ADVERTISEMENT

Posts

Forum list Trending threads Live feed

Posts

2017 Bracket: Instant Analysis

J
Will continue this thread once the bracket is complete, but a few quick thoughts on Nova's region:

1. That seems like a tough draw for the Cats in the 8-9 game. Some people had Wisconsin as a Final Four team entering the season. A lot of experience, some very good talent for the Badgers.

2. Did the committee stick the number-one overall seed with the best 2 seed? Kentucky, and presumably Arizona will be the other 2, could make a case. But Duke is hot, seems to be putting it all together, and there was a reason they were many people's preseason favorite to win the title.

Nova awaits the winner of Mt. St. Mary's and New Orleans for their opening game.
Click to expand...

Cameron Reddish Update

J
Rivals' recruiting analyst Clint Jackson caught up with Reddish's father, Bob Reddish, for Devils Illustrated. While it's clearly from a Duke perspective, and while Duke remains the favorite for Reddish, I found a couple interesting things in his responses. He mentioned academics, something that Nova can certainly offer, Coach K, who is clearly an all-time great but Jay also has an excellent track record and a burgeoning reputation, and he mentioned Cameron Indoor and maybe the Pavilion renovations are something that could be used as a selling point to Reddish. Again, I think Duke remains the favorite to land Reddish, but also that it may not be a slam dunk. Beyond Reddish, it indicates that Nova is at a point or getting to a point where they can equal most claims that the traditional blue bloods can make.

https://duke.rivals.com/news/reddish-talks-duke-visit-plans
Click to expand...

Nova Gets Creighton In Big East Final

J
Marcus Foster hit a three with less than 10 seconds remaining to lift the Bluejays over Xavier, setting up a date with the Wildcats in the final. Nova won both meetings with Creighton this season, one in a Big East battle and the other by running away in the second half to a comfortable victory.

The first meeting was a matchup of undefeated teams. Nova went into a hostile environment and handed Creighton its first loss of the season. The Cats emerged from a tight, tough affair with an 80-70 victory. Jalen Brunson was fantastic with 27 points on 10-14 shooting, five assists, and four rebounds. Josh Hart had a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Kris Jenkins poured in 21 points. The Cats shot 51% and 37% from three. They did an excellent job on the boards, out-rebounding Creighton 37-22.

Creighton shot 49% from the floor, but just 25% from three. Nova also had a six-point advantage from the free throw line. Marcus Foster did his usual thing, netting 22 points, but shot just 2-11 from three. Justin Patton enjoyed a productive night as well, with 18 points on 9-12 FG and 8 rebounds. Maurice Watson Jr. had just six points on 2-7, but he did dish out nine assists. Breakout sophomore Khyri Thomas was held to just seven points.

Nova erased a 10-point deficit in the first half, while Creighton battled back from seven down in the second half before big plays from Hart and Brunson allowed Nova to close the deal. The perimeter defense was huge for Nova, as Creighton entered the game leading the country in three-point percentage.

The glaring difference entering the second game was the absence of Watson Jr. But Foster stepped up big time, scoring 25 points and dishing eight assists. Thomas had 17 points and five assists, but otherwise no one really got anything going for the Bluejays. The Cats did a much better job on Patton, holding him to just four points and five rebounds. Davion Mintz and Isaiah Zierden, the players getting the majority of Watson's minutes, were held scoreless. Nova forced 16 turnovers and conceded just six free throws.

Offensively, the Cats struggled from three, knocking down just 21%, but still managed to shoot 53% from the field. They again won the rebounding battle, 33-28. Nova had a huge advantage from the free throw line, where they shot 17-22, making them +13 from the line.

Eric Paschall had an excellent game with 19 points and six rebounds. Hart chipped in 16 points and seven rebounds. Mikal Bridges added 11 points, eight rebounds, and five steals (Nova had 11 steals in the game.) Jenkins had 15 points, while Brunson and DiVincenzo had nine each.

After a tight first half that ended in a 33-33 tie, Nova pulled away in the second half for a 79-63 victory on the strength of Paschall and Hart. Bridges and DiVincenzo made some key plays as well.

Nova was bolstered by solid shooting in each meeting with Creighton, particularly from inside the arc. They exploited the free throw line. But defense and rebounding were the keys in each victory. That should be the case again. The Bluejays were hot offensively in their semifinal matchup with Xavier, shooting 55% from the floor and 65% from three. They had decent balance, with Foster and Patton getting 21 each, while Thomas had 10, Zierden had nine, and Cole Huff had 11. Against Providence in the quarterfinals, they weren't as impressive offensively, but they shot 33 free throws and forced 22 turnovers.

Nova will need to replicate their efforts from the first two meetings in terms of perimeter defense. Foster has been excellent against Villanova this season, but the Cats have done an a very good job limiting the players around him, and that seems to be the way to approach this game as well. Nova did a great job at not fouling Creighton while drawing fouls of their own, as they have done pretty much all season, and that is another area they should look to exploit. Ball security is another area of focus. Nova has been solid in the Big East Tournament in that regard, committing just seven turnovers against St. John's and 12 against Seton Hall.

Villanova clearly has had success against Creighton this season, and will look to continue that in the final. The Bluejays will look to build off of their performance against Xavier. They enter the game with a bit of a chip on their shoulder, as they try to make a statement to the selection committee and the college basketball world that they are still a threat despite being without Watson.
Click to expand...

Weekend (3/10 - 3/12) & Future

S
NCAAs and HS Indoor Champs are being held this weekend. Both say something about Villanova track present and future.

Men? Where is Ben Malone? Is he hurt? Will he be redshirted this season? At NCAAs, aside from Wetzel, there is not much – especially when considering Penn Relays, next month. Slade’s 1200 leg was one of the slowest (10th) and only 2 secs faster than Sam Affolder’s 1200 (3:02.11) on winning HS DMR. Sam is a soph. Is he on VU’s radar? Purcell’s 400 was also one of the slowest (10th). Like Purcell and expect nice things in 800, but when does VU get a serious 400 man? There are some nice ones at HS Indoors, this weekend, and one is in its recruiting territory of Long Island. Does Tufariello ring a bell? Or even Elvis Lewis? Forget Larry James. Get a real 400 man. Lampinen? Nothing to brag about. Good, but you do not win championships with times like his. Is Villanova paying attention at HS Indoors or canvasing the world – Australia, UK, RSA? Forget Kenya, they are either going pro or probably fail to qualify academically. My point: the men are in trouble and only the 4x800 is possibly competitive for Penn Relays. What are they doing?

Women? It is all good. They get better every meet and they have at least two good ones coming in next year in McArthur and Alex Harris. Harris has surprising speed for steeplechase champion and ran the 1200 leg on No. Rockland’s winning DMR, but pay attention to Katelyn Tuohy (only a frosh). Is VU looking at others? Hope so. Or1on mentioned Carla Sweeney (IRL) in another post. Another Irish connection. She is good. Sammy Watson is supposedly choosing between Texas A&M (Why?) and USC (Why?) Was VU every in the discussion? But Procaccio keeps on doing what she does. She seems to find girls who become women of accomplishment. Angel will be available for Penn Relays. Women look good in 4x1500, DMR and 4x800 (now that Keegan has arrived as the 4th – like her 2:09). What is the story with Kelsey Margey?
Click to expand...

Nova To Face Seton Hall In Big East Semis

J
With Seton Hall's victory over Marquette this afternoon, we now know that the Cats will have an opportunity to avenge last season's loss to the Pirates in the Big East title game. Looking at the results from the two meetings between the teams this year, Nova has to feel confident.

In the first meeting, Nova absolutely trounced the Pirates, 76-46, in what was one of Nova's best performances of the season. Seton Hall could get absolutely nothing going offensively, as they were held to 29% shooting and 25% from three. Nova forced 16 turnovers. Khadeen Carrington was held to six points, while Angel Delgado was limited to eight points and six rebounds, breaking a streak of 11-straight double-doubles.

It was a balanced offensive effort, with five Wildcats reaching double figures (Jenkins, Brunson, Hart, DiVincenzo, and Paschall) and two more with eight points apiece (Reynolds and Bridges.) The Cats shot 47% from the floor and 46% from three.

In the second meeting, Nova again cruised to an easy victory, 92-70. This time, it was the offense that lead the way. The Cats shot a blistering 67% and 57% from three. After the Pirates pulled to within one late in the first half, Jalen Brunson sparked an 11-1 to end the half and restore the Nova lead. The Cats never looked back.

Brunson had 22 points on 7-7 shooting to go along with 10 assists. Jenkins had 22 as well, while Hart added 19 and Bridges chipped in 15. Paschall had nine.

The defense wasn't as stout as it was in the first meeting, as the Pirates shot 46%, but they were limited to 29% from three. Carrington and Delgado got going this time around, with Carrington putting in 22 while Delgado had 19 and 12 rebounds. But with the Nova offense clicking, it didn't matter.

Ideally, Friday night will feature a blend of the two performances. It's unlikely the Cats will shoot 67% again, but they shot well in today's win over St. John's so hopefully they will at least be near or slightly above their season average of 49.6%. More important than the percentage is simply how the offense is executed, with ball movement and patience, which is something they can control.

The Cats can also control the defensive effort, and they will need to contain Carrington and Delgado. Carrington had 19 in today's win over Marquette, while Delgado was an absolute beast with 12 points, 16 rebounds, and nine assists. Myles Powell had a nice game as well, with 17 points on 3-6 from three. If Powell gets it going from deep, the Pirate offense jumps to another level.

Nova clearly has the blueprint for defeating Seton Hall, it will just be a matter of going out and executing. Expect the Pirates' best effort as they look to defend their Big East Tournament title and to improve their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile Nova will look to avenge last year's conference title game loss, while earning another shot at the Big East crown on Saturday. With Kansas' loss to TCU today, the first overall seed is also seemingly there for Nova's taking.
Click to expand...

Cats Will Get St. John's Tomorrow

J
Nova now knows they will face St. John's tomorrow afternoon in their opening Big East Tournament game, as the Johnnies survived a hectic game with Georgetown.

The Cats hold two 13-point victories over the Red Storm this season. The first game was won with defense, as Nova held St. John's to just 57 points. St. John's shot just 40% and 32% from three, and committed 17 turnovers. The Cats did a great job of limiting the trio of Marcus LoVett, Shamorie Ponds, and Bashir Ahmed, holding them to 36 points. Nova was able to overcome 20 turnovers of their own, shooting 45% from the field and 33% from three. They also dominated the boards, 41-23. Donte DiVincenzo had 19 in the 70-57 win.

After using stiff defense to beat St.John's in the first meeting, the Cats sprinted to a 92-79 victory in the second matchup in a high scoring affair. Turnovers were again an issue for Nova, as they coughed it up 23 times. Turnovers developed as a disturbing trend against the Red Storm this season, and it will be interesting to see if they can reverse that trend tomorrow afternoon. The Cats shot 52% from the field and 36% from three this time around. They also held a 40-26 advantage on the glass. Josh Hart led the way with 26 points, and DiVincenzo had another stellar game, dropping 20 on the Johnnies. The LoVett-Ponds-Ahmed trio scored 53 combined points for St. John's.

LoVett was quiet in the Red Storm's win over Georgetown tonight with just four points, but was picked up by Ponds, Ahmed, and Malik Ellison. St. John's committed just eight turnovers.

The Cats will need to try to limit the trio mentioned above. Turnovers will be something else to watch. Nova averaged 21.5 turnovers in the two games with St. John's, while the Red Storm averaged 16.5. Nova will look to reduce their own turnovers while continuing to force St. John's into mistakes.
Click to expand...

After Another Terrible Season, G-Town In A Tough Spot

J
This is an interesting article on the situation at Georgetown from Jeff Goodman at ESPN. From Nova's perspective, it would be great to have the Hoyas return to relevancy, as a revival of the Nova-G-Town rivalry would be great for both programs as well as the fans. Furthermore, Georgetown was expected to be a pillar of the new Big East, and instead they have struggled to break into the top half of the league. The Hoyas playing at the level that used to be expected of them would be a great benefit to the conference.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...gh-spot-john-thompson-iii-john-thompson-looms

One quote I found particularly interesting: "He still tries to recruit high-level guys, regardless of the fit. He needs high-skilled guys, not necessarily the top talent. Obviously, some of the guys fit well--but most of them don't." I think that perfectly sums up the situation at Georgetown right now. There is enough talent on the roster, but for the past two seasons the pieces haven't come close to fitting together.
Click to expand...
Load more
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT
Top Bottom
Back