Some thoughts on a snowy Friday in NYC:
A. Jalen Brunson - no surprise - named Gatorade POY in Illinois. He looks like Pedro Martinez - another reason to like him
B. We are getting much mention/hype from two of the loudest voices on TV - Dick Vitale and Charles Barkley. The longer we stay in this thing, the bigger our brand gets. Winning the BE regular season, going 33-2, winning the BET and avoiding the 1-16 first time loss in impressive fashion has us rolling. Hopefully it continues Saturday.
C. 33-2, Arch and Chef (and Dylan!) back for another run, Brunson and Spellman in the fold, #1 seed, just an amazing time to be a Villanova basketball fan
D. The line of 9.5 is really high. If you are really going nuts, bet NC State (and I"m not a gambler). If they win on the floor you get paid. If the lose by less than 9, you get paid. If Nova wins by double figures - it's worth paying for! Or - just hope they win...
E. We have Josh Hart (and Kris) for two more seasons - how cool is that.
F. Picture Jalen/Arch/Phil/Josh/Chef on the floor next year - how do you guard that? Add Dylan and Kris - wow! Key will be getting that eighth man support from either Bridges/Reynolds/Delaney or some combination. Nice when your biggest worry is who your eight man is with Top 100 solutions!
G. Wish I was in Pittsburgh, but just too much going on. Can't stand Syracuse as a city, but I'll be there with bells on if we are lucky enough to get through Saturday.
H. The way I feel about this team is that I know we will defend like nuts for 40 minutes. I know we'll give it all on the boards for 40 minutes. Those are locks. We also tend to put 70 on the board with regularity. If a team beats us, they will have earned it. That's all you can ask for as a fan.
I. We must be so hard to prepare for. So many answers with diverse skills. I'd play us the way PC did - play 4 on the perimeter - take away/minimize our three point game and make us drive the ball. Because of our guards improvement off the bounce and our bigs productivity, that's still not a great strategy, but it's been the one most effective against us historically (SHU, UCONN last year - PC game 3 this year).
J. NC State feels like a SHU without the chaos. They made the 32. They beat some good teams. They deserve and will get much respect (except from Ken Pom and Vegas). See point H and will NC State be that team? If so, they will earn it.
K. The key is how healthy our program is. We will be in the Big Dance and a threat for the forseeable future. Eventually we will knock the door down. Will this be the year?!
L. Can't forget to mention the Thursday for the Big East. Vitale going on and on about the 4-0 performance of the BE. Huge publicity. Let's hope PC and SJU carry the banner today. 5 to the 32. 3 to the Sweet 16 - will go a long way to establishing a "Power 6" in basketball!
This post was edited on 3/20 1:33 PM by VUVoice
