempted the second most free throws in the conference in Big East games with 271 (USF leads with 273).  However, they also have allowed their opponents to attempt 287 free throws, including the 50 that Georgetown attempted on Saturday.

Limiting fouling is a complicated task because you do not want to limit your team’s aggressiveness.  However, the main reason that Villanova’s defense has struggled is because its opponents are getting so many chances to score with the clock stopped.  Perhaps it is a result of running such a small lineup, but the fact is Villanova needs to stop having its players get in foul trouble and consequently, allowing other teams free points.

2) Disappearance of the third scoring option

We know Scottie Reynolds is having a fantastic season, and that Corey Fisher is a great No. 2 option and one of the most underrated guards in the country.  What we don’t know is, who is that third option?  Here are how many times the rest of the team has scored in double-figures in the ten games of Big East play:

• Antonio Pena: 3
• Taylor King: 1
• Corey Stokes: 4
• Maalik Wayns: 4
• Reggie Redding: 2
• Dominic Cheek: 1

The fact is that Pena, Stokes and Redding need to improve their offensive outputs if this team is going to reach its potential.  They are the team’s veterans.  For example, Redding attempted just two shots on Saturday.  That is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, Wayns and King have to find their groove that they had earlier in the season.  They need to become like Fisher was last season for the team, where he came off the bench and gave them instant office.  Cheek will have more chances to score because he has been playing strong defense and that will earn him more minutes.

Does Villanova need seven guys in double-figures every night?  That would be nice, but a bit unrealistic.  Does it need a consistent third option?  Absolutely.  Don’t forget that last season, while Dante Cunningham and Reynolds were carrying the team for most of the season, it wasn’t until Dwayne Anderson found his offensive groove that the team became its most dangerous.

3) Defense

As different as this team is from last year’s, the 2010 group could learn a little from last year’s team.  Let’s rewind back to Feb. 13 of last season, roughly a year ago.  After winning six straight games, Villanova suffered a beat down at the hands of West Virginia, 93-72.  Much like this year, that loss was in the middle of a terrible defensive skid that saw the Wildcats give up 80+ points in six straight games from Feb. 4 to Feb. 22.

On Mar. 2, the team traveled to Notre Dame and shut down the Fighting Irish offense, allowing just 60 points.  From that game until the end of the season, Villanova’s defense was drastically improved.  In fact, it was perhaps the main reason the team went so far in the tournament.  Just ask UCLA and Duke, who were kept under wraps by the Wildcats all game long.

The lesson?  There is a lot of time, and quite honestly, Jay Wright would probably admit this team is further along than he would have imagined.  There are six new additions to this year’s team, and the hardest thing to get a young player to figure out when he comes from high school is the defensive adjustment that he now must make.  Wright stressed it early in the season and continues to stress it.

Eventually, his young kids will have to figure it out for this team to get back to the Final Four, and if that is on Mar. 2 again, we will once again being saying,”Just in time.”

- David Cassilo

Top 10 Villanova moments of the past year: Part 5

Here’s part five of five of our week long series of looking back at Villanova’s top 10 moments of the past year:

2. Dwayne Anderson beats buzzer and Marquette with layup- Mar. 12, 2009

Much like the NCAA tournament, Villanova received a serious scare in the first round of the Big East tournament.  After building a 16-point halftime lead, it appeared as though the Wildcats would cruise to an easy win, but Marquette battled back and took a one-point lead with 1:36 remaining.

The Wildcats and Golden Eagles exchanged empty possessions, and then Villanova had one final chance.  Reggie Redding dribbled the ball at the top of the key and found Anderson slashing along the baseline.  Anderson laid the ball up against the glass as the buzzer expired.  The ball danced along the rim until it finally fell into the net for a 76-75 Villanova victory.

1. Scottie Reynolds’ dash for Detroit- Mar. 28, 2009

Hands down, this was one of the best games in tournament history.  Two Big East powers battled in Boston for a chance to the Final Four and what ensued was a classic.

The second half was back-and-forth the entire way, but never did that lead extend too far in either team’s direction.  When things looked bleak, Anderson played the second half of his life and made every play necessary.  When it looked like Villanova had the game, Reggie Redding threw the ball away and allowed Pittsburgh to tie it.

In the end it was Reynolds who came through.  Redding got the inbounds in this time, and after Dante Cunningham caught it, he passed it to Reynolds, who dashed down the court before laying it up over Gilbert Brown.  The basket meant a Villanova victory and trip to its first Final Four since 1985.

-David Cassilo

Top 10 Villanova moments of the past year: Part 4

Here’s part four of five of our week long series of looking back at Villanova’s top 10 moments of the past year:

4. Dante Cunningham is drafted 33rd overall by the Portland Trail Blazers- June 25, 2009

Anyone who claims to have seen this coming before the season was a liar.  Cunningham had carved out a nice college career through his first three seasons but did not seem like a serious NBA prospect.  Then came his senior season and things changed.  Cunningham developed a lethal jump shot that caused a jump in scoring average, earning him the Big East’s Most Improved Player and making him the best player on Villanova’s Final Four team.

So far, Cunningham has seen several minutes per game as a bench player for Portland and is averaging 3.4 ppg and 2.4 rpg.

3. Villanova destroys basketball powers UCLA and Duke- Mar. 21 and Mar. 26, 2009

Part of the reason that made 2009 special for Villanova was who they played in the NCAA tournament.  After defeating American, the Wildcats had the chance to take on the storied program of UCLA.  While UCLA may have had the history, Villanova had the victory as they tore apart the Bruins in front of a raucous Philadelphia crowd, winning 89-69.  Both Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson had double-doubles for Villanova, and overall six Wildcats scored in double-figures.

Next up was a trip to the Sweet 16 where Duke was awaiting.  After an evenly played first half, Villanova trounced the Blue Devils by outscoring them 51-31 in the game’s final minutes to win 77-54.  Cunningham had another double-double while Scottie Reynolds led all scorers with 16 points.  The Blue Devils shot just 26.7 percent from the field.

The two wins set up an Elite Eight matchup between Villanova and Pittsburgh.

-David Cassilo

Basketball links from The Villanovan: Feb. 4

Here is this week’s batch of basketball links from our paper:

Preview of Saturday’s matchup against Georgetown

Recap of Tuesday’s win over Seton Hall

Scottie reaches 2,000 points

Big East Roundup for last week

Top 10 Villanova moments of the past year: Part 3

Here’s part three of five of our week long series of looking back at Villanova’s top 10 moments of the past year:

6. Class of 2009 becomes winningest class in Villanova history- Mar. 2, 2009

By no means was Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, Shane Clark and Frank Tchuisi the most heralded class in school history, but they were the class with more wins than any other in the school’s history.  A convincing win over Notre Dame gave the group that distinction.

The four Wildcats finished their careers with 102 wins and capped their four years with a trip to the Final Four.  In many ways they exemplified exactly what Villanova basketball has become under Jay Wright – doing whatever is needed to win.

5. Villanova survives American in the first round- Mar. 19, 2009

The magical run that was the 2009 NCAA tournament almost was over for Villanova just when it started.  It looked like the upset bug might bite the Wildcats as a scrappy American team led by Garrison Carr took a 10-point lead into halftime.

Villanova, though, turned things around in the second half and used a 15-0 run in the second half to take control and avoid the upset in front of the hometown Philadelphia crowd.  Both Dante Cunningham and Dwayne Anderson sparked the comeback for Villanova as each had 25 points, which was also a career-high for Anderson.

The Wildcats prevailed 80-67, and that second half was the beginning of a run that would end in the Final Four.

-David Cassilo

Nova downs Seton Hall 81-71

Here’s a quick rundown of the game highlights as there will be a full game recap in this week’s Villanovan:

• With a layup in the second half, Scottie Reynolds became the school’s eight player to reach 2,000 points.
• Reynolds had 13 of his 15 points in the second half, while Corey Stokes scored all 11 of his in the final 20 minutes to get past Seton Hall.
• The Wildcats were able to withstand 32 points from Pirates’ guard Jeremy Hazell.
• Antonio Pena played a strong first half, scoring 12 points and finishing with 16 to go along with eight rebounds.
• Villanova has won 36 straight games at The Pavilion, 11 straight overall and 11 straight Big East regular season games dating back to last season.
• Seton Hall has lost eight straight to Villanova and has not beaten them on the road since 1994.
• After the game Seton Hall Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez said that Reynolds deserved Big East Player of the Year.

-David Cassilo

Top 10 Villanova moments of the past year: Part 2

Here’s part two of five of our week long series of looking back at Villanova’s top 10 moments of the past year:

8. Scottie Reynolds sinks Marquette with game-winner- Jan. 2, 2010

During his senior season, Scottie Reynolds has taken his game to another level and has been possibly the best player in the Big East.  That ascension into elite status took liftoff in Villanova’s first conference game, against Marquette.

With Villanova trailing 72-71, Reynolds hit arguably his second most memorable shot of his Villanova career (we all know his first).  He took the ball at the top of the key, avoided two defenders by bringing the ball behind his back and dribbling it through his own legs and then rose at the foul line to sink a jumper while getting fouled.  Although, he missed the foul shot, Marquette failed to ever take the lead back and fell 74-72.

7. A trio of Wildcats win Big East awards- Mar. 9-10, 2009

A memorable March for the Wildcats kicked off with three Big East honors.  Guard Corey Fisher picked up the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year award.  Fisher averaged 10.8 points per game, which was second among all bench players in the Big East.  He also managed to score in double figures in 11 of the 15 games he came off the bench.

Teammate Dante Cunningham took home the conference’s Most Improved Player award.  Cunningham improved his scoring average from 10.4 ppg his junior season to 16.4 ppg his senior season. He also raised his rebounding average from 6.5 rebounds per game to 7.3 rpg.  Cunningham looked like a completely different player his senior season, as he developed a lethal jump shot in the offseason.

The final award went to Head Coach Jay Wright, who picked up his second Big East Coach of the Year award.  The Wildcats finished one spot ahead of their preseason conference prediction of fifth and finished the regular season ranked No. 10 in the AP poll.

-David Cassilo

Top 10 Villanova moments of the past year: Part 1

One year ago today, The Villanovan Sports Blog started with a recap of a 71-50 win over Cincinnati.  Now, 164 posts, 33 wins and one Final Four later, and we have decided to spend the week commemorating what has been a magical 12 months for Villanova basketball.

What follows is the first of five installments in our week-long series of counting down the top 10 Villanova basketball moments of the past year.

10. Villanova wins the Puerto Rico Tip-Off- Nov. 22, 2009

It is easy to forget that the Villanova season almost began with disaster.  After starting 2-0 the Wildcats traveled down to Puerto Rico for a three-game tournament.  Even before they stepped on the court, the team was given devastating news as starting freshman center Mouphtaou Yarou was sent home with a viral infection.  That viral infection turned out to be Hepatitis B, and Yarou missed eleven games.

A now thin Wildcats team barely survived its first game against George Mason, needing a furious second half comeback and a game-winning three-point shot from the unlikeliest of heros, freshman forward Isaiah Armwood, who played just four minutes.  Those three points were his first of the season.

Villanova then handled Dayton and Ole Miss to win the tournament.  Junior forward Antonio Pena had an impressive 17 points and 16 rebounds in the final game and earned himself the tournament’s MVP.

9. Scottie Reynolds returns for his senior season- June 9, 2009

With the option to enter the NBA draft and still be able to return the school, Reynolds took a calculated risk and put his name in the draft pool without signing an agent.  After participating in workouts for several teams, Reynolds decided his best option would be to return to Villanova for his senior season.

Thus far, it seems like he made the right move as Villanova is 19-1, and Reynolds is averaging a career-best 18.7 points per game.  His strong play has his name in both Big East and National Player of the Year conversations, and the Wildcats are off to their best start ever and highest ranking in school history.

-David Cassilo