Feb. 23, 1998

VILLANOVA WILDCATS
(10-15 Overall, 7-9 Big East)
vs.
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS
(10-13 Overall, 5-10 Big East)

Feb. 24, 1998 ~ Pittsburgh, Pa.
Fitzgerald Field House (6,798)
7 p.m. (ET) ~ Comcast SportsNet

Junior John Celestand has been electrifying over the Wildcats' last two games, posting nearly identical lines versus Syracuse and Connecticut. The guard posted back-to-back career-bests of 24 points on 18-of-32 (.563) shooting from the field, including a sizzling 10-of-13 (.769) from three-point range. Additionally, Celestand recorded an average of 6.0 apg, 4.5 rpg, 2.0 spg, and had only four turnovers in the pair of contests for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3:1. His six-of-seven (.857) performance from behind the three-point arc versus Syracuse marked personal bests for made treys and three-point percentage. That incredible long range performance is the best by a Wildcat since Doug West hit five-of-five and set a school record versus Vermont on March 3, 1988, and his six treys is the most by a Villanova player since Kerry Kittles hit six-of-10 versus Georgetown in the Big East Tournament on March 8, 1996.

1. 1.000 (5-5) Doug West vs. Vermont (3/3/88)
2. .857 (6-7) John Celestand vs. Syracuse (2/16/98)
3. .833 (5-6) Chris Walker vs. S.D. State (12/28/89)
.833 (5-6) Chris Walker vs. Providence (1/13/90)
.833 (5-6) Eric Eberz vs. Boston College (2/5/94)
.833 (5-6) Kerry Kittles vs. La Salle (2/12/96)
.833 (5-6) Alvin Williams vs. BC (1/25/97)

For the first time all season versus Connecticut, Villanova posted two 20-point scorers in the same contest. John Celestand had 24 points, and Malik Allen registered 20. On the year, the Wildcats have had eight 20-point efforts, with Celestand posting four, Howard Brown two, and Allen two. Celestand's back-to-back 24-point outings are the highest point total by a Wildcat all year.

Sophomore Malik Allen played his most complete game in almost two months versus Connecticut on Saturday night. The 6-foot-10 power forward scored 20 points on six-of-nine shooting from the field and tied a career-high with eight-of-eight shooting from the charity stripe. It marked his highest point total since the Boston College game on Dec. 30, 1997, when he scored a career-high 21 points on nine-of-11 shooting from the field. Allen's six-of-nine shooting effort versus UConn also marked the first time in five games that he's bested the 50-percent plateau, and his 32 minutes of play is the most since he saw 34 minutes of action versus West Virginia on Jan. 18, 1998.

The Wildcats are coming off a two-game stretch versus nationally-ranked teams and the two Big East Conference division leaders. Syracuse was ranked No. 21 at the time of the meeting with the Wildcats, while Connecticut rated as the No. 7 team in the nation. It marks the second time this season that the Wildcats had to face consecutive ranked teams, as they played the Huskies and Kentucky in early February back-to-back.

Villanova head coach Steve Lappas made wholesale lineup changes versus St. John's on Jan. 25, and since then there has been a major shift in philosophy. Villanova has gone from a power team with Malik Allen and Rafal Bigus playing together, to a three-point shooting team with a much smaller lineup. After the St. John's game (figuring it took a game for the new five to adjust to one another) Villanova has hit 71-of-187 (.379) from behind the three-point arc and is averaging 8.9 made three-pointers per game over the last eight contests. Prior to making the lineup changes, Villanova had hit only 100-of-330 (.303) from behind the arc and averaged only 6.3 treys per game over the 16-game span.

Despite going 1-3 over the last four games, the Wildcats are showing some signs of improvement. Each of the last four games have been tightly contested and gone down to the wire, with Villanova defeating Pittsburgh 79-68 and losing in the following three by only an average of 6.0 ppg. Additionally, the Wildcats have taken better care of the basketball, committing an average of only 13.0 turnovers per game during that span, down nearly four from their average of 16.9 on the season.

Probable Villanova StartersNo. Pos.    Name                        PPG     RPG#22 F   HOWARD BROWN (Jr., 6-5, 200)    12.8    5.7#50 F   T.J. CAOUETTE (So., 6-7, 215)   4.5     1.6#15 C   Malik Allen (So., 6-10, 240)    9.2     6.4#10 G   JERMAINE MEDLEY (Fr., 6-0, 185) 6.1     1.6#13 G   JOHN CELESTAND (Jr., 6-3, 175)  12.3    3.8Probable Pittsburgh StartersNo. Pos.    Name                            PPG     RPG#12 F   JARRETT LOCKHART (So., 6-2, 185)    11.7    4.2#21 F   ATTILA COSBY (Fr., 6-9, 200)        9.1     4.5#52 C   ISAAC HAWKINS (So., 6-8, 210)       13.8    8.9#3  G   V. CUMMINGS (Jr., 6-4, 185)         18.9    4.3#25 G   RICARDO GREER (Fr., 6-4, 225)       12.6    6.8 

Sophomore T.J. Caouette sprained his left ankle versus Providence last Saturday night and did not play versus Syracuse. He was replaced by senior Zeffy Penn in the starting lineup versus the Orangemen. Caouette returned from the injury to start versus Connecticut and play 23 minutes.

Villanova head coach Steve Lappas has utilized eight different starting lineups this season, with nine players starting at least one game this season. Here are the lineups from this season and the result:

Lineup                                                      Record(F) Allen, (F) Penn, (C) Bigus, (G) Lynch, (G) Celestand        0-1(F) Allen, (F) Penn, (C) Bigus, (G) Celestand, (G) Medley       0-1(F) Allen, (F) Brown, (C) Bigus, (G) Celestand, (G) Medley      6-3(F) Allen, (F) Brown, (C) Bigus, (G) Celestand, (G) O'Connor    1-4(F) Caouette, (F) Brown, (C) Allen, (G) Lynch, (G) Medley       3-3(F) Caouette, (F) Brown, (C) Bigus, (G) Lynch, (G) Medley       0-1(F) Penn, (F) Brown, (C) Allen, (G) Lynch, (G) Medley           0-1(F) Caouette, (F) Brown, (C) Allen, (G) Celestand, (G) Medley   0-1

One of Villanova's consistencies this season has been the Wildcats' strong effort on the defensive end of the floor, especially from three-point range. Villanova is currently ranked second in the Big East Conference in three-point defense in overall games, giving up only 29.1 percent of opponent treys, and is fourth in the league in the category in conference games only. In league play, the Wildcats are allowing only 30.4 percent of opponent threes, close behind Seton Hall.

With top 25 squads Duke, Kentucky, Connecticut, Syracuse and West Virginia dotting the Wildcat 1997-98 slate, Villanova's strength of schedule is ranked No. 6 in the Sagarin Ratings (USA Today) and No. 5 in the RPI report this week. This season, Villanova has played six top 25 squads, and 10 top 64 teams. The combined records of teams that the Wildcats have defeated this year is 142-110 (.563), while the combined record of the teams they have lost to is 254-130 (.661).

Senior Zeffy Penn has developed into one of the better shooters on the Wildcat squad this season. The sixth man has converted a team-best 10-of-27 (.370) from behind the three-point arc, and has hit five treys in the Wildcats' last seven games. Prior to this season, Penn had hit only three three-pointers in his career. The Harrisburg product also rates as Villanova's second-best free throw shooter, hitting 77.5 percent (31-of-40) from the charity stripe.

When sophomore Malik Allen scores in double figures, Villanova is 6-4 on the year, while, in comparison, the Wildcats are 4-11 when he scores less than 10 points per game. On the year, the Medford, N.J., native is averaging 8.7 ppg and has led the team in scoring on four occasions. In Villanova's 10 victories, Allen is averaging 11.1 ppg (111 points), while he's posted 7.8 ppg (118 points) in the Wildcats' 15 defeats.

Over the past six seasons under head coach Steve Lappas, the Wildcats are 77-13 (.856) in games where they have scored 75 points or better. In 1996-97, the Wildcats were 15-3 when hitting a score of 75. Last year, Villanova was 16-1 when producing 75+ points. During the 1994-95 season, they tallied a 19-1 record in such games, while they were 13-4 in 1993-94 and 8-3 in 1992-93. Villanova is 6-1 in 1997-98 when they score 75 or better.

Under head coach Steve Lappas, the Wildcats have recorded a mark of 17-21 (.447) against nationally-ranked teams, including a record of 13-14 (.481) over the past four years. This season, the Wildcats are 1-6 against nationally-ranked squads, defeating No. 16 Temple (68-57) on Dec. 16, 1997, and falling to No. 1 Duke on Dec. 10 (L 94-66), No. 21 West Virginia on Jan. 18 (L 65-79 ot), No. 9 Connecticut on Feb. 2 (L 65-80), No. 8 Kentucky (L 79-63) on Feb. 8, No. 21 Syracuse (L 69-64) on Feb. 16, and No. 7 Connecticut on Feb. 21 (L 83-76).

During the Lappas tenure on the Main Line, Villanova has made 59 appearances on five national television networks (ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, ABC, and NBC). The Wildcats have recorded a mark of 32-27 (.542) in those games, including a 9-9 record on CBS. Villanova is 9-1 on ESPN2, 11-17 on ESPN, 1-0 on ABC, and 2-0 on NBC during the six Lappas years.

The Wildcats have recorded 39-straight paid sellouts in their on-campus arena, The Pavilion, and boast a record of 97-36 (.729) in the building since it opened in 1986. From the 1994-95 season on, Villanova is 36-4 (.900) in The Pavilion, including a 21-3 (.869) mark in Big East Conference match-ups.

Freshman Johnny Holley, a 6-foot-6 forward from McKinney, Texas, will redshirt the 1997-98 season due to an inflammatory condition in his right knee. Holley played in only one game this season, seeing limited action against Bradley.

In comparing the Wildcats' shooting statistics from the field, three-point range, and the foul line, there are drastic differences in games won and lost. In 10 victories, the Wildcats have shot lights out, converting 50 percent from the field, nearly 40 percent from behind the arc and almost 74 percent from the foul line. In fact, in all 10 wins the Wildcats shot better than 40 percent from the field, while they have converted less than 42 percent from the field in all 15 losses. Consider this:

                        Wins                LossesField Goal Percentage   50.0 (284-568)      38.5 (355-923)  Three-Point Percentage  39.2 (82-209)       28.3 (93-329)Free Throw Percentage   73.4 (141-192)      58.2 (117-201)

Villanova: The Wildcats fell to Connecticut, 83-76, on Saturday night at the CoreStates Center in Philadelphia. Richard Hamilton led all scorers with 29 points, while Kevin Freeman added 21 and Khalid El-Amin had 15 for the Huskies. John Celestand led Villanova with a career-high 24 points on nine-of-16 shooting from the field, while Malik Allen had 20 points and Howard Brown contributed 16. Connecticut shot 46.2 percent from the floor in the game, while Villanova converted 41.0 percent and was outrebounded 45-36. The Huskies led by as many as 15 points in the contest, but Villanova cut it to three with under a minute to play to give the game an exciting conclusion.

Pittsburgh: Led by 26 points from Ricardo Greer, Pittsburgh held off Providence, 73-72, at Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday afternoon. Vonteego Cummings added 21 points and and Isaac Hawkins had 16 points and 11 boards in the contest. Justin Farley paced the Friars with 19 points, while Jamel Thomas had 18 and Erron Maxey 11. Pittsburgh shot 50.8 percent from the floor in the game, while Providence hit 47.5 percent of its shots, but was badly outrebounded, 42-28. Providence had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds on two foul shots, but Llewellyn Cole hit only one of two from the line.

Villanova and Pittsburgh first met on Feb. 11, 1960, with Villanova winning 76-49 on its home court. The Wildcats lead the overall series, 24-19, and have won six of the past seven meetings. In Big East Conference regular-season games, Villanova owns a 16-14 edge, including a 70-68 win earlier this season at The Pavilion. Villanova is 4-9 versus Pittsburgh in Fitzgerald Field House, but has won three of the last four meetings there. Villanova lost the last meeting between the two teams in the building, 95-89, on Feb. 12, 1997, when Jason Maile had a career-high 40 points. Villanova's last victory in Fitzgerald came on Feb. 17, 1996, when the Wildcats secured a 67-64 win.

VU Coach    Steve Lappas     113-71 (.614) / 6 yrs. (VU)    169-133 (.559) / 10 yrs.UP Coach    Ralph Willard    48-63 (.432) / 4 yrs. (UP)    129-105 (.551) / 8 yrs.  

Villanova: Villanova hosts its regular-season finale on Saturday at noon versus Rutgers at The Pavilion.

Pittsburgh: The Panthers travel to Seton Hall for a March 1 contest with the Pirates at the Meadowlands. Tip off is 2 p.m.

   Series FactsRecord in Overtime Games    VU 2-0Series First Meeting    2/11/60Overall Series Record   VU 24-19Record in Big East Regular-Season Games VU 16-14Record in Big East Tournament Games VU 3-1Current Win Streak  VU 1

Currently in his sixth season at the helm of the Wildcat program, head coach Steve Lappas has posted a mark of 47-20 (.701) versus non-conference opponents during his tenure. In his first year on the Main Line, the Wildcats were 5-3; in 1993-94 Villanova recorded a mark of 10-3 in non-Big East games. In 1994-95, the Wildcats registered a mark of 8-3, and in 1995-96 they were 11-2 out of conference. Last season, Lappas posted a mark of 10-3 in non-league contests, while Villanova is 3-6 in 1997-98.

Villanova has played two overtime contests this season, defeating Boston College 68-65 in The Pavilion on Jan. 6, and falling to West Virginia, 79-65 on Jan. 18, also in The Pavilion. Under head coach Steve Lappas, Villanova is 6-6 in overtime contests, including a 6-3 record from the 1993-94 season on. The Wildcats did not play an overtime game all last season, and won their only extra-session game during the 1995-96 season, winning 72-69 over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome.

When Villanova and Boston College played at Conte Forum on Dec. 30, 1997, the Wildcats shot 61.8 percent from the field, at the time its third-straight game of shooting 50 percent or better from the field. The Wildcats converted 34-of-55 from the field, their best shooting effort since the Wildcats set a school record at the famous 1985 NCAA title game versus Georgetown. On April 1, 1985, Villanova shot 22-of-28 (.786) to defeat the Hoyas and sit atop college basketball's throne.

The Wildcats were virtually starting from scratch prior to the start of the season, with only one starter returning to the 1997-98 lineup, as Chuck Kornegay, Jason Lawson, Tim Thomas, and Alvin Williams have all departed. Combined, the quartet amassed 4,244 career points and 2,142 career rebounds during their varied tenures at Villanova. In addition, the Wildcat seniors from a year ago (Kornegay, Lawson, Williams) compiled 95 victories during their four-year stint, the most wins by a class in school history. The class of '97 surpassed the class of '85, which posted a record of 92-38 and won the NCAA title.

Syracuse and Connecticut are the choices of the Big East Conference head coaches to win the 1997-98 division titles. Syracuse is picked to win the Big East 7 Division, receiving 10 first-place votes and 81 points. Connecticut garnered nine first-place votes and 69 points to earn the Big East 6 champion, narrowly edging St. John's with 63 points and four first-place votes. Following is the results of the tally: