i truly do not think we were one of the best 8 teams 2 years go, best 4 teams last year and best 12 this year thus far. We are. Strange team to figure out. Who knows maybe it's just a coincidence led night but I don't think so. We were not sharp at all. Looked so out of our game

Is that basketball can be a pretty simple game. When the other team makes shots and you don't, they often win and win going away. Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the country but watching the game, it's not like you were totally outplayed. At least that's what it seemed like to me. We had enough ball movement and open shots that if you make 10 out of 32, there's a good chance this is a ballgame. I didn't see much that Oklahoma did to make you say, God we have no chance. They had a guy who made 1 out of 8 threes all season and he went 3-5 tonight. S*** happens and you live to play another day. You just wish Jay or one of the coaches when we do have one of these games would say I don't want to see another three until we take the ball to the hole or try to draw a foul. Happy to lose this game in December versus a top 10 team than potentially in March against someone you know you're better than.

Couple really nice looking takes to the basket tonight. That dunk was awesome! Looked like he was getting attended to pretty frequently on the bench. Was it just exhaustion from hot gym?

1. Played a very experienced, deep, athletic team that is highly skilled on a night when they shot great. Just not going to win this one.
2. There is a reason we shot poorly. OU did a great job challenging our shooters both inside and from deep. Contested threes are tough shots. We took a ton of them. Like NC State, OUs athleticism allowed them to challenge almost every shot. Yes, we missed some open ones, but we missed a lot due to a hand in the face.
3. Given number one, we really did not have a shot when you consider we also got out worked. They just wanted it more tonight. Why. No idea but it was obvious. We got very few 50/50 balls.
4. Who would have ever guessed that in a big game the freshman Bridges would play better and with more maturity than all world Jalen. Jalen had a rough night, probably most affected by OUs athleticism. He was very passive tonight. Hate to hear that phone call from Rick after this one.
5. Hart seemed like the only guy who did not back away from OU, everybody else had a bit of the deer in the headlights look. Arch could not deal with OUs athletes.
6. Defense could not stop dribble drives, nobody kept their guy in front of them. Led to drives and kick outs for wide open looks which Ou did not miss all night.
7. Bright side, we probably will not face another team all year who plays for 40 minutes at that high of a level. OU is really, really good when they shoot like that.
8. Against big athletic teams I think you will see more of a one point guard approach. We had some success with lineup of Booth, Hart, Bridges, Jenkins, Ochefu. At least I think that was the lineup,Jay had out there for a few minutes in first half. Probably the biggest lineup we can put out there realistically since DO and DR will not play together.
9. Watch the tape once, learn from it, then burn it and move on. Will be a very long flight home.

We were just beaten by a much better team. Shooting 14% from 3 was only one part of the problem. We were out-worked,out-coached, out-played in every facet. The difference in perimeter defense was most noticeable. Nova will still accomplish a lot this season, and im going to enjoy the ride. Its only one game in early december....we will learn from this and get better. Keep the faith.

Chat is live

https://www.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1000&CID=1157455

Apparently after the Fordham game, Mullin said to Fordham's coach something along the lines of "what you did tonight was bullsh!t and we are going to kick your a$$ next year."

Fordham beat SJU by 16, not 36, I don't blame the Fordham coach for not taking out the starters. SJU and Fordham both scored 32 in the second half. Also, apparently Mullin was also upset about Fordham's coach for taking timeouts late in the game.

Sounds like an overreaction to me. Again, if Fordham was up by 30, OK, I get it, but 16 is not that much of a blowout. Let's not forget our comeback against LSU when Malcolm Grant took over.

Van Gundy very complimentary of DH's performance.....has to be a confidence builder for him.

Right now there are a legit top 10 teams and we are 1 of them. If you look at who we played I have no problem with national media members who doubt us. Tonight we get to take our first shot against a legit Top 10 team on a neutral floor. IMO this game is very important when it comes to our national perception. The Big East is stronger at the top this year compared to the previous 2 years. I know some board members do not care how the national media looks at us, I do. Whatever happens tonight will not have any bearing on what we do in March. But I LOVE looking at the rankings at seeing Villanova ranked at the top. I am looking forward to seeing how we play against an elite team this early in the year. We will have plenty of tests in the Big East, not just from the other top 4 teams(X, Providence, GTown, & Butler) but everyone. We are the top dog and will receive everyone's best shot on the road. Plus, we travel to Virginia and play a Top 10 team in a hostile environment. Win or lose tonight nothing will be decided. But nationally we can make a lasting impression. Im saying we win a slug fest by hitting our FTs late and win by 7. It will be a 1 or 2 possession game all night but we pad the lead late with some defensive stops and Arch hitting 4 FTs in the final 30 seconds.

Is he from Delaware? Did we seriously recruit him? Did he want in and we said no? Very impressive big, would love to have him.

"Some Thoughts"

There's not enough time to get through it all.

is Marco Rubio too short to be president, or is he the great short hope that other short people have been waiting for. Rubio would be the shortest person elected president since William McKinley at the end of the 1800's. Sure, guys like james Madison and john Adams were also short men, but that was a time when Tom Cruz and Michael J fox would be considered tall men.

This is the area where candidates like Trump and Jeb have a huge advantage over Rubio. trumo and Jeb are men of height, men of stature, and they dwarf Marco. People look at trump and Jeb and see leaders. The image of a short Frenchman with his hand in his waistcoat is no longer the vision of power and leadership that it once was.

Marco is already battling the stereotypes that come with a first name like Marco and a last name that is unfamiliar to the old guard, not to mention his darker skin tone. Will his height be the straw that breaks the camel's back?

Anyway, here is where Marco stands on the issue of immigration
https://marcorubio.com/issues-2/marco-rubio-immigration-plan-border-security-legal/

We stayed at #9.

Providence to #15.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-basketball/polls?season=2015&week=5&poll=1

Coaches Poll

Villanova #6
Xavior #13
Providence #18
Butler #21

http://sportspolls.usatoday.com/ncaa/basketball-men/polls/coaches-poll/

#9 Villanova, #12 Xavier, #15 Providence & #18 Butler in the latest poll. The Big East is alive and well!

http://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll

if you could go back in Villanova men's basketball history and change the outcome of one game from a loss to a win, which game would you most want to change and why?
follow on thought - if you did change it to a win are there other side effects that maybe would cause you to second guess your selection?

Well, the first really big game is almost here, so where are we? Thoughts:

1) Any game where you fly 5000 miles to play in paradise in an atypical arena and environment the possibility of a non representative result exists. However, it will be both fun and possibly very indicative of the team's actual level playing against a legitimate top 10 team whose guards actually match up with us...bring it on...

2) As of this time I am not sure how good this team is. I know it is legit top 20 and Big East favorite but can it reach a Final Four and beyond....let alone get past that second game in the Dance?

3) The defense has been surprisingly good....well past expectations....Bridges length at the top of the press has replaced Hilliard in that regard....everyone else seems to have improved......the defense can be even better as the players get used to communicating with one another...the 30 second clock has made the soft press and expended half court pressure better than expected....the question is whether we will miss Ennis and Hilliard against Buddy Hield, Malcolm Brogdon or Kris Dunn?

4) The potential achilles heel is defensive rebounding. I fear that this will cost Villanova a few games if not improved. UVA and Georgetown particularly concern me in this aspect.....as does any number of potential NCAA opponents...

5) The offense has generally looked good.....it should get better as the shooting and ball movement has improved in both the last two years in February....I expect this to happen again....I expect Brunson to get better and begin attacking the rim more often....

6) The biggest concern here is lack of FT attempts.....that was a staple of the team the past three years....part of the issue to date is that over 7 games the opponent has NEVER been close enough in the last two minutes to start fouling. That will no doubt change...(I don't believe this has ever happened before...seven games without anything close enough to give a foul.) This (along with defensive rebounding) is where the graduation of Pinkston has had an effect.....JVP may have missed his share of bunnies or been blocked but he always knew how to draw fouls....Brunson seems like the only guy that will have that skill on this team (although Booth could too).

7) Ochefu remains the X factor....he needs to be more consistent and needs to stay on the floor....he probably will struggle offensively against certain matchups but his defensive presence is a necessity. He must avoid almost all fouls on the offensive end...backing down his man, rebounding, moving screens.....

8) I am not sure where this is headed but I love this team.....(if only Paschall was eligible)....this team is very good but can they become great? Tomorrow may give us a glimpse...or not!

On the Herd radio show.

Darryl was reported to be walking around on campus today in a boot. Anyone see if he was hurt last night? I am assuming it is only preventative, but with OU Monday...I have concerns about our rebounding.

I know BC is a bit of a hockey school, and I know Penn State is not Michigan State, Indiana or one of the better B1G basketball schools, but when you are an ACC team playing in the BIG TEN / ACC Challenge you would hope to have some type of crowd. The place looks about 40% full AT BEST. There are entire sections that are completely empty.

Looks like that ACC move is still going great up in Chestnut Hill.

If you're looking for somewhere to watch Mon. night's 'Nova-Oklahoma game, a bunch of us will be getting together at Tilted Kilt in King of Prussia (http://www.tiltedkilt.com/locations/kingofprussia/). Although the game isn't scheduled to start until just after 7 p.m., we'll have a room reserved for us on the second floor of Tilted Kilt starting at 6:15 p.m.

Please note that we'll be in a room on the SECOND FLOOR (not the first floor).

As always, the audio will be on for the game.

(Meanwhile, for those interested, once it starts at approx. 8:30 p.m., we'll have the Cowboys-Redskins game on at least one TV as well. After the 'Nova-Oklahoma game ends, everyone is welcome to stay to watch the rest of the Cowboys-Redskins game.)

Terrorism in the name of Syria using a knife, but don't worry, guns are the problem and Islsm is a peaceful religion.

Hobbs the AD has a great background. The football coach, Chris Ash from Ohio St., has BIG experience.
As I said, looks good, but only time will tell