-
Quick Poll
Loading ...-
Game 14: @ Marquette
The Big East season opens up on New Year’s Day as the #15 Wildcats (13-1) travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette. The Golden Eagles (11-2) are unranked in the AP Poll and #25 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll. The game marks the first Big East matchup for Marquette’s new head coach, Buzz Williams.
Marquette, like ‘Nova, relies heavily on its guard play. Their inside threat Lazar Hayward has stepped up his play even at being listed at 6′6″.
The Golden Eagles usually start guards Wesley Matthews, Jerel McNeal, and Dominic James. Lazar Hayward and Dwight Burke fill the post positions. Matthews is averaging 19.2. Hayward and McNeal are scoring around 17 each. Marquette is one of 4 schools that features three 1,000-Point scorers.
Villanova leads the historical series 6-5, but is 1-2 since MU has entered the Big East in 2006. Read more
Villanova Basketball: 2008 In Review
A Calendar Year-End Review for basketball is tough because it encompasses multiple seasons, but here are the highlights (and lowlights) for Villanova Basketball’s 2008 calendar year…
The Worst Call of 2008?
- Villanova entered 2008 at #17 in the AP Poll and #16 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll with a 10-1 Record
- January 23 through February 4th saw the Wildcats lose 5 straight games to Rutgers, Notre Dame, Pitt, Syracuse and St. Joe’s (PA)
- Andrew Ott transfers to Penn State
- February 11th… Corey Stokes gets whistled for a questionable foul call 90 feet away from the basket with .1 seconds in a tie game at Georgetown.
- ‘Nova wins 5 of last 7 in the Regular Season to secure the #8 seed in the Big East Tournament.
- Wildcats beat Syracuse and lose to Georgetown at MSG during the Big East Tournament. Read more
Temple 45: :62 Villanova
#15 Villanova clawed back from an 8-point deficit to beat Temple by 17 and win the Big 5 title for the 3rd time in 4 years. This was the last non-conference game for ‘Nova (12-1) as they enter Big East play on New Year’s Day at Marquette.
Corey Fisher provided a very needed spark off the bench scoring 8 points in 70 seconds to give ‘Nova the lead for good with 12 minutes to play in the second half. Fisher led the Wildcats with 23 points on 7-8 shooting including 4-4 from behind the arc; this tied his career high.
Dante Cunningham added 12 and is sitting on 942 career points as a Villanovan. Read more
‘Nova #15 in AP Poll. #13 in USA Today/ESPN
Villanova jumped up a few spots due to losses by Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Xavier. The Wildcats are now #13 in the Coaches’ Poll and #15 in the AP Poll for Week 7.
Ibrahima Thomas will Transfer to Cincy
Jeff Goodman is reporting that Oklahoma State big man Ibrahima Thomas will be transferring to Cinicinnatti.
Initially, Thomas was given a release to speak to, and possibly transfer to, Villanova.
Game 13: vs. Temple
The out of conference season for the Villanova Basketball Team ends on Monday as they host Temple (5-5) at The Pavilion. #15 Villanova (11-1) wraps up the year with their final game of the Big Five. ‘Nova has won 17 of their last 18 Big 5 contests.
This is the 81st meeting between the Owl and the ‘Cats. Villanova holds a slight edge in the overall series- 41-39
The Wildcats are looking to extend their current 22-Game Winning Streak at The Pavilion.
Temple is led by guard Dionte Christmas who is averaging around 21 points a game (and scored 35 against Tennessee). Junior guard Ryan Brooks adds more depth to the backcourt with his 12 points. Down low, Sergio Olmos is averaging 12 points and 4 rebounds.
Villanova Stat Leaders
PPG: Dante Cunningham (17.3), Scottie Reynolds (14.7), Corey Stokes (12.2)
Rebounds: Cunningham (7.8), Antonio Pena (5.9), Reggie Redding (4.6)
Assists: Reynolds (4.5), Corey Fisher (3.2), Redding (2.8)
Tipoff is slated for 7p. The game will be shown on ESPNU, and should be on ChannelSurfing.net
Fun with the ‘Nova Uniform
A poster on VUsports mentioned that Villanova could be getting new uniforms for Big East Conference play. Although we think it’s weird that the team would sport new unis 14 games into the season, we decided to have a little fun with the topic and come up with some mock-ups for possible new Villanova Uniform designs.
All of these designs are based on current Nike templates that other schools are using. The real designs would include the primary VILLANOVA wordmark and the appropriate numbers. Read more
Happy Birthday Jay Wright!
Happy 47th Jay!
Navy 68: :78 Villanova
Facing a pesky and un-quitting Navy squad who hit 14 out of 28 3-Pointers, Villanova won its 21 consecutive game at The Pavilion and improved its record to 11-1.
The Wildcats got 24 from Dante Cunningham and 23 from Scottie Reynolds in the win. Antonio Pena pulled down 12 boards and Dante grabbed 10 for his 4th Double-Double of the year.
- Box Score
- Recap [villanova.com]
- Cats survive scare from scrappy Navy [Inquirer]
- Cunningham, Reynolds help Villanova hold off Navy [Daily News]
- YouTube Videos from RayFoyeCombo below the pictures
Transfer Alert: Ibrahima Thomas
Ibrahima Thomas, a sophomore 6′11″ center has been granted a release from Oklahoma State. Villanova is one of 10 schools that the OSU Athletic Director has granted Thomas permission to speak with.
Jeff Goodman is reporting that Marquette, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Illinois State and Rutgers are also in the running.
The Senegal native is averaging 8.3 points and about 4 rebounds a game for the Cowboys in 20 minutes through 7 games this year.
Background: Thomas was contemplating transferring over the summer. He was dismissed from the team 2 weeks ago. Coach Travis Ford noted, “”We are looking for players who are fully committed to doing whatever it takes to make this program successful. The guys currently on this team are dedicated to doing just that.”
Update: There are some questions in the comments about the type of kid Thomas is. Here are some quotes from The Oklahoman sports writers…
He’s one of the most likable kids on the planet. Big smile, sweet nature, friendly, stays out of trouble.
Last week I was writing a story about how the players are adjusting to Ford’s in-your-face style, and how he was adjusting to them. I happened to talk to Thomas for the story, because I’ve noticed that Ford is really hard on Thomas. Keep in mind that Thomas has only been playing basketball for five years, and it shows in some of the basics.
An assistant told me last night that it isn’t yet official, and that Thomas is dealing with some family issues in Africa.
