Villanova Set to Conclude Big 5 Season Against Temple

I think the edge goes to Nova in this one due to the home court. I noticed a bunch of people on the closest to the Pin contest picking Temple, but I think last year’s W for Temple was as much a function of playing in their home arena as it was anything about the quality of the teams. This will be about the same quality opponent as Tennessee. The difference is we are shooting on our home rims.

Should be a fun and exciting game!!!

This is it! Will the real Wildcats show up?
This is, undeniably, our biggest game of the year. Not so far, but biggest of the year period. Cupcake City is over. It’s home, they have shown some improvement, it’s the Big Five.
Are we the team that barely got by “easy” games, or the team that’s ready to compete for BE title and Nat’l Championship. Have we over rated our guys, or have they underperformed?
Be schedule is kind for a few games. Win Thurs., win when we should in the next few weeks, let confidence grow, and on to the Big Dance.
Clear your heads, focus. You haven’t seen nothing yet!!!!

Doesn’t prowess = strength?

I haven’t seen the Owls play since early in the season when the looked pretty bad and overrated(much like ourselves). Should be a good game. I really hope the students come back home for this game instead of hanging out on Long Island and Jersey. You know the Philly kids will be there. We need all the help we can get. I also think that if we stay out of foul trouble, we will have to shoot the ball terribly to lose.

Looks like 2 evenly matched teams, especially for the time of the year. Temple strong early schedule. Good RPI. Great test, especially Big 5/prep for BE.
Should be close. Looks like our foulshooting should be the difference.
GO CATS!!!! (I love The Big 5)

If we are who we think we are, we shouldn’t struggle with Temple on our home court!!!

I feel Tennessee has more talent and is deeper than Temple. Temple has three excellent players. The game will be decided much more based on how we play , than due to whatever Temple has to offer. Last year, Juan Fernandez went crazy because we could not get anyone to guard him, so I’d be very disappointed if jay does not have a game plan to stop him [especially as to making him feel uncomfortable in the "friendly confines"]. Mouph and Tone are better able to contain Allen. The joker is my “tocayo” as we say in Spanish, Ramon Moore. That guy went nuts at a game earlier this year, so while we contain Fernandez, we can’t overlook Moore. Those two are tall and talented, so Jay has adecision to make regarding

to finish my thought, Jay has a decision regarding Fish and Wayns playing at the ssame time, given that Fernandez and Moore are both tall guards, creating apotential mismatch defensively for us.

Frank (OT2)

We will go as far as Mouph takes us.

We will get great guard play…one night it will be Fish and Stokes next night it will be Wayns/Cheek or any combination.

Pena is fairly consistent and he does not take a lot of shots to determine the outcome.

Mouph however can change the game in our favor if we have inside/outside game.

Better yet, beat Temple and then the naysayers that say Nova is the most overrated team in the country will have some “splainin” to do…Much like the clowns that questioned our 2 seed last year, they failed to answer, who you got ahead of us. Beat Temple to go 11-1 and they’ll have to answer the same question…so who ya got? Gtown, who lost to the same Temple team? SDSU, please? UCONN who got exposed last night? Purdue? Missouri? Texas? C’Mon Cats!!! Handle your business and let them talk!!!

The Pavilion streak lives on after this one!

Mike, like the new tab “2010-11 Stats”!

Mike, how long did it take you to find THE good looking Temple coed?

The only naysayers I know of is Joe Lunardi from ESPN and that’s bad enough.
Last years #2 seed and where it was, surprised a lot of people and coaches and we didn’t
do much to defend our seeding.

Temple is ranked # 25 and playing on our court, I agree with your earlier post, if we are who we
think we are we shouln’t have a problem getting the W. Good game,YES! L unacceptable.

DUNPH is finally getting the national recognition he deserves, but that doesn’t mean we
should hide under the kitchen table. I feel we are getting a wee bit gun shy because of what
happened with TEMPLE (inexcusable-outscored by 24pts over the last 24 minutes 24-0) and
the late season collapse last year.

I think we should tip our hat to DUNPH and then proceed to be a terrible host and kick their
butts back to Broad Street.

We need a KAMIKAZE mission for every second of 40 MINUTES and then lookup and see
where we are and have an attitude about it with a chip on our shoulder.We’re playing too
TENTATIVELY,LET IT RIP AND HAVE SOME FUN!! There’s no time like the present to START!!

That’s the problem, we don’t have an inside game! Mouph shot 60% in the 1st 6 games and 25%
in the next 4 games,sorry I’m not including the last game(36pts) or whatever.

We need at least 3 guards to play really well and some nights 4 guards.
We’re lucky Stokes is 6’4″ 225lbs and Cheek is 6′ 6″.

Stokes is our best shooter and plays the wing and Cheek has shown he likes to go inside and
mix it up.(I think Cheek is our best rebounder per min. played,not sure I’ll look it up).

If MOUPH had an inside game and IA would come out of his trance and JV didn’t play Rocky
and James wasn’t hurting, then we would have the team we all expected and we would be a
very difficult W for any team in the country.

This is going to be much harder than people think. Temple had problems at the tournament in Florida but they are different team. They are a very strong defensive team and will try to keep the game in the 60′s. Levon Allen is inconsistent but can have a big game. Ramon Moore can also have a big game. Villanova has to get some open looks for Stokes. If they do they win.

Ed: Does the Pavilion streak survive this entire season?

JIM,
The comments and predictions have this as a down to the wire game with several picking Temple!
VU is #8 in the country playing #25 in the country on VU’s home court.
VU has 5 ALL-AMERICANS. TU has 0.
DUNPH is a GREAT coach but to beat us Thursday on our own court after last year would prove
to be a clear statement as to who is the best team with the best coach in Philly.

ESPN and the rest of college hoops is looking at it as stated and has as much as said so.
Joe Lunardi (ESPN) has said we are the most overrated team in the country.

We are a long way from being whole and healthy(ROCKY&JAMES). No excuses the facts are
considered in the rankings.
Nobody is saying it’s going to be easy but I don’t believe Jay is going to let DUNPH and Temple
walk out of the PAVILION with a W with all that’s on the table.

BRAGGING rights are still a BIG deal in the BIG FIVE!! Tomorrow we see who is bragging!!

smh Joe Lunardi is a tool…he thinks kentucky is gonna be a #1 seed

In my opinion our biggest disappointment to date is the low three point average for Malik and Fish. That tends to allow the opposition to jam the paint and hurt the inside game and the ability for the guards to get to the rim.

Fish and Malik are both better three point shooters than they have shown to date…. let’s hope their drought ends tonight.

As I along with others have said I think the two point guard lineup will cause us increased match up problems, starting tonight. I would like to see more of Malik or Fish with either Stokes or Cheek in the back court under most situations. That should also cause the opposition to tend to spread their defense because the ability of the back court to drop the three, particularly Stokes, giving us more chances to feed the front court or drive to the rim.

Now we have a statsheet as well. Great job guys. The only thing missing from the website now is a bookie service.

Wayns can handle Fernandez with his speed, quickness and strength. Nova is in better position than they were with only Redding. Jay can throw size, spped and muscle with: Stokes, Bell and Cheek.

chas

chuck st petersburg,fl
let the bb season begin!

ChillCat,
17 words and you hit the nail right on the head!
No excuses,lets do it and bury last year,once and for all!
I keep posting “like” but BRIAN keeps pulling rank and bumping me off!!

Busy hoops night 2night

Stevie V,
Guards will come along(wish they would hurry, maybe tonight?).
James needs to grow stamina, confidence, and learn the system. This will happen gradually.
Pena, Mr. Consistent so far(who would have thunk it?)
Dom needs PT and confidence(this too will happen).
We absolutely need Mouph above and beyond everyone else. Due to lack of overall experience, focus on grades, etc., etc. his desire and heart will make him improve. We really don’t need him now. Others can carry us for awhile. We need him to improve 3-6%/game. No step forward/ backward crap. At that rate he will be where we need him, an impact player, by March. At that point on to the Final Four!!!!!!!
In summary, agree with you 1000%

Nelly,
I have been back and forth about both on the court at the same time all year.
Conclusion? Run 1 PG (Fish) 1 SG (Stokes) 1 SF (Cheek).
More versatilty, stamina, freshness off the bench(Malik), freshness on the floor(Fish doesn’t have to “pace” himself), Cheek gains confidence and consistency with PT, “crowding” the lane becomes less of a problem with 2 (more consistent with time) outside shooters and not 2 driving to the hoop.
Due to bench problem or fouls they will have to play together at times. But not 30 mins.
James will improve with each game. Nice sub for Stokes/Dom.
I would even go with Big Mo/Tone/Mouph at the same time in limited and short situations, if necessary.
Overall, just feel it gives us more versatility and tougher defensive matchups.
Guess we’ll see. Either way, Malik/Fish have to start hitting 3′s or we are screwed with any lineup.

Brian,
Since I don’t Tweet, Facebook, etc. is there anyway I can avoid logging in with email address, etc. everytime I post? Getting to be a pain in the fingers.

only use 2 fingers to type!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stevie V,
Mouph played a role,no doubt,if only we could teach him to “DUNK”.
He had a lay-up and the solo dunk,which would have made it a lot easier and given him 18pts
I believe. Good call anyway!!

If we ever play a game when our guards are all in the flow and on the same page offensively,OH MY!
IT doesn’t say anywhere in the rules that Cheek and Fish couldn’t have been on offensively and then
OH MY! Fish has a total of 7 pts against the 2 rated teams we have played and I’m starting to think
this could be an internal problem with Jay. I hope for everyones’ sake that’s not the case,we could
have lost tonight without guys stepping-up at key times and saying “NO WAY”.
Not perfect but a good win with plenty of guts!

JIM,
Great call,you nailed it dead center!!

I have said all along that we cannot depend on Corey Fisher. He was OK as a sixth man but he does not have the shot. We had no 3′s from anyone besides Stokes. As Bill Raferty said “maybe Nova is better with Fisher out right now”.

JIM,
I assume you saw my post saying what a great call,you nailed it dead center!!

Our team 3pts % ranking is 266th.

Our starting back court (Fish&Wayns) 3pt% (22%) is not ranked where I can find it.(Nothing goes
that low).

Imagine the pressure to be a top 10 ranked team with some of the worst shooters in the country.
When you think about it,you come away thinking,how the HELL are we doing it.
The obvious answer is WHO HAVE WE PLAYED!!

The BE could be a disaster if we don’t improve our shooting real quick.
The room for improvement is certainly there,but I must admit,I keep thinking next game for sure
and with the season 1/3 over time is not on our side,not being dependable is one thing,
where we are is absurd,these guys simply have to much talent and pride to continue this display!
HOPING! HOPING! HOPING!

61 photos of the win over Temple

http://independentphilly.com/2010/12/30/villanova-vs-temple-wildcats-pounce-on-owls-to-win-big-five-title/

Raftery said it best, “This is a team still looking to find itself.” The backcourt is soooo out of synch.

One of the most poorly officiated games I have seen in a long time.

Me to

The good news is the ‘Cats passed their “Gut Check” and won ugly.

The bad news there was no improvement on our biggest disappointment, the three point shooting, save Big Corie.

Please don’t quote me (LOL), but I was really impressed with the Owls. Fernandez is terrific. Cheeks could not stop him from going around him, Stokes did a better job. Fish just needs to get his act together; the pressure of being the Senior leader may be getting to him.

I am becoming a huge Sutton fan. He doesn’t get many minutes, and rightly so, but every time he gets in he delivers. When I saw him deep with Fernandez, I thought what a mistake, I was sure Fernandez was going around him, and Mo was going to trip over his own feet. What does Mo do, he blocks the three clean as a whistle. By the time Jay is finished with him he is going to get more than a few minutes.

BRIAN, HELP!!!!
Nelly and I will have to have surgery on our 2 fingers we use to type!!!!! Isn’t there an easier way for us “Older gents”?

There are some things to be very happy about. This game may have been a coming out party for Yarou. This is the first time I’ve seen him play good and with confidence against a good team. He needs to continue to build on this performance. His play is vital if Nova expects to make a big run in the BE and tourny.

However, don’t expect Nova to do anything if Fish and Wayns continue to shoot the 3 the way they are. I don’t understand why these guys are shooting so poorly. They are both good shooters. Just think what Nova would be doing if these guys were shooting around 40% from 3. If either one of these guys think they have a shot at playing in the NBA, they better start shooting around 50% from 3 for the rest of the season. If these guys can start to shoot the way the are capable, look out.

Finally, I have to agree that the officiating was suspect, but this seems to happen every game. When Nova got up by 10 in the second have and the refs called out of bounds on Wayns instead of a blocking foul on Fernandez (which it obviously was), this started a streak of about 10 calls by the refs that were either wrong or toss ups that all went in Temple’s favor. Temple went on a 13-0 run during this period to retake the lead. It is almost as if the refs said, OK, it looks like this game could get out of hand, let’s start to make it close again. I see this happen in a lot of games….not just Nova games. If a team is down, just keep playing hard and the refs will help you get back into the game.

Finally, all and all, it was a good win. A loss would have been devastating.

Nelly,
Have a feeling if we played Tampa Catholic High School, we’d win by 4. Seems like whoever we play, we barely win. This has to improve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fish/Malik 3′s. Nough said.
I, too, impressed with Temple. Typical Big 5 win….UGLY. Still don’t know who we are or how good we are. Consolation? I watch scores rolling in and evey night, major powers are beating Cupcakes by 4, 6, 8 points. Weird.
Saw some improvement, but Fish may be over his head. Maybe he should go back to 6th man role. Doesn’t seem to be imbracing Sr. role. Misses a breakaway layup because he tried to dunk?
Thought Mouph was far more ascertive offensively.(Except for layup and dunk he missed) Held his own against Allen, one of the better rebounders in the country.
James?? Dom, bad night. Put it behind you. Thought IA was going for player of the game until his brain farts started
Big Mo is Big Mo. Nothing surprises me, good or bad.
Rafferty, great comments. Knows Philly hoops better than anyone(Dana O’Neil close).
Gonna log in now. Fingers ache. Will have to rest for next comment.

Nelly,
Have a feeling if we played Tampa Catholic High School, we’d win by 4. Seems like whoever we play, we barely win. This has to improve!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fish/Malik 3′s. Nough said.
I, too, impressed with Temple. Typical Big 5 win….UGLY. Still don’t know who we are or how good we are. Consolation? I watch scores rolling in and evey night, major powers are beating Cupcakes by 4, 6, 8 points. Weird.
Saw some improvement, but Fish may be over his head. Maybe he should go back to 6th man role. Doesn’t seem to be imbracing Sr. role. Misses a breakaway layup because he tried to dunk?
Thought Mouph was far more ascertive offensively.(Except for layup and dunk he missed) Held his own against Allen, one of the better rebounders in the country.
James?? Dom, bad night. Put it behind you. Thought IA was going for player of the game until his brain farts started
Big Mo is Big Mo. Nothing surprises me, good or bad.
Rafferty, great comments. Knows Philly hoops better than anyone(Dana O’Neil close).
Gonna log in now. Fingers ache. Will have to rest for next comment.

I agree particularly about Mouph. I think he is improving every game and gaining confidence he can compete at this level.

Nelly,
Not sure about sutton,let’s keep hoping.
Fish is starting to look like the problem could be internal,I HOPE NOT!
He is simply to good a BB player to be playing this poorly,you just might be on to something
with the appointed leader thing,his body language and expressions on the bench don’t look
like a happy marriage.

Fish is still an important part of our big picture and all we can do is keep hoping,it could prove
to be a rough ride in the BE if he doesn’t play the way we know he can.

Nelly,
Not sure about sutton,let’s keep hoping.
Fish is starting to look like the problem could be internal,I HOPE NOT!
He is simply to good a BB player to be playing this poorly,you just might be on to something
with the appointed leader thing,his body language and expressions on the bench don’t look
like a happy marriage.

Fish is still an important part of our big picture and all we can do is keep hoping,it could prove
to be a rough ride in the BE if he doesn’t play the way we know he can.

Not sure on the refs but Fish and Wayns are shooting a combined 22% from 3pt land!
VU as a team rank 266th in 3pt%,I can’t find any numbers on Fish and Wayns,they simply don’t
go that low.
Everyone of our 4 guards has played great BB at one time or another this season.
We know they can do it and when they get in sync and come together(HOPING) they will be a
difficult W for anyone on our schedule.

HERE’S HOPING! That’s all we can do!
PS
It would make life so much easier for Jay, the fans and the team itself!

I think make him 6th man. Seemed to play best then

Nelly, like I said yesterday, 3-6%/game. He’ll be awesome in March.

AND CONGRATS ON NAILING THE SCORE. AND YOU WERE 1ST TO POST. GUESS THE OLD FARTS FROM FLA GET IT RIGHT ONCE IN A WHILE. Y TURN NEXT, THEN RAMON. I ALREADY AM THINKING 125-61 OVER RUTGERS!

Nelly, like I said yesterday, 3-6%/game. He’ll be awesome in March.

AND CONGRATS ON NAILING THE SCORE. AND YOU WERE 1ST TO POST. GUESS THE OLD FARTS FROM FLA GET IT RIGHT ONCE IN A WHILE. Y TURN NEXT, THEN RAMON. I ALREADY AM THINKING 125-61 OVER RUTGERS!

Frank,
IF he could handle it mentally, I think it would be a good idea!
The frustration is It has to be mental with all his ability,but we’re not privy to what’s going on.
I can’t imagine the team doesn’t know what’s going on,if I had to guess, that argument with JAY
would shed some light on what’s happening. I”m not sure we should know about that situation
maybe it would have been better handled inhouse.
Remember Jay saying how sensitive he was and you would never know it from his background.
If Neely is on to something with this “LEADERSHIP” thing, I hope It’s not to late to turn it around.
I know this is starting to sound like UNCLE PHIL but damn it I don’t know where else to go with it.
IF I thought PHIL could get the old FISH back I would buy him a beer and get his butt down here.

Seriously we can only hope Jay can get his arms around this and get FISH back on board.
I would hate to think we have seen the best of FISH in this his senior year.
Let’s keep hoping!

Frank,
IF he could handle it mentally, I think it would be a good idea!
The frustration is It has to be mental with all his ability,but we’re not privy to what’s going on.
I can’t imagine the team doesn’t know what’s going on,if I had to guess, that argument with JAY
would shed some light on what’s happening. I”m not sure we should know about that situation
maybe it would have been better handled inhouse.
Remember Jay saying how sensitive he was and you would never know it from his background.
If Neely is on to something with this “LEADERSHIP” thing, I hope It’s not to late to turn it around.
I know this is starting to sound like UNCLE PHIL but damn it I don’t know where else to go with it.
IF I thought PHIL could get the old FISH back I would buy him a beer and get his butt down here.

Seriously we can only hope Jay can get his arms around this and get FISH back on board.
I would hate to think we have seen the best of FISH in this his senior year.
Let’s keep hoping!