Going Friday. Is there a pre-game bar or two that will be Nova Bars?

And will Barclay sell beer during the games? (... can never assume that NCAA is only concerned about making money and not ethics of selling beer at a university event...)

MANY ARTICLES UP ALREADY.....BOSTON GLOBE REPORTING.....THIS SELECTION COMMITEE MAY BE THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL EVER..........WITH THEIR SELECTIONS...SEEDINGS ETC....FAVORING THE FIVE POWER CONFERENCES...ETC

The 2016 NIT bracket..............

http://bracketmatrix.com/nit

In the interest of beating a dead horse on this topic, had another thought:

Maybe the death penalty is actually coming down on UNC so the NCAA decided to help them out in their last chance tourney...?

That's the bottom line, IMO. I don't know a lot about ankle injuries or sports medicine but, I do know that Daniel was nowhere near full strength at the Big East and if he isn't 100 percent by our second game, we may not survive. He gave a really courageous effort in New York and we still almost won the tournament but, with him at less than 100%, we just aren't the same team.

He didn't have the quickness or the bounce that he usually has which rendered him a completely different player offensively and defensively which affects everything we do. Arch and Brunson were overmatched last night by Seton Hall's backcourt but, if a healthy Ochefu is on the floor, he creates space for them offensively with his post presence and he can help defensively with his shot-blocking presence when they get beat off the dribble. Seton Hall knew this and really got up on our guards defensively and attacked us off the dribble relentlessly. Jay had no choice but to separate them and put Mikail on Whitehead which was a great move that turned the game around.

We could debate for days about whether or not Daniel should have played in the tournament and people could make sensible arguments either way but, if he isn't 100% by our second game, we may not make it out alive unless it's a very favorable matchup. I can't imagine us winning a Sweet 16 game without him at 100%. So, right now, Jeff Pierce is the most important member of the Villanova basketball program. We need Daniel at 100% if we are going to make a serious run. Flick the rosary beads now.

Second thoughts and other observations:

-I never thought that Kris Jenkins was going to be anything more than a stand still, heat-check, 3 point shooter for us. Kudos to him for proving me wrong. The development in his overall game and, his increasing confidence, over the last 6 weeks of the season has been incredible. Kris is playing at a level that could be a huge difference-maker in this tournament. That kid is a baller now not just a shooter.
-Do I think Josh got fouled on that follow up? Yeah but, I'm not surprised they didn't call it. The refs have got to let the kids decide the game there unless the foul is so egregious that you have to call it. I'd be pissed if it was the other way and Seton Hall got the call.There were calls missed both ways all night. Hell, Kris Jenkins' got away with a shove, in open space, right in front of a ref on his big 3 at the end of the game. Bottom line-we had the lead and the ball with 50 seconds to go and we, the veteran team, found a way to lose and they, the youngsters, found a way to win. As far as I'm concerned, they caught us on a night when our big man was hobbled. Cap tip to them. Time to move on.
-Seton Hall are a bunch of knuckleheads but, they are talented knuckleheads. Hell, Willard even referred to them as his knuckleheads in the post game interview. That being said, if they can keep their heads on straight, they can do damage in the tournament. They are built for March-they've got athletes, shooters and one on one playmakers. They don't have a ton of size but, they have enough. The Big East has to silence the critics this year in the tourney. I'm rooting for them to make a run as long as it's not at our expense.
-Would I have liked to see Josh pass out of that trap or call a timeout? Hell yeah but, shit happens in the heat of the battle. It just didn't go our way this time. We don't get to that pivotal moment without Josh carrying us on his back in the second half. Josh Hart is a warrior. I'll go to war with him on my side every night of the week.
-When we lost at Xavier, I posted that one of the good things that came out of the game was the different lineup combinations Jay used that night which I thought was a preview of the NCAA tournament. I also felt that, once we got to a certain level in the tournament, we wouldn't be able to play Arch and Brunson together much. We would have to play them separately. Last night was a dress rehearsal for our 2nd or 3rd round game. We are going to see a lot of Arch and Jalen running separately with Phil, Mikail and Josh at the 2, as I predicted.
-Phil's athleticism, ability off the bounce and rebounding were better suited for last night's game than Arch and Jalen but, he's got to cut down on his turnovers and shoot the ball better. We need more from him, now. Not next year. Now.
-Mikail Bridges came in here with a reputation of being soft. He is anything but soft. Great recruiting find. Great use of the redshirt year, learning Villanova basketball and gaining strength. He really changed the game and kick-started the comeback with his defense on Whitehead at the beginning of the second half and his foul shots down the stretch were money for a young pup. The kid is special. We're going to see a lot of him in the tournament. He's the kind of player who might get us over the hump in the matchups in the tourney that we have struggled with.

Get healthy Daniel!!! Go Cats!!

A joke they are in.

18-1. Lots of smart money on Nova from what I am told.

Are you DP?

I seem to recall UNC playing in the RBC Center as a two in the regionals. Are there other examples where the ones were 'screwed'? So disappointed to not have them in philly and have to reconsider gambling $500k for regional games at wfc.

I think we as fans have a nervous tension about us because he haven't reached the 2nd weekend in 6 years. So what? Every year is different. This team knows what it needs to do. We have a gutty, gritty, and experienced leader on the floor, the best rebounding guard in the nation, a silky (big) smooth shooter, and a big man who can do damage if you let him. Oh, and the guy on the sideline in the custom suits isn't that bad.

We have an experienced group this year, guys who are battle tested. We didn't roll over against SHU when we were down 14. If we have a healthy Daniel I think we are as good as anyone. I think what we are missing is CONFIDENCE. I feel once we get past either Temple or Iowa we may exhale and propel us past that sweet 16 game and beyond. After that, we are playing with house money. Kansas can certainly lose to either Maryland (they played MSU very tough) or Cal.

Everyone loves Xavier that I've seen....we are kind of flying below the radar. Why do they get that respect and we don't? Because in years past they have done well. How quickly people forget about us.

I am going out on a limb here and say we are not losing to Iowa or Temple just because we have lost in the rd of 32 for a few years. Watch out this year.

Why not us?

Did FS1 broadcast a bracketology show? It's 9pm and an MLS game has been in since 7pm and a motocross event is coming on next.

Anyone know when they determine this? If no game time yet, has the session time been announced?

Sorry for a new thread, but I can't seem to find this anywhere else.

Has anyone heard a committee explanation as to why Kansas wound in the South instead of the Midwest?

I saw an ESPN analyst (seemed very good although I forget his name) who said he expected there must be "extenuating circumstances" as to why they were sent to the South, and that would help explain why other domino's fell as they did, including Villanova in the South and Xavier in the East.

Has anyone heard an explanation? Official or otherwise?

Picked zero Big East teams to make the Sweet Sixteen.

I looked up the highest each of the teams in our region had been ranked in the AP poll at any point in the season. Granted this is a meaningless metric, but pretty interesting how many high rankings we have none the less. Maybe this isn't that uncommon, but the South has seven top 10 teams in it. Just for fun if you convert each ranking to a seed from their peak, we have four 1 seeds, two 2 seeds, and a 3, 4 and 5.

And Oregon wasn't even in the top 25 on January 18th. They were in a 4 way tied for 36th amongst others receiving votes. That's quite the rise to a 1 seed.
Our path to Houston could include: 15, 1, 2, 1.


Seed --Team --Highest AP Rank --Seed Equivalent
1 KU 1 ---1
2 Nova 1 ---1
3 Miami 7 ---2
4 Cal 14 ---4
5 Maryland 2 ---1
6 Arizona 7 ---2
7 Iowa 3 ----1
8 Colorado 30 NA
9 Uconn 18 --- 5
10 Temple
11 Vandy/Wich St. 9 --- 3
12 South Dakota St
13 Hawaii 34 ---9
14 Buffalo
15 UNC Asheville
16 Austin Peay

I hope to have some quotes up a little later but here is a photo album:
https://villanova.n.rivals.com/news/villanova-selection-sunday-photos

It was interesting to see the reaction of Hart and Bridges when they were watching the talking heads pick who would advance. They showed the pick of Iowa over Temple and then Iowa to the Sweet 16 and Hart smirked and either Bridges or Booth muttered something like " do you think they will pick us to beat UNC Asheville" ... when the announcers picked 'Nova in that game a Bronx cheer went up in the Connelly Center.

and then the 1st #2 seed to lose????????

Just want to thank the many people who helped to put together such a great weekend for our many alums who invaded NYC for the past 4 days of Big East Hoops. This was my first time staying multiple days and I really enjoyed seeing NovaNation in Central Park, Carnegie Deli, Stout, Proper West, Times Square and MSG.

Hope we get same kinda crowds for Brooklyn this week for the NCAA.

GO NOVA!!!

VUSports: Those four free-throws you made in the second half of the championship were quite impressive for a Freshman on a huge stage like that ...

Mikal Bridges: We shoot 100 free throws a day so there is nothing different. We practice all the time so I just have the confidence and my teammates have confidence in me. When I go to shoot they say “knock these down Mikal” and I say “I got this” because it gives me confidence when they have confidence in me. So I don’t even think about the crowd. I am just looking straight at the rim.

VUSports: And what was it like getting the start in the second half knowing that Whitehead was just going off and you needed to find a way to slow him down ...

Mikal Bridges: Coach just wanted more length on him because he is a bigger guard. Coach told me to get ready to start on him and go hard on defense. That is what we needed along with defensive rebounding. We needed a little more height on the court and to get a little bigger.

VUSports: What did you guys think of getting the 2 seed and then seeing the game with the Iowa / Temple winner if you get past the first game?

Mikal Bridges: I like our bracket. It is good. We are just ready to play our next game against anybody - it doesn’t matter who we play we are just always going to be ready for our game. That is how it has been this year - it doesn’t matter who we play.

VUSports: Do you feel maybe a little bummed you don’t have the chance to potentially play at Wells Fargo Center again?

Mikal Bridges: We really, again, just care about the next game. It may have been nice to maybe play at Wells Fargo Center in front of everyone around here and our families - that would have been nice but it really doesn’t matter where they put us because we are going to play hard and together no matter where we are at.

VUSports: Thanks. Take care and good luck to you.

The brother of my enemy is also my enemy. F Iowa....

Login to view embedded media
Monkey off my back!

Figured I'd get a jump on things....

ONE.....FOR SEEDING PURPOSES, NOT NECESSARILY LOCATION PURPOSES... WINNING THE BET WAS MEANINGLESS...NOT A FACTOR IMHO.....WE COULD HAVE WON IT, AND STILL BEEN A TWO SEED............MORAL OF THE STORY...NOT ENOUGH MARQUEE WINS..............TWO....FOR THOSE WHO FELT THERE IS THIS GREAT SEPERATION IN TALENT BETWEEN NOVA AND TEMPLE.., YOUR DREAM CAME TRUE............BEWARE........

Obviously , Syracuse was given a leg up into the tourney by a clearly disfunctional NCAA committee who on one hand sanctioned Syracuse for their violations and on the other hand gave them extra credit for having been sanctioned.
Who failed to make it because the NCAA decided to let the criminal enterprise called Syracuse basketball off the hook?
Saint Bonaventure? Monmouth?