DETROIT - Kansas finished off Villanova 72-57. Both teams called off the dogs with about 30 seconds left.

Not exactly the raucous celebration like when Davidson won.

KU finished with 54% shooting on 24-46. Rush had 16, Robinson 15 and Chalmers 14 for the Jayhawks.

Nova got the shooting percentage up a bit to 36%, but it wasn't nearly enough. Reynolds had 11, and Clark and Cunningham had 10 each.

KU fans aren't even doing the Rock Chalk thing yet. Maybe they all went home.

So we have Davidson vs Golaith again on Sunday at, it was just announced, 5:05 ET.

The beggars are out behind me. Some pre-teen boys are hitting us up for media guides and, I'm not sure this is a good idea, used towels from the Nova bench.

Time to find the Davidson party. See you on Sunday.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Jay Wright and Nova never gave up. He coaches all the way to the end. He pulled Stokes with about 1:45 left and let him having it for blowing a defensive assignment. "You gotta get out on that man! We're down very bad word 15!"

Now, they're down 12 with just over a minute left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Jay Wright was trying to get Weed (I'm pretty sure) to do something, but what exactly that was remains a mystery. He just kept yelling 'C'mon Weed!" over and over until he got sick of it and turned to his bench to send in a sub with, "Go get Weed." I'm also pretty sure that he was not placing a take-out order.

Anyway, Weed, that is Dwayne Anderson, is out.

So is Nova, trailing by 17 with 3:30 left.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - It isn't getting any better for Villanova as they still trail by 19 at the 12-minute timeout.

Much of the crowd has headed for the exits.

Jay Wright is starting to lose his optimism and show some frustration at his team's inability to stop the alley oop, of which Kansas has about six.

The Wildcats haven't quit though. They're pressing and trying to get back in it, but KU is toying with them.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - This is getting ugly. Jeremy Case drained a three late to extend the Kansas lead to 41-22 at the break.

Kansas cooled off from their torrid start, but is still shooting 59%, while Nova is a putrid 25%. Russell Robinson has 13 and Brandon Rush 11 to lead KU. Scottie Reynolds' six paces a very balanced Wildcat attack, such as it is.

Jay Wright is still keeping a positive outlook though.

Just talked to Brent Stover from the Big Ten Network, who reports that the Wisconsin locker room was like a morgue. No surprise there.

We actually got a little halftime entertainment this time. The Kansas Dance team performed, but because my cell phone takes mediocre pictures at distance, I don't have one, which will disappoint our colleague, Eric Sorenson.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas has finally stopped Nova's run with a 7-0 run of its own to extend the lead back to 15 with 3:45 to go.

Jay Wright had Scottie Reynolds out of the game for a minute, and when he sent him back in, he told him, 'When he's outside the three point line, keep your hands off him." Not exactly sure who he meant, but my guess is Robinson.

Also, after a Reynolds walk, Wright turned to one of his assistants and said, "Don't say anything. Just don't."

Sasha Kaun tried a goofy-looking, two-handed tip that looked more like he was trying to set a volleyball than tip in a basketball. It didn't work.

When Wright called timeout here, a manager grabbed a couple of stools for the players to sit on, and a priest sitting with the team grabbed a couple also. I guess he doesn't just provide moral support.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DETROIT - The Villanova bench is lively at the 8-minute timeout because they have cut the lead to 10 and KU just threw the ball away.

Scottie Reynolds has a couple of threes to spark this 8-2 run.

Remember how I said that little schools have cheesy mascots. Here's a cheesy big-school mascot.

More of a jaychick than a Jayhawk. The number on the jersey is 1/2.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

DETROIT - Kansas is on fire to start the game. The Jayhawks have hit 9 of their first 11 shots, including three dunks and three long balls by Russell Robinson to get out to a 24-10 lead with 11:42 left. Kansas also has at least four steals already.

Villanova coach Jay Wright is staying positive and encouraging. He's not nearly as animated, or to this point, negative as McKillop is on the sidelines.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - Kansas is getting up and down the floor all they want early on as they have jumped out to an 11-6 lead at the first timeout.

The Jayhawks already have two alley oops, and almost got a third. They are very quick in transition, but even after made baskets.

That must be way coach Self seems so relaxed.

All he needs is a bar to go with his stool

Posted by Jerry Palm at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT - While the Hoops Odyssey boys are off doing the postgame rounds, let me clean up some garbage from the last game.

Davidson came back on the boards to finish within 3. It seemed worse than this, but the turnover margin was only +5 for Davidson, but they had nine steals.

We don't get info like second-chance points.

Now, the lineups for game two, which is five minutes away.

Kansas starts:
G: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Russell Robinson
F: Darnell Jackson, Darrell Arthur

Nova counters with:
G Scottie Reynolds, Cory Stokes
F Antonio Pena, Dwayne Anderson and Dante Cunningham.

Our ref, Doug "Show of" Shows (pardon me for channeling Berman for a moment), Pat Evans and TV Teddy Valentine, who I may have to report for stalking me. He's like Visa, everywhere I go.

Danny Manning just came out onto the court. His famed championship run in 1988 came through Detroit. Back then, they played in the Pontiac Silverdome. They beat Vanderbilt and Kansas St to get to the Final Four. The 4th team in that regional was Purdue, which is why I was there. The Boilers were the top seed, but lost to Mitch Richmond and KSU.

Not that I'm bitter.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

DETROIT -- The Detroit regional features two of the three double-digit seeds remaining in the tournament. It's not likely either will still be there when the dust clears on Friday.

Continue reading "Midwest Regional: The Day Before Preview" »

Posted by Jerry Palm at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- 13 years ago, Darrin Horn helped take Western Kentucky to the Sweet 16 as a player.
Now, he has done it as a coach.
The Hilltoppers advanced with a 72-63 win against San Diego and will now face top seed UCLA on Thursday in Phoenix.
"I'm just unbelievably happy for these kids," Horn said. "These guys have worked hard. They're great kids and they deserve it. I'm really happy for our players and our program."

Continue reading "Tampa sweet for Western Kentucky, Villanova" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- After sweating it out to even make the tournament, Villanova has advanced to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats (22-12) beat Siena 84-72 to move on and face top seed Kansas on Friday.
"Coach always said that we had to be the best team at the end of the season," guard Scottie Reynolds said. "We went through some ups and downs during the season, but we always stayed consistent with what we were trying to accomplish. The last two or three weeks, we have been playing our best basketball."
Reynolds lead the way with 25 points, hitting 4 of 7 3-pointers.
The Cats didn't allow for much suspense in the game, jumping out early and holding the lead throughout.
"We were scared to death to get behind them early because we weren't goint to be able to press them and force turnovers," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Once you get that lead, it's so hard to keep playing every possession and not take a break. It's the hardest thing to do in sports, I think. Harder than coming back."

Posted by Mike McCall at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- One minute left, Villanova leads the Saints 83-69.
I think it's safe to call this one now. Tay Fisher is checking back in to jack up some 3s, pretty much Siena's only chance right now.
Unless there's a miracle, I'll see you later with a wrapup of this one - probably early in the Western Kentucky-San Diego game.
That one promises to be a real fight, with scrappy guards, good shooting and two intriguing big men. San Diego has Gyno Pomare down low, and he can spot up from nearly anywhere. It took quite a while for him to miss against UConn. For WKU, there's D.J. Magley, a Sean-May type but a little rough around the edges.

Posted by Mike McCall at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- They're still behind, but the Saints are hanging around like that annoying aunt who's probably at your house right now for Easter.
There has been a slight momentum shift in the building, and a few Siena spurts have put some life into the casual fans (not to mention those of WKU and San Diego) who are rooting for the underdog.
Siena's shooting has improved, but they can't really get any closer than 10. They have also missed quite a few shots around the hoop.
Tay Fisher has pretty mich been a nonfactor in the game. His 6-6 shooting from 3-land yesterday was crucial for the Saints, but he is 1-3 today and hanging around on the bench. Ubiles has 10 now, and Hasbrouck 13.
With 7:15 left, Nova leads 67-54

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Hopefully that last post was legible. It's amazing how awful things look without punctuation or numbers, but Hewlett-Packard clearly has something against me.
Kenny Hasbrouck came out of his first-half coma and is hitting some shots. He has 7 points already this half. Edwin Ubiles, the other Siena scoring threat, is still having difficulty. He makes great moves to the basket or to get open shots but can't convert. At least he is drawing fouls though. The last one was on Scottie Reynolds, who has an absurd 20 points for Nova.
Even wilder, freshman Corey Stokes is right behind him with 18.
Nova up 55-39, 15:19 to go

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA Fla My capslock key is mysteriously stuck right now so Im going to try to navigate through this post bear with me
Things don"t look very good right now for Siena
The Saints shot a pitiful twenty seven percent from the field in the first half and leading scorer Edwin Ubiles was oh for six from the floor
Second leading scorer Kenny Hasbrouck didnt help much either going two for seven with six points
So far he lacks the flair he had Friday against Vandy
On the other side Scottie Reynolds are tearing it up
Theyre shooting a combined eleven for seventeen and have accounted for all five of Novas threes
The Saints will probably start launching threes now and the good news is that they are hanging around even with cold shooting
Second half just underway fiftyone to thirty seven Nova

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- After hitting a 3 and blocking a shot, Siena had a chance to get some momentum going into the half but a traveling call cost the Saints their last possession.
Villanova is hot from outside (5-8), and was fouled on two of those misses.
Siena is having problems on offense, not really running any kind of set or forcing Nova to really buckle down on defense. Nova is having success down low, but Dante Cunningham and Caiem Drummond have three fouls each so that advantage might not last long.
Scottie Reynolds has 17 and Corey Stokes 14 at the break, while Hasbrouck has a quiet 6 for Siena.
At the half, it's 42-32 Villanova.

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's still early, but this isn't the same Siena team that beat Vanderbilt. The Saints are cold from the field and having triouble with the Cats' press.
Antonio Pena brutalized Siena on Nova's first possession but missed an open shot. It's a tough matchup inside for the Saints.
Hasbrouck got whistled for two early fouls, which is the worst possible news for the Saints. They need him on the floor.
Reynolds drained a 3 from deep - the same spot on the floor that Western Kentucky's Ty Rogers hit his buzzer beater from against Drake - and then hit another shortly afterward. He's 3-4 from deep and has 17 points.
Overall, the Cats are 5-8 from 3-point range. Siena brought Tay Fisher in to counter, and sure enough, he did, making his first and getting fouled on a second.
39-27 Nova with 2:39 til the half.

Posted by Mike McCall at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's still early, but this isn't the same Siena team that beat Vanderbilt. The Saints are cold from the field and struggling to beat the Cats' press.
Antonio Pena brutalized Siena on Nova's first possession but missed an open shot. It's a tough matchup inside for the Saints.
Hasbrouck got whistled for an early foul (just more than a minute in), which is the worst possible news for the Saints. They need him on the floor.
Reynolds drained a 3 from deep - the same spot on the floor that Western Kentucky's Ty Rogers hit his buzzer beater from against Drake - and then hit another shortly afterward.
Overall, the Cats are 3-4 from 3-point range. Siena brought Tay Fisher in to counter, and sure enough, he did, making his first and getting fouled on a second.
21-10 Nova with 11:01 left and three shots coming for FIsher.

Posted by Mike McCall at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- It's a beautiful Easter Sunday here in Florida, and we're stuck inside. Hopefully, the two games today can match the excitement of those from Friday as four underdogs try to secure bids to the Sweet Sixteen. First up is Siena (23-10) vs. Villanova (21-12).

Continue reading "Siena-Nova on tap" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Call it Tampandemonium.
After all of Thursday's games yielded just one upset that wasn't an 8-9 game, Tampa gave us four in a row on Friday.
If you're religious, today was Good Friday. If you're a hoops fan, it was great.

Continue reading "Tampa doesn't disappoint" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- If you like upsets, this is the place for you. Tampa was Upset City on Friday, and Villanova capped it off with a 75-69 win against fifth-seed Clemson.
After trailing by as many as 18 in the first half, the Cats stormed back and took the lead for good with 11:00 remaining.

Continue reading "Cats complete Upset Day with comeback win" »

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Scottie Reynolds has made play after play to fuel Villanova's comeback, and now his efforts are building a lead.
Reynolds has ceased to be the shooter and become the dealer. His latest assist came from his knees while recovering a loose ball. He scooped it to Antonio Pena for an and-1 layup.
Clemson has gone stagnant on offense, and they need some kind of a spark to reclaim the lead.
As of now, the Cats are running away.
It's 63-55 VU with 5:28 on those cool, flatpanel clocks here at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Corey Fisher hit a 3 as the shot clock hit zero to break a 52-all deadlock. (It's a good day to shoot 3's if you're a Fisher).
Then he drove and drew a foul on the next possession that sent Trevor Booker back to the Clemson bench with four fouls.
He slipped up on the ensuing Tigers drive by fouling Terrence Oglesby (who is actually white) on a 3-point attempt. Oglesby hit all three shots.
Dante Cunningham answered with a driving layin to make the Nova lead 3, Clemson threw away a fast break and that's where we stand, 58-55 Villanova with 6:53 to play.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- We've got some solid competition here now.
Reynolds banked in a 3 on his way back to the ground after getting fouled to give Nova the lead, 50-49 with 11:56 left.
A quick recap of the last few minutes:
Reynolds hit an unbelievable double clutch layup to bring Nova within 1 at 44-43.
The Cats then got the ball back and had momentum, but a traveling call sent it back the other way.
VU center Dante Cunningham picked up his fourth foul. He only has 4 points, but it's good to have a big body inside anyway, especially the way Clemson likes to attack the basket.
Stitt hit a 3 for Clemson, and Antonio Pena responded with a layin on the other end.
Pena hurt his leg a few plays later. He was limping and wincing for the next minute or so and Jay Wright subbed him out.
Then, Dwayne Anderson got hurt after getting fouled on his way to the basket. Another leg injury and two Nova big men are sitting.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Nova keeps cutting Clemson's lead to 5 or so, but the Tigers always answer.
Scottie Reynolds is heating up from 3-land. He has hit two in the second half to give him 13 points on the day.
The crowd is really getting into it now, and the back-and-forth scoring is starting to create quite an atmosphere.
This game doesn't have that underdog edge to it, but there's nothing like a shootout.
44-39 Clemson with 15:55 to go.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Here come the Cats.
Nova came out of the gate and scored 5 quick points to cut Clemson's lead to 7, 39-32.
Scottie Reynolds just hit a 3 with 18:59 left, and we've got a ballgame.
A dart to the staff member who made the stomach-painted Nova girls who were standing behind press row go back to their seats.

Posted by Mike McCall at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson's up 12 at the half.
The Tigers have taken 17 3's now and hit seven. They are led by Demontez Stitt with 9 points.
This one is far from over, it has just been pretty boring. There were a few big plays, but not a whole lot of competition.
Villanova almost converted a full-court alley-oop at the halftime buzzer.

The Table Leaper award goes to the Tigers' James Mays:
Chasing a loose ball, Mays leaped onto the first table on press row, jumped to the second and then jumped on each of the first three rows of seats (empty of course). It was the most impressive thing I've seen yet in this game, which is quickly becoming a snorer.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I'm gonna switch to autopilot for a little while. It's late, I'm emotionally drained and this game isn't living up to the others. Clemson leads 29-16 with 7:36 left.
They're more energetic, making shots and just generally better than Villanova right now.
Raymond Sykes had a big follow-up jam a second ago. There was noone even remotely close to blocking him out.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Clemson has more fans here than Nova, but it remains to be seen which side the casual viewers will take. In the Drake-Western Kentucky game, fans basically rooted for overtime and then whoever was behind.Clemson is clearly enamored with 3-point shooting, but that's no surprise. The Tigers have hoisted 3's like they're going out of style all season. Right now, they're 4-8 and hold a 22-12 lead with 11:31 remaining.

Posted by Mike McCall at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TAMPA, Fla. -- I feel like I'm in basketball's Disneyworld.
Three upsets in three games, and this game is supposed to be the exciting one.
Clemson leads Villanova 12-7 with 14:58 to go in the half.
The Tigers have already taken six 3's (they made two) but are 3-3 from the rest of the field.
Let's see if this can live up to the other games. At this pace, Nova should be considered a heavy favorite.

Posted by Mike McCall at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown ran away at the end and beat Villanova 82-63. Obviously, this was a game that was a lot closer than the score would indicate, and Villanova really hopes the selection committee sees that.

When I said that Wallace locked up player of the game, even if he took the second half off, I didn't think he actually would, but he only had one point after the break and finished with 20. Jessie Sapp led the Hoyas with 23.

As a team, the Hoyas shot an insane 17-27 from beyond the arc, for 63%. Nobody beats Georgetown if they shoot like that.

Villanova only made 17 total shots and only hit 33% from the floor.

West Virginia and Connecticut are already warming up for game two. The winner will take on Georgetown tomorrow.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown keeps hitting the threes. Summers and Sapp have hit again and the Hoya lead is now 15. Georgetown has made 17 three pointers today, which makes up for the 0-point, five foul performance by Roy Hibbert.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - A pair of Jessie Sapp three pointers sandwiched around an alley oop to Summers have helped Georgetown push the lead out again. Austin Freeman canned one as well and the Hoyas are up 62-54 at the 8-minute timeout.

Villanova's shot selection hasn't been as good these last few minutes. They have been getting inside, but too deep and putting the ball up in a crowd. That isn't working so well.

Vernon Macklin, one of Hibbert's backups, just fouled out.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown has regained the lead 51-50 at the 12-minute timeout in the second half. Villanova had the lead for a minute or so, and it was as high as four. The Hoyas came back on a dunk and one by Ewing, and a layup and one by Sapp.

Dwayne Annderson played a couple of possessions after losing a shoe. He even tried a three-pointer, but missed.

The Hoyas finally got to the line, hitting all four attempts. They didn't shoot any freebies in the first half.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova has started the half on a 10-0 run, and Dwayne Anderson will go to the line to try to complete a three point play and tie the game. Reynolds hit a three pointer on the last possession and Roy Hibbert is now out of the game with four fouls. The fourth one was offensive, and not much smarter than the third foul.

Anderson was fouled on a layup that rolled around the rim a bit before falling in. The ref calling the foul didn't actually wait for the ball to go through before he rang up the basket. It was still on the rim.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown has been raining threes on Villanova all half long and leads 40-29 at the break. The Hoyas are a ridiculous 10-17 from long range, and that includes Rivers' 60-footer at the horn that missed.

Hey! Our first dance team of the festivities. Villanova's is performing at halftime.

Jonathan Wallace was 7-8 from the floor, 5-5 from long range for 19 points. He's already the player of the game, even if he takes the second half off.

Scottie Reynolds, now playing with a big bandage near his eye, has 8, as does Antonio Pena for the Wildcats. Pena had a nice half working inside on the Hoya big men.

Villanova - all things considered - is in pretty good shape. The Wildcats only shot 30% from the floor themselves, and they only trail by 11. If they can slow down Wallace and hit some shots of their own, they can still climb back into this game.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown has put up five more points and leads 34-19. Chris Wright became the fourth Hoya to bury a three on their last possession.

Right before the timeout, Georgetown was called for a foul, and Patrick Ewing flipped the ball high in the air in frustration, an act for which he was rewarded with a technical foul. So, Nova will shoot four freebies out of the timeout.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Scottie Reynolds has had to go back to his corner to see the cut man for a gash over his right eye. He fell going up for a shot and came down prety close to the basket standard. He may have hit the cameraman down there, or perhaps his chair. He didn't appear to get fouled on the play.

We had a timeout to clean up the floor with Georgetown up 29-17 with 5:30 left in the half.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Roy Hibbert picked up two fouls in the last minute, so he is the third Hoya with two. Georgetown is still comfortably ahead 25-15 thanks to continued hot shooting by Jonathan Wallace. He's 5-5 from the floor, 4-4 from beyond the arc for 14 points.

Summers just came back into the game for the Hoyas with his two fouls.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown has hit six of seven three pointers and leads Villanova 20-10 at the second timeout.

Foul trouble is already coming into play. There have only been seven fouls called total, but three players already have two each. Joining DaJuan Summers on the Georgetown bench is Jeremiah Rivers, while Dwayne Anderson has both Villanova fouls.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Three three-pointers by Jonathan Wallace has helped Georgetown get out to a 12-4 lead at the first timeout. The other three came from DaJuan Summers, who also picked up two quick fouls and is on the bench.

There have been a few comical looking matchups between 7'2" Roy Hibbert and 6'2" (in heels, maybe - not that I've ever seen him in heels) Scottie Reynolds. They ended up guarding each other off of defensive switches. When Reynolds was on Hibbert, Georgetown didn't recognize it. When Hibbert was on Reynolds, he took him off the dribble and got fouled (by Summers).

Hibbert also had the ball once at the top of the key and tried a dribble spin move and dish, but passed it right to Nova. I guess his point guard dreams have been dashed.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Georgetown and Villanova are warming up for their game in the Big East quarterfinals, which tips off in about 20 minutes. Georgetown is right in front of me, and by right in front, I mean reach out and touch close. Man, these guys are big. I look Hibbert in the navel, and I'm 6'1".

This is a big game for Villanova's chance for selection in the NCAA tournament. A win could all but seal the deal for them. The Wildcats might get in even if they lose, but why take the chance?

They are also looking to finish the job. Nova had the Hoyas on the ropes earlier this season, but gave it away at the end with the help of a controversial call late in the game. This time they want to leave no doubt. Problem is, neither does Georgetown.

I thought I would get a quick bite before the game, but now I'm worried it might bite back. I hate to diss free food, but the cheeseburger they gave us for lunch might be the worst in the history of cheese. And burgers.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Syracuse finishes the regular season 19-13. Only two of those wins came over top 50 RPI opponents, and both came at home. They also lost 2 of 3 to the Wildcats. Combine that with bad losses at Cincinnati and USF, and losses to fellow fence sitters Ohio St and UMass, the latter at home, and you have the resume of a team going to the NIT. Worst of all though is that with their season on the line, they looked like an NIT team today. It's not like they played well and came up short. They played badly and came up way short.

Villanova won the game by shooting lights out in the second half against Syracuse. The Wildcats shot 17-26 (65%) in the second half including 8-10 from three point range. The Orange only shot 29%.

Syracuse did take care of the ball better in the second half with only six turnovers. Both teams finished with 18, which is high, but better than the first half.

Scottie Reynolds led five Wildcats in double figures with 22. Corey Stokes added 18, Dwayne Anderson had 14, Dante Cunningham 13 and Shane Clark put in 11. The only other Wildcat to score was Antonio Pena with 4.

Donte Greene had 17 to lead Syracuse, with Jonny Flynn pitching in 16 and Paul harris scored 13, but only three in the second half.

We're a couple of minutes from West Virginia and Providence.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova knocked off Syracuse 82-63 and will face top seed Georgetown tomorrow. More importantly, the Wildcats kept their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Coming up next is West Virgina, the 5-seed, against 12th seed Providence. I'll have stats and stuff on game one when they are available.

Meanwhile, some fan stumbled out of a seat and about knocked over the table I'm sitting at. And I was worried about the players coming over here.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - It's all over but the cryin' for Syracuse. Villanova has the lead up to 19 at the last media timeout. The Orange can now make plans for the NIT, and coach Jim Boeheim can start preparing his complaints about being left out of this year's NCAA tournament for Sunday's press conference.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - With six minutes left and Villanova up 16, Syracuse has gone to a full-court press, and a man-to-man defense in the half court. I didn't know Syracuse even practiced man-to-man.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova has the lead up to 14 thanks to 8-9 shooting from beyond the arc in this half. The most recent bomb came off the hands of Scottie Reynolds. The Orange are starting to show some frustration, but they won't come back if they don't keep their poise.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - After yet another quick and questionable shot by Jonny Flynn of Syracuse, Dwayne Anderson of Villanova beat almost everyone down the floor and got fouled on a layup for a three point play. Nova now leads by 7 and has just forced another turnover.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Two Corey Stokes three-pointers have helped put Villanova out in front of Syracuse 44-41 at the 12-minute timeout. Villanova has also picked things up on the defensive end, not so much forcing turnovers, but keeping Syracuse from getting into their offense. The one good look Syracuse had recently was a Donte Greene layup attempt, but he missed.

Nova seems especially fired up at the moment. Shane Clark keeps yelling out when calls go against the Wildcats, and coach Jay Wright about jumped out of his shoes after an offensive foul on his guys.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova scored to take a brief lead at the start of the second half, but a 9-3 Syracuse run put the orange back out in front. At the first timeout, they lead by 3.

Syracuse got two layups by outscrapping Nova for balls right under the basket and going back up. However, their lack of ball security continues to keep Nova in it.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The most telling stat of the first half is that the teams combined for 22 turnovers, 12 by Syracuse. Unfortunately, the stat sheet does not give us points off, but I bet the lead for Nova is bigger than that.

Syracuse shot OK: 10-23 for 44%. Nova struggled to a 33% clip, and that's after hitting its last three shots. However, Villanova had seven more shot attempts than the Orange, thanks in part to 10 offensive boards. Villanova leads the rebounding battle overall 20-14.

Nobody is in serious foul trouble entering the second half, which will get underway in a minute with Villanova getting the ball to start.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 01:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Villanova ended the half on an 8-0 that took no more than the last 90 seconds and was fueled by two Syracuse turnovers. One of those led to a Shane Clark dunk, which was sandwiched around three pointers by Corey Stokes and Dwayne Anderson. Syracuse still leads by 1, 28-27.

Back with stats when then arrive.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Syracuse has the lead up to 8 at the last timeout of the first half. Scottie Reynolds of Villanova picked up his second foul with seven minutes left and has played sparingly since. He leads Villanova with seven points.

Greene and Harris have combined for 21 of Syracuse's 26 points so far.

My seat is right on the floor, about six feet from the sideline, which has me concerned for my health. And my computer's. The guy next to me got it right when he told me to give up the body to save the computer. Hopefully, that won't be necessary, but a couple of balls have come close already.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Donte Greene hit back to back threes to put the Orange up 15-7. Villanova is having problems finding good looks against the Syracuse zone defense. The Wildcats are getting inside, but finding their shots well challenged. Even though there isn't much room in there, the inside players for Nova insist on going up in a crowd. That isn't working for them yet.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Things got off to a pretty slow start. The teams were playing hard, but were a bit sloppy with the ball and the shots weren't falling. However, Paul Harris found a spot on the floor he likes and hit a couple of threes to stake Syracuse to an early 8-5 lead.

The arena is a little more than half full, and those that are here are mostly Syracuse fans.

Syracuse comes into today's game 19-11, 9-9 in the league. The big hole in their tournament resume is a poor record against quality opponents. The Orange are only 2-8 against the RPI top 50. Beating Nova won't help that because the Wildcats are just outside the top 50, but losing would be worse, of course.

Harris was apparently too hot, because he came out for the guy with the best name here, freshman Scoop Jardine.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK, N.Y. - After a day of planes, trains and automobiles, I have finally made it to the world's least floral garden, or whatever they call it, for the Big East tournament.

Right off the bat, we have the 8-9 game between Villanova and Syracuse. Both are squarely on the fence as selection Sunday approaches. Simply put, the loser can start making NIT plans. The winner may still have to win tomorrow though.

I will be getting an earful of Orange. I am directly in front of the Syracuse band and cheerleaders as the game is about to tip.

Posted by Jerry Palm at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Scottie Reynolds didn't score until 7:55 remained in regulation. He was 0-for-5 from 3-point territory. He had just three points.

Yet the Wildcats won.

Welcome to life in the Big East where anything can happen.

Reynolds entered the game averaging 16.5 points each time out, but No. 17 Villanova managed to win thanks to a sensational 22-point effort by freshman Malcolm Grant and two clutch free throws by Dante Cunningham with 15.9 seconds remaining.

Continue reading "Villanova Ekes Out A Big East Win Over Pitt" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 02:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- As predicted, Villanova and Pittsburgh went right down to the wire. Also as predicted, it was physical from beginning to end at the Pavilion.

But the Wildcats' 64-63 win may have come at a high price. Freshman Malcolm Grant scored 22 points, but suffered what appeared to be an ankle injury with 15.9 seconds remaining. After Grant's drive to the basket, he fell awkwardly and had to be helped off the court. While he was coming off the court, the Villanova student section chanted, "Malcolm Grant! Malcolm Grant!"

Two huge free throws by Dante Cunningham gave the Wildcats the lead for good.

Continue reading "Incredible Finish In Big East Battle" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- It's been a see-saw battle thus far at the Pavilion.

Pitt surges ahead. Then Villanova roars back.

It's been that way the entire second half and if this is any indication, the Big East is going to have some fabulous games this season.

Freshman Malcolm Grant has literally carried the Wildcats through this game. With less than four minutes left, he already has 22 points -- 3-pointers, drives, etc. He's been sensational so far.

Continue reading "Villanova-Pitt Headed To The Finish Line" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Pittsburgh re-gained the momentum early in the second half by jumping out to a 41-34 advantage.

Sam Young hit some big baskets and really carried the Panthers in the early going.

But the young Wildcats don't seem fazed at all by Big East action.

Freshman Malcolm Grant is playing the best game of his young career, as he has compiled 19 points with less than 12 minutes to play.

Continue reading "Back And Forth They Go At The Pavilion" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 01:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- The sellout crowd of 6,500 got a chance to relax at halftime.

While they're chilling out, let's update everyone on some halftime statistics from Pittsburgh-Villanova. The game is tied, 30-30, at the break.

Freshman Malcolm Grant leads the Wildcats with 14 points while Shane Clark, Reggie Redding and Antonio Pena have four points each.

DeJuan Blair and Keith Benjamin are pacing the Panthers with eight points each. Blair also has eight rebounds.

Villanova is shooting only 32.3 percent from the field (10-of-31) and has been outrebounded 25-14.

Continue reading "Halftime Check At Pitt-Villanova" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- What a frenetic finish in the first half of the Pittsburgh-Villanova game. Whew.

After falling behind 24-16, the Wildcats stormed back to tie the game at 30 at halftime, mostly thanks to freshman Malcolm Grant. The 6-foot guard from Brooklyn, N.Y., scored 14 points in the first 20 minutes, including a couple of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch. He sure didn't play like a freshman.

Then redshirt freshman Antonio Pena threw down a thunderous dunk, giving Villanova a 30-27 advantage.

Continue reading "Frenetic Finish To First Half" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Despite the absence of injured players Mike Cook and Levance Fields, Pittsburgh is playing at a very high level.

The Panthers are contesting every single shot by a Villanova player. You wouldn't know they were missing a pair of key ingredients.

Villanova is having trouble with Pitt's defensive pressure as the Wildcats hit just six of their first 31 shots from the field while falling behind 24-16 late in the first half.

Continue reading "Pitt Shows Surprising Depth" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Welcome courtside to the Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University.

The Big East season is definitely underway as Villanova and Pittsburgh are battling for every rebound, boxing out for every inch of space and fighting for every loose ball. Hey, that's life in the Big East.

Both teams got off to sluggish starts and the game is tied at 8 with just under 12 minutes remaining.

Neither team could seem to get any momentum, but that's to be expected in this rugged conference.

Continue reading "Rugged Big East Action Underway" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- No. 13 Pittsburgh will begin its 26th year of Big East basketball with a 12:00 p.m. tip-off at No. 17 Villanova.

The grueling 18-game Big East season will be especially tough on the Panthers, who are without two starters -- senior forward Mike Cook (torn ACL) and junior guard Levance Fields (fractured left foot).

Pitt improved to 12-1 with a 96-75 win over Lafayette on Jan. 2. It was the final nonconfrence game for the Panthers this season.

Continue reading "Time For Conference Action For Pitt" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Today's 12:00 p.m. Big East matchup between No. 17 Villanova (10-2, 0-1) and No. 13 Pittsburgh (12-1, 0-0) is only the ninth time that two nationally-ranked teams will play at the Pavilion.

It is the first game since Feb. 19, 2006 when fourth-ranked Villanova defeated 17th-ranked Georgetown 75-65.

The Wildcats are 6-2 in games at the Pavilion when both teams are ranked in the Top 25.

Continue reading "Big East Clash About Ready For Tip-Off" »

Posted by Andy Jasner at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State's Gavin Grant somehow found a way to catch a 50-foot pass, somehow found a way to get a three-pointer off and somehow found a way to get fouled during a 1.8-second span that decided the game.

After that, making two of three free throws was a piece of cake.

N.C. State (4-1) needed all of that to happen to top Villanova 69-68 for the Old Spice Classic Championship on Sunday at The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

Continue reading "N.C. State Edges Villanova For Old Spice Title" »

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 10:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A full recap of North Carolina State's thrilling 69-68 win is on the way, but first, here's the All-Tournament team.

Michael Beasley, Kansas State
Will Thomas, George Mason
Jason Thompson, Rider
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
Courtney Fells, N.C. State (MVP)

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Gavin Grant got fouled while trying to put up a desperation three-pointer for N.C. State.

With .4 seconds left, he got three free throws and made the final two to put the Wolfpack up 69-68.

Villanova called a timeout, but there's no way they can get a makeable shot off in .4 seconds.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 09:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Oh wow, Dante Cunningham is the MVP tonight.

He just made a put back after Corey Stokes missed a lay up to put the Wildcats up 68-67 with 2.2 seconds left.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Jay Wright just called a timeout with 15 seconds left.

Villanova has the ball, down 67-66 after Degand made one of two free throws.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State totally whiffed on its possession and lost the ball, but luckily a loose-ball foul was called on Villanova's Reggie Redding.

Farnold Degand is shooting free throws for N.C. State, the game is still tied, with 20 seconds left.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It's 66-66 after Villanova's Reggie Redding and N.C. State's J.J. Hickson traded baskets over the last minute.

N.C. State has the ball with 28 seconds left on the shot clock, so whatever happens on this possession, Villanova will get the final shot.

Stay tuned.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The announcer at The Milk House stuttered for a second when Villanova's No. 31 entered the game with 6:37 left.

He must have looked at his box score and seen no No. 31 on the Wildcats' roster. There wasn't even a name on the back of the jersey.

The announcer quickly realized, however, that No. 31 was forward Dante Cunningham, formerly No. 33.

Cunningham had left the game earlier, and must have bloodied his No. 33 jersey so much that he had to switch uniforms.

Anyways, with 3:53 left, Cunningham is back with a bandage over his left eye, and Villanova trails N.C. State 64-62 in what is becoming an edge-of-your-seat affair.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Villanova, playing without Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, has managed to go on a seven-point streak to tie things up with N.C. State at 57-57 with 7:28 left in the Old Spice Classic Championship Game.

Clark is likely done for the game with some sort of hamstring injury, while Cunningham went out a minute ago and is still being tended to for a cut above his left eye. I expect Cunningham to return by the next TV timeout.

Clark and Cunningham are Villanova's second and third scorers behind Scottie Reynolds, so winning without them would be a major accomplishment.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- It continues to be a see-saw battle here at The Milk House.

N.C. State took the lead back from Villanova with the score 49-47 with 11:55 left.

J.J. Hickson came off the bench to start the second half just as he did the first, but he has scored six points since entering the game this half.

He has 11 points for the game.

If Hickson continues his strong play, I think N.C. State just might be able to hang on. But Villanova could wake up at any time and go on a run, especially if Scottie Reynolds can get hot again.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Shane Clark is not on the floor for Villanova to start the second half, but that doesn't seem to be that big of a deal.

Villanova just went on a mini six-point run to take a 43-42 lead with 15:58 left in the game.

Jay Wright has opted for a three-guard lineup in Clark's absence, subbing in Corey Fisher to work with the starting five.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 08:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The chants of Wolf!-Pack! are reverberating here at the Milk House as N.C. State hushed Villanova to end the first half.

The Wolfpack scored the final 11 points of the half to go up, 38-33. It's too bad that time ran out, as N.C. State was certainly on its way to a double-digit lead.

Villanova coach Jay Wright may be without forward Shane Clark in the second half. Clark went down with what appeared to be a left thigh injury with 1:39 left in the half and spent the rest of the half on the bench with trainers surrounding him.

Clark is Villanova's second leading scorer and top rebounder, so Wildcats fans have to be very concerned.

Here are some halftime stats:

N.C. State somehow leads despite giving up 16 turnovers and only causing eight from Villanova.

Luckily, the Wildcats are shooting 61 percent from the field, with guard Courtney Fells leading the way with 14 points. Center Ben McCauley added 10 points and five rebounds.

For Villanova, Scottie Reynolds has 10 points and three assists and Dante Cunningham has eight points and four rebounds.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Villanova point guard Scottie Reynolds and N.C. State center J.J. Hickson, a pair of underclassmen, are playing like they're used to the national TV stage.

Reynolds has come on in the last few minutes, getting a steal for an easy layup and feeding Dante Cunningham for a slam to keep Villanova ahead, 28-23, with 3:58 left in the first half.

After coming off the bench, Hickson has provided a nice inside presence for N.C. State. He just scored his first points while getting fouled, but he also picked up a goaltending call on the other end.

I'd still say Villanova is playing better basketball.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Guard Corey Fisher has come off the bench with a spark for Villanova, scoring five straight points to give the Wildcats a 20-16 lead.

It seems that the Wildcats have gotten into a groove after a slow start, and N.C. State is having trouble matching them in strength and speed.

There is 7:40 left in the first half.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe has brought star freshman center J.J. Hickson off the bench, but that didn't stop Villanova from making a run.

The Wildcats cut the deficit to 12-11, and we are now 8 minutes into the game.

Hickson started the team's first two games and led the Wolfpack in scoring, but he has not been in the starting lineup at the Old Spice Classic because of disciplinary issues.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Neither Villanova nor N.C. State has wowed early on, but the Wolfpack have been just a bit better shooting the three-ball.

The Wolfpack lead, 9-4, with 15:28 remaining in the first half on the strength of a couple of early threes.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 07:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The stadium here is a little bigger than your average high school gym, and it's only half-filled, pretty sad, but to be expected with no local teams and it being Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are the starting lineups:

Villanova
Scottie Reynolds
Shane Clark
Dante Cunningham
Casiem Drummond
Reggie Redding

N.C. State
Brandon Costner
Gavin Grant
Ben McCauley
Farnold Degand
Courtney Fells

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 06:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The George Mason-South Carolina consolation final went a little long on time (George Mason won it 69-68), so the N.C. State-Villanova game will not start until approximately 6:55 p.m. ET.

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 06:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Wolfpack and the Wildcats are readying to close out the Old Spice Classic with the winner gaining some serious momentum heading into the rest of the non-conference season.

Continue reading "N.C. State-Villanova Preview" »

Posted by Nick Zaccardi at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)