Making the case: Why Scottie got hosed for Big East Player of the Year

When Scottie Reynolds was named the only unanimous selection to all-Big East first team, it seemed like it would suggest that he was the favorite to be named Villanova’s third Big East Player of the Year in school history. Apparently not.

The news broke on Tuesday that it was Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson, and not Reynolds, who would be taking home this year’s award. There’s a strong case that can be made for Johnson, and there’s no doubt that both could wind up as first team All-Americans. However, there is a better case for Reynolds, and here it is:

1) Scottie paid his dues

For four years Reynolds has become one of the faces of the Big East. He burst onto the scene his freshman year with a 40-point game in a win at UConn. His legend grew when he led a 12th-seeded Villanova team to the Sweet 16 as a sophomore. In the Elite Eight during his junior year, he hit the shot that made him a national name.

When the season is over Reynolds should be Villanova’s all-time leading scorer and one of the most memorable players in the school’s and the conference’s history.

Wesley Johnson, quite simply, is not.

It’s no knock on him, but the facts are that Johnson is essentially a one-and-done for Syracuse. He is a transfer from Iowa State that will most likely be headed to the NBA next season. Syracuse and the Big East are just a stop on Johnson’s path, not a home like Villanova and the conference are for Reynolds.

To me the situation is a lot like the 2002-’03 Player of the Year race. That year Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony took the nation by storm as he averaged 22.2 points per game and 10 rebounds per game en route to an NCAA title.

While Anthony won a lot that season, one thing he didn’t win was Big East Player of the Year. That went to Big East lifer Troy Bell, the senior guard from Boston College who averaged 25.2 points per game. He was a better scorer than Reynolds was, but they were very similar players. Bell got the nod not just because of his stats, but likely also because of his career.

2) Reynolds was better than Johnson in Big East play

Overall this season Reynolds has averaged 18.8 points per game while Johnson is at 15.7. The disparity becomes much greater in Big East games. Reynolds was third in the Big East in scoring during conference play, elevating his scoring average to 19.9 ppg. Johnson’s scoring dipped to 14.8 ppg, good for only 16th in the conference.

Johnson cracked the 20-point mark three times during Big East games. Reynolds did it in nine games.

In his final nine games, Johnson scored more than 16 points just once. Reynolds scored at least 16 in every game.

There’s obviously more to a game than scoring, and Johnson clearly contributes more as a rebounder, averaging 8.5 per game. As a scorer, though, Reynolds was dominant and Johnson was run-of-the-mill in conference play.

Also, it’s true that Johnson suffered form a hand injury down the stretch and that hampered his play. However, Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody missed five games this season with a bone bruise, but his numbers are equally, if not more impressive than Johnson’s, so why not give it to him. And if you think Reynolds is 100 percent healthy after an 18-game Big East schedule, you are mistaken.

3) Reynolds is more important to his team

When Villanova was on the ropes against Louisville, Reynolds scored 30 points in the second half. When the Wildcats needed some one to hit a shot to beat Marquette, Reynolds threw the ball between his legs and then hit a running jumper. When his team needed a lift in the second half, he gave them one each game.

Reynolds is the best player on Villanova, and he has to be every game. It’s not the same for Johnson.

Johnson has surely had some memorable performances (the 20-point, 19-rebound performance against Seton Hall sticks out), but when he contributed less at the end of the season, it was okay. Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson and Arinze Onuaku could carry the load too.

Outside of the occasional dominant performance from Corey Fisher, Reynolds always carries the load. There is no player that means more to his team in the Big East than Reynolds.

Reynolds does-it-all for Villanova. He is the face of the program, and in many ways this year’s face of the Big East. Even without winning Player of the Year, he will be remembered within the conference much more often than Johnson will be. In many ways, he represented what the Big East was all about.

-David Cassilo

Breaking down Villanova’s potential opponents

Today is the calm before the storm as Tuesday the Big East tournament will begin. Villanova won’t know who it is playing until about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, so here is a look at its three potential opponents:

(5) Marquette (20-10, 11-7): The most likely opponent is the Golden Eagles. It would be the latest contest in what has become a budding rivalry between the two schools. The Wildcats have gotten the best of the games recently. They defeated Marquette 76-75 on a Dwayne Anderson game-winner in the quarterfinals of last year’s Big East tournament. This season they have handed them two two-point defeats.

While Marquette has defied expectations after losing its core from a season ago, the Golden Eagles are still tough to figure out. Four of their last fives games have went to overtime, including contests against Cincinnati and St. John’s. While Marquette has defeated Georgetown and Louisville, it has also lost to DePaul.

Led by senior forward Lazar Hayward, the Golden Eagles will be gunning for revenge if they meet Villanova in the quarterfinals again this season.

(12) Connecticut (17-14, 7-11): Perhaps the most difficult team to figure out this season is UConn. It has defeated Villanova, West Virginia and Texas, but also lost to USF, Cincinnati twice, Providence and Michigan. The result of the Huskies erratic play means that they will probably need at least two wins to get an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

Villanova saw first hand how talented the Huskies can be, especially guards Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker and forward Stanley Robinson. However, outside those three players, there isn’t much offense on their roster. Although UConn plays strong defense (a key to their win against Villanova), it often has trouble scoring enough to win games.

The overall talent on this roster will make the Huskies a sleeper pick to reach the quarterfinals.

(13) St. John’s (16-14, 6-12): It has been another rough year for the Red Storm, and perhaps the only thing working in its favor is playing at Madison Square Garden. A season ago that helped pulled off a first-round upset against Georgetown before falling to Marquette.

To do that again St. John’s will need more production from players other than D.J. Kennedy and Dwight Hardy, its only players averaging on double-figures.

The Red Storm fell by 16 in its only meeting against UConn this season and needed three overtimes to defeat DePaul in its last game, suggesting that a lot will need to go the Red Storm’s way for a miracle run through the Big East tournament.

-David Cassilo

All-Big East teams announced: Scottie only unanimous first team selection

Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns all find themselves honored by the league. With Reynolds being the only unanimous selection, it would suggest he is the favorite for Big East player of the year.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Wes Johnson, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 205, Corsicana, Texas
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Herndon, Va. *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-4, 237, Mitchelville, Md.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, So., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Andy Rautins, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-5, 195, Jamesville, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 232, Unionville, Conn.
Jamine Peterson, Providence, F, So., 6-6, 230, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-5, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y. *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Fr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Fr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dane Miller, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Henrietta, N.Y. *
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6-4, 198, Jamesville, N.Y.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.

* unanimous selection

Big East tournament field set: Nova plays 2 p.m. on Thursday

The regular season came to a close today in the Big East with seven Saturday games. Now the field is set, and it is time to get ready for the Big East tournament, which starts on Tuesday.

• 12 PM Tuesday: 9. South Florida vs. 16. DePaul
• 12 PM Wednesday: 8. Georgetown  vs USF/DPU
• 12 PM Thursday: 1. Syracuse vs GU/USF/DPU

 

• 2 PM Tuesday: 12. UConn vs. 13. St. John’s
• 2 PM Wednesday: 5. Marquette vs. UCONN/STJ
• 2 PM Thursday: 4. Villanova vs. MARQ/UCONN/STJ

 

• 7 PM Tuesday: 10. Seton Hall vs. 15. Providence
• 7 PM Wednesday: 7. Notre Dame vs. SHU/PROV
• 7 PM Thursday: 2. Pittsburgh vs. ND/SHU/PROV

 

• 9 PM Tuesday: 11. Cincinnati vs. 14. Rutgers
• 9 PM Wednesday: 6. Louisville vs. CINN/RU
• 9 PM Thursday: 3. West Virginia vs. LOU/CINN/RU

 

If all goes according to plan, the potential semifinal matchups are:

Syracuse vs. Villanova

Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia

We’ll break down what the seeding means for Villanova in the coming days.

- David Cassilo

The Race for the Big East Title

About a month ago, I made a post declaring that the Big East was a two-team race. While those two teams (Villanova and Syracuse) remain atop the Big East standings, Pittsburgh has joined the hunt by winning five straight contests after losing four of its previous five. Even better for Pittsburgh is that it has already beaten Syracuse and Villanova, meaning it needs to only tie for first to earn the Big East tournament’s top seed. Before we get into what may happen, let’s look at each team’s remaining schedule:

Syracuse (26-2, 13-2)

Feb. 27: vs. NOVA, Mar. 2: vs. SJU, Mar. 6: @ LVILLE

Villanova (22-4, 11-3)

Feb. 24: vs. USF, Feb. 27: @ SYR, Mar. 2: @ CINN, Mar. 6: vs. WV

Pittsburgh (21-6, 10-4)

Feb. 24: @ ND, Feb. 27: @ SJU, Mar. 4: vs. PROV, Mar. 6: vs. RU

Immediately looking at those remaining schedules, Pittsburgh has the easiest finish and should end the season win four more wins to being itself to 14-4. Meanwhile, Syracuse and Villanova have two potential losses on their schedules, which includes the game between each other and their regular season finales.

For Villanova, it looks pretty simple. A win Saturday against Syracuse is the team’s only chance of the 1-seed. If it pulls off the upset, it controls its own Big East destiny. Oddly enough, it will most likely either be the 1-seed or the 3-seed for the Wildcats. If they lose to Syracuse, they will be tied with Pittsburgh and will need to win out and hope Pittsburgh trips up to get the 2-seed.

First though, Villanova must get on track with a win tonight against USF. If that doesn’t happen, it won’t matter what seed they are because the Wildcats will be headed nowhere fast.

- David Cassilo

Upsets shakeup Big East picture

With apologies to St. John’s upset of Notre Dame on Sunday, Louisville and Rutgers created havoc in the Big East by knocking off Syracuse and Georgetown, respectively. Let’s look at what those wins mean for those teams involved, as well as the game’s impact on Villanova:

Louisville defeats Syracuse:

• Louisville: The win possibly saves Louisville’s tournament hopes as the Cardinals finally got the signature win they desperately needed. Earlier in the week Louisville lost to St. John’s by 19 points, and it looked like it was primed to fall apart down the stretch. While Louisville has been up-and-down this season, it is now 7-5 in conference. A home game against Notre Dame and a trip to DePaul seem like wins, meaning that Louisville will probably have to win one game out of two home contests against Georgetown and Syracuse and road games against Marquette and UConn to finish with a winning record in the Big East and strengthen its hope for an at-large bid.
• Syracuse: After barely surviving against UConn, the Orange finally saw their 11-game winning streak snapped. Syracuse is still in line for a No. 1 seed, but with trips to Georgetown and Louisville and a home game against Villanova left the Orange will need to get back in a groove to hold on to that position. Surprisingly, both of Syracuse’s losses are at home this season.
• Villanova: The obvious impact is that Villanova now has sole possession of first place in the Big East. The lead also helps immensely because it means that Villanova can lose at Syracuse and will still finish in first if it wins the rest of its games and Syracuse loses just one. It also means that a win at Syracuse would effectively give Villanova the regular season title. The showdown on Feb. 27 could lose even more muster as Syracuse has a tough road game with Georgetown on Thursday, but Villanova would not complain a bit.

Rutgers knocks off Georgetown:

• Rutgers: Perhaps a win like this may go towards saving Fred Hill’s job. Aside from that, it strengthens the team’s hope for a CBI bid.
• Georgetown: The loss coupled with the Louisville win clutters the Big East race. Georgetown, West Virginia and Pittsburgh all have eight wins, while Marquette and Louisville both have seven. Two of those teams will receive double-byes in the Big East tournament. With games against Syracuse, West Virginia and Louisville still on their schedule, the loss Sunday could be enough to ruin the Hoyas’ hopes for the double-bye. The loss also shows that the Hoyas are one of the toughest teams in the country to figure out, as they have easily beaten Villanova and Duke, but also lost to Rutgers, Old Dominion and South Florida.
• Villanova: Georgetown’s loss solidifies that that the Big East is a two-team race. With Georgetown now three games behind Syracuse and Villanova, it will take a monumental collapse by either team to not at least finish with the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament. It also doesn’t hurt that Georgetown is coming off a bad loss, and, much like Louisville was, will be extra motivated to beat Syracuse in its next game.

- David Cassilo

Making the case for Villanova to be No. 1

When Kentucky lost on Tuesday, we knew that there would be a new No. 1 in Monday’s poll.  With another week without a loss behind them, Kansas, Villanova and Syracuse all can argue their claim to be on top.  Even Kentucky could make a case as they still only have one loss and handled red-hot Vanderbilt with ease on Saturday.

While some experts believe that Syracuse should even leap Villanova, and the Wildcats should be no higher than No. 3, here is why Villanova should be ranked first:

1) Villanova is undefeated in the best conference in the country

While their schedule in conference gets harder in February, the fact that Villanova stands at 8-0 in the Big East can not be forgotten.  This is the best conference in America, and that was confirmed when a mediocre UConn team beat Texas and a Georgetown team that is no better than third in the conference, destroyed Duke, the class of the ACC.

The Wildcats continue to win, regardless of who is on their schedule.  Anyone who watched Syracuse-DePaul yesterday knows that every game in the Big East is a difficult one, and to be undefeated this long in conference is noteworthy.

2) Villanova has not lost at full-strength this season

The lone Wildcat loss this season took place when Mouphtaou Yarou and Reggie Redding were sidelined.  Both players are key rotation players and Villanova no doubt would have fared better against Temple with even one of them.  Of the three other teams with one-loss that sit atop the ranking, none of them dealt with missing players of this nature in their defeat.

3) The Wildcats’ loss is better than everyone else’s

Villanova lost on the road to Temple, who even with their loss to Charlotte on Wednesday is ranked No. 14 in the RPI.  Kansas fell to a depleted Tennessee squad on the road that had just suspended their best player Tyler Smith.  Tennessee is currently No. 26 in the RPI.  Syracuse lost at home to Pittsburgh, currently ranked No. 17 in the RPI.  While Pittsburgh beat Syracuse on the road, they did not win at Seton Hall.

None of these are necessarily bad losses, but of all the defeats, Villanova’s is most understandable.

4) Villanova is playing the best right now

Let me run down the impressive statistics Villanova has put up lately:

• The Wildcats have won ten straight games.
• The team has scored at least 81 points in eight of their last ten games.
• Villanova ranks third in the nation with a scoring average of 85.2 ppg.
• The Wildcats have won ten straight and 19 of 21 regular season Big East games dating back to last season.
• The team has won seven straight Big East road games dating back to last season.

The case is there for Villanova.  Add in that Kansas had its shot and that ranking Syracuse ahead of Villanova when they are behind them in the Big East is a bit nonsensical and that case gets stronger.  Now we wait until tomorrow.

-David Cassilo

The Big East is a two-team race

With Syracuse’s beatdown of Georgetown last night, the Hoyas now have lost to both Villanova and Syracuse.  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh begins to fall back to reality, while West Virginia struggles to find the consistency to at point guard to make a serious run.

That leaves Villanova and Syracuse at the top, and barring anything unforeseen, these two teams will remain there, in some order, for the rest of the season.  While Villanova’s 7-0 conference record slightly edges Syracuse’s 7-1, both team have at least ten games remaining on their schedule.  So who finishes on top?  Let’s take a quick look at both team’s remaining slate:

Villanova

Possible losses: @GTown, @WV, @PITT, @SYR, vs. WV

Projected wins: vs. ND, vs. SHU, vs. Prov, vs. UConn, vs. USF, @CIN

Syracuse

Possible losses: @GTown, vs. NOVA

Projected wins: @DPU, vs. Prov, @CIN, vs. UConn, vs. LVille, @Prov, vs. SJU, @LVille

As we can see, Villanova has a significantly more difficult schedule the rest of the way than Syracuse does.  The Wildcats have four games on the road remaining against top-17 teams.  What Villanova has working for them is that they are essentially a game ahead of Syracuse and every road game on the Big East is difficult, making Syracuse’s trips to Cincinnati and Louisville possible tricky situations.

In the end, the conference’s regular season title will most likely come down to that Feb. 27 tilt between Villanova and Syracuse.  A win for Villanova would mean that they could lose at least two other games and still finish in first.  A loss would mean that the rest of the Wildcats difficult schedule will probably cost them the first seed in the Big East tournament.

-David Cassilo

5 Big Questions for the Big East

Now that we’ve passed into the New Year, we can officially get excited for conference play.  We have been treated to a few pre-New Year’s classics (West Virgina-Seton Hall, West Virginia-Marquette), but now we can settle into the weekly slate of intense Big East action.  Here are some of the biggest questions heading into January:

1. Can West Virginia win without starting a point guard?

Bob Huggins is doing something that we only dream of in video games and playing his five best players, regardless of position.  While in theory it seems like a good idea, not having a player below 6’7″ on the court may have disastrous side effects for the Mountaineers.  What we have seen being the biggest negative so far is that West Virginia has proven to be turnover prone, with no example stronger than the beatdown they suffered at Purdue.  Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks are tremendous players but their skill set is not suited to be bringing the ball up facing pressure.  With Joe Mazzulla still battling shoulder problems, the played that must step up is Darryl Bryant.  His shaky play has been one of the reasons that Huggins has decided to bring him off the bench, but for this team to go deep into March he must find a way into the starting lineup.

2. Is Syracuse really the fifth best team in the country, and if so, will they stay there?

For all the talk about Syracuse being the most surprising team in the country, the Orange’s hype has gone a bit too far.  Looking at their schedule, Syracuse has beaten one notable team in UNC.  At that time, the Tar Heels were young, raw and ripe for the picking.  The win against Florida looks less impressive with every Gator loss.

That said they do have a few players that could keep them in the top-10 this season as Wesley Johnson is the real deal and Arinze Onuaku has stepped up this season.  However, the Orange’s season will live and die with it’s point guard play.  Running a platoon of Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche will only hurt the flow and consistency of the offense.  One of these players must take the reins of the unit and become the floor general.

3. Will Mouphtaou Yarou be the final piece to Villanova’s team?

Starting the season so highly ranked was in many ways a distraction for this young Wildcats team.  Villanova very well may be a top-5 team this season, but with all of the inexperience on the roster and departure of a talented senior class that day is more likely to come in March than it was in November.

The Wildcats have survived a few close scares and enter conference play with one loss.  Antonio Pena has played well enough to be seen as a reliable low post presence for Villanova, and Taylor King has shown that he is one of the best scorers off the bench in the conference.  The question is what will the team get out of Mouphtaou Yarou.  The Wildcats need him to provide the defensive presence down low while also just being an extra body in a very thin frontcourt.  It is clear that Villanova would prefer not to have to use Maurice Sutton as a starter, and if Yarou can live up to his promise, the team will be more dangerous than many could even have expected.

4.  Is this the year one of St. John’s, Seton Hall or Rutgers makes a return to the NCAA tournament?

Let’s take this one by one.  The Red Storm right now has the most impressive resume of the three teams, but with the way they looked in a loss to Georgetown, it appears they are more of a pretender than a contender.  Although Norm Roberts has given the team a good core and possibly assembled the best group he has ever coached, St. John’s lacks the offensive firepower it needs to make a serious run as only two if its starters average in double figures.

Seton Hall probably has the best chance to make the NCAA tournament out of the NY/NJ area schools.  Getting a talented group of transfers to add to this roster was a smart decision by Bobby Gonzalez.  One of those transfers, Herb Pope, has proven to be one of the better big men in the conference.  Transfers aside, this offense will live and die with the play of Jeremy Hazell.  If the offensive strategy of having Hazell takes 50 percent of the team’s shots works, then Seton Hall may be one of the most dangerous teams in the conference, and Hazell may be the player of the year.

As for Rutgers, the nine-win start is nice to see, but realistically, Rutgers is still awhile away from postseason success.  The loss of Gregory Echenique is devastating, but even with him Rutgers would be NIT bound at best.

5.  How many teams make the NCAA tournament?

Let’s go with nine.  The three league title contenders are Villanova, West Virginia and Syracuse.  Three other definite bids are Georgetown, UConn and Cincinnati.  The Bearcats are too talented not to finish around 20 wins overall and 10 in conference.  Notre Dame is close to the group and should get in.  The final two will be Louisville and Pittsburgh.  The Cardinals and Panthers are too well coached to go through a down year.

-David Cassilo

Villanova’s Big East Opponents for 2009-2010

The Big East released the conference opponents for each team day.  Here is Villanova’s:

    Home    Connecticut, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame, Providence, Seton Hall, USF, West Virginia
    Away    Cincinnati, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, St. John’s, Syracuse, West Virginia

As you can see, the Wildcats will play Georgetown, Marquette and West Virginia twice and everyone else once.  Playing West Virginia twice should be particularly interesting considering that the Moutaineers and Wildcats are projected to to be the top two teams in the Big East this season.  

-David Cassilo