Posts Tagged ‘villanova’
From the Wire: Sunday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
North Carolina handled Villanova to get to the title game — Jesse Baumgartner, The Daily Tar Heel
ALSO: Another superlative start carried the Tar Heels
Hometown favorite Kalin Lucas led Michigan State past UConn — Alex Altman, The State News
ALSO: Just what the Spartans needed: Raymar Morgan came through as promised; So did the MSU bench
Villanova didn’t have enough to pull off another underdog win — Nathan McGann, The Villanovan
Analysis: 1 North Carolina def. 3 Villanova
1 North Carolina 83
3 Villanova 69
NCAA semifinal • Ford Field, Detroit
By Jeff Greer
– Villanova never really had a shot in this one. North Carolina’s up-and-down tempo toyed with Villanova’s guards, baiting them into thinking they could run with Carolina. But Villanova ended up taking a ton of rushed jump shots in transition, which allowed Carolina to dominate the boards and limited Villanova’s ability to crash the offensive glass. On defense, ‘Nova’s guards didn’t come up with loose balls as often as they had all tournament, and they certainly didn’t rebound or defend at the rate that they had.
Better Know a Baller: Dwayne Anderson, Villanova
With apologies to Stephen Colbert, we present another in our 2,117-part series, “Better Know a Baller.”
Dwayne Anderson
Villanova University (bio — photos)
Senior guard/forward • 6-6, 215 • Silver Spring, Md.
Season stats: 9.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.6 steals, .839 FT%
– Grew up nine houses down from Villanova teammate Dante Cunningham, whom he calls his “godbrother.” The two played on the same D.C. Assault AAU team, and were briefly teammates on a squad at St. John’s College High School that also included Duke point guard Nolan Smith. It was through the observation of Smith and Anderson that Villanova coaches first came to know about the late-blooming Cunningham.
Inside Scoop: Villanova Wildcats
Villanova, the No. 3 seed in the East Region, is the lowest-seeded team left, but the Wildcats, forged by the fires of Big East play, are playing as well as any team right now. While lead guard Scottie Reynolds gets most of the attention, Jay Wright’s team is a true ensemble, getting versatile contributions from Dante Cunningham, Reggie Redding, Dwayne Anderson, Corey Stokes, Corey Fisher and Shane Clark. The Villanovan fills us in on the program’s first Final Four appearance since its historic 1985 championship.
Breaking down the matchup with favored North Carolina:
From the Wire: Friday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
Michigan State is playing for Big Ten basketball fans everywhere
– Rich Mayor, The Daily Illini
Dante Cunningham, Wayne Ellington, Goran Suton and Jeff Adrien are key X-factors for their respective teams — David Namm, The Vanderbilt Hustler
At least Ford Field gets to host something other than a Detroit Lions game — Kevin Duffy, The Daily Campus
Don’t be so sure this weekend will play out as we expect — Geoffrey Miller, The Indiana Daily Student
Tom Izzo and Jim Calhoun have proved again they are the best coaches in college basketball
– Greg Carey, The Daily Athenaeum
Better Know a Baller: Scottie Reynolds, Villanova
With apologies to Stephen Colbert, we present another in our 2,117-part series, “Better Know a Baller.”
Scottie Reynolds
Villanova University (bio — photos)
Junior guard • 6-2, 190 • Herndon, Va.
Season stats: 15.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, .353 3pt%
– He provided the most memorable moment of the tournament so far, hitting a driving lay-in with 0.5 seconds left to beat Pittsburgh and send the Wildcats to their first Final Four since 1985.
– Adopted shortly after birth because his teenage mother could not provide for him, Reynolds values trust and dedication more than other virtues, and “bristles at the thought that [his adopted family] is anything but a regular family.” Has never met his biological mother, a woman from Huntsville, Alabama, and doubts that she is aware of the level of his success. He does plan on contacting her, however, and has researched her contact information.
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 1 Pitt
3 Villanova 78
1 Pitt 76
East Region final • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Jim Reedy
– Complain all you want that Cinderella went home early this year; thrilling, well-played games like this only happen when the best teams in the nation advance to the later rounds. Here, Scottie Reynolds was the last in a long line of heroes, saving Villanova from a last-minute collapse by driving from midcourt for a game-winning layup with 0.5 seconds left.
Analysis: 3 Villanova def. 2 Duke
3 Villanova 77
2 Duke 54
East Region semifinals • TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
By Corey DeMoss
– The quick, interchangeable Villanova defense rotated constantly and kept the Duke guards from getting any open looks. The Blue Devils were regularly unable to get any kind of penetration and on several occasions had to settle for long and difficult shots with the shot clock running down.
From the Wire: Sunday Links
Today’s best from college newspapers around the country:
Jonny Flynn and James Hardin are good friends who’ll be foes when Syracuse and Arizona State meet — Michael Bonner, The Daily Orange
Jon Brockman’s last game is the end of an era for Washington — Allen Wagner, The Daily
ALSO: Huskies fall achingly short
Michigan State will have its hands full with the talented Trojans
– Alex Altman, The State News
Marcus Morris and Kansas will try to keep Dayton‘s high-flying Chris Wright from taking off — Case Keefer, The University Daily Kansan
UCLA didn’t have nearly enough to keep up with Villanova — The Daily Bruin
ALSO: Villanova rolls into Sweet Sixteen; Bruins say goodbye to Collison, Shipp and Aboya
Wrap: Saturday’s second round
One-stop shopping for all the action as 32 became 24 with Saturday’s second-round action. Or look back on the first round from Thursday and Friday.
West Region
1 UConn def. 9 Texas A&M
South Region
1 North Carolina def. 8 LSU
