March 5, 2004
VILLANOVA WILDCATS (14-14, 6-9)
vs.
No. 6 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (26-3, 12-3)
Saturday, March 6, 2004
1:30 p.m.
Petersen Events Center - Pittsburgh, Pa.
ABC TV
WZZD Radio (990 AM)
Check out the game notes for Saturday afternoon's Big East game between the Villanova Wildcats (14-14, 6-9) and No. 6 Pittsburgh Panthers (26-3, 12-3). The game will tip-off at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 6 at the Petersen Events Center, and will be televised live on ABC. A Villanova win would put an end to a four-game losing streak and would also make the 'Cats NIT-eligible.
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THE NOTEBOOK
Hurricane Hit
Following a strong effort in a near upset of No. 8 ranked Connecticut on Saturday, Villanova hoped to regain its footing in its final regular season home game at the Pavilion.
Prior to the contest, seniors Derrick Snowden and Andreas Bloch were honored for their contributions to the program over the past four years.
But the good vibes didn't last.
Darius Rice scored 17 second-half points to ignite a Miami rally from a 29-21 halftime deficit and help the Hurricanes secure a 59-56 victory.
"Even if we had made a basket or two down the stretch and stolen this game it would not have changed the fact that we didn't play well," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We allowed a team to come in here and shoot 58 percent in the second half. That's disappointing to me."
The Wildcats seemed to have control of the game in the first half in building that eight point advantage. Guards Allan Ray and Mike Nardi combined to score 23 of those points and the 'Cats limited Miami to 9-of-25 shooting from the field (.360).
At the start of the second half, Miami made its move.
Rice drilled a 3-point field goal to cut the margin to five. Baskets by Robert Hite and Rice made it a 6-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half. The run was aided by the fact Villanova turned the ball over in each of its first four possessions of the second half.
The game remained tight the rest of the way. Villanova held the lead until the 5:09 mark when an Anthony King lay-up gave the Hurricanes their first edge of the second half at 52-51. Miami held on the rest of the way and was able to exhale when a Curtis Sumpter 3-point field goal attempt missed near the end of regulation.
Wright was asked to assess the mood of his club following the loss.
"They're down," Wright said. "I think they're in shock. We really needed this game. You lose a game like this at home, obviously, you still have a lot of work to do."
Young and the Restless
That Villanova leans heavily on a youthful core is apparent when one studies the stat sheet. A few figures shed some light on just how reliant on underclassmen the Wildcats are.
In 28 games in 2003-04, Villanova has played 5,650 minutes. A total of 5,076 of those minutes belong to first or second year players. That means that freshman and sophomores have accounted for 90 percent of the minutes played at Villanova this season.
Of the 2,011 points scored by Villanova this year, 1,877 have been supplied by sophomores or freshmen. That's 93 percent of the points.
By class, the scoring breaks down like this:
Freshmen: 21 percentSophomores: 71 percentJuniors: 0 percentSeniors: 8 percent
On the glass, 933 of the 1,020 rebounds pulled down by the 'Cats have been credited to first or second year players. That computes to 91 percent of the rebounding.
Tracking the Trio
Villanova's three guards - Randy Foye, Mike Nardi and Allan Ray - are the Wildcats' offensive catalysts.
Ray and Nardi supplied most of Villanova's offense in the loss to Miami. The pair combined for 41 of the Wildcats 56 points and were 11-of-20 (.550) from beyond the 3-point arc.
When each member of this group reaches double figures in scoring this season, Villanova is 9-3. When two of the three reach that number, the 'Cats are 2-7. When one member of the group is in double figures, Villanova's record is 2-4.
Also revealing is the field goal percentage work of the trio. The group did connect on 14-of-28 field goal attempts against the Hurricanes, only the second time all season that has taken place in a Villanova defeat.
When Foye, Nardi and Ray combine to shoot 50 percent or better from the field this season, Villanova is 8-2. When the trio converts less than 50 percent from the floor, the 'Cats are 6-12.
Nardi has started all 28 games while Foye and Ray have started all but one. The duo did not start on Senior Night against Miami to make way for Derrick Snowden and Andreas Bloch.
Ray of Light
Allan Ray has been Villanova's most consistent offensive weapon in 2003-04.
In his second season on the Main Line, Ray ranks as Villanova's leading scorer at 17.6 ppg. The product of St. Raymond's High School also leads the club in minutes played, 3-point field goals (73) and in 3-point field goal percentage (.415). For good measure Ray also contributes 3.8 rpg and 3.1 apg.
With one more 3-pointer, Ray will move ahead of Kerry Kittles for the most triples made as a sophomore at Villanova. The school record for most 3-pointers made in one season belongs to Ray's former teammate, Gary Buchanan, who supplied 101 in 2001-02.
Another gauge of Ray's impact is how quickly he is rising on Villanova's all-time scoring list. He now has 802 points on the Main Line with one regular season contest remaining in his sophomore season.
Defensive Diary
Over the course of the 2003-04, the Villanova Wildcats have often played strikingly different halves of basketball in the same game.
Tuesday night illustrated a classic example of this. In the first half, Villanova built a 29-21 edge while limiting Miami to .360 shooting from the field. In the second half, however, the 'Canes rallied while converting 14-of-24 (.583) from the floor.
The season-long numbers parallel Villanova's campaign.
In its first ten games of 2003-04, Villanova allowed an opponent to convert 45 percent or better of its field goal attempts in a half just once. (Ohio State converted 64 percent of its attempts in the first half of a Nov. 25 meeting at the Maui Invitational).
In the 18 games that have been played since the calendar turned to 2004, it's been a different story. Of the 36 halves of basketball played in those contests, Villanova has permitted an opponent to connect on 45 percent of its field goal attempts 17 times.
Opponents are now connecting on .408 of their attempts from the field against the 'Cats. That number stood at .321 entering January.
Rebounding Revival
Although the Wildcats feature a starting lineup with three guards, Villanova has more than held its own on the backboards this season. That has been especially true of late.
Villanova has won the rebounding battle in seven of its last eight contests, including the loss to Miami. Only Providence managed to out-rebound the 'Cats in this stretch. On Tuesday the 'Cats pulled down 28 rebounds to the Hurricanes 24.
In the eight game span Villanova has a 277-230 (34.7-28.9) edge on the glass. On the season Villanova owns a 36.4 -33.5 rebounding edge on its opponents.
Curt's Come On
The individual who has taken the most dramatic steps on the Wildcat roster is sophomore forward Curtis Sumpter. After averaging 6.2 ppg as a rookie in 2002-03, Sumpter has emerged as VU's second leading scorer (15.6) and top rebounder (7.3 rpg).
"I saw him in high school,' said UConn coach Jim Calhoun. "I always thought he didn't have a position. Wrong. He's a terrific combination four-three man."
Sumpter scored nine points and collected seven rebounds in the loss to Miami. His four assists in that contest were a career high.
Tommy's on Track
Prior to senior night, it was announced that guard Tom Grace, who is listed as a senior, plans to return to the Villanova basketball team in 2004-05.
Grace is an academic senior who walked on to the squad prior to the 2001-02 campaign. He retains one year of eligibility since he did not participate as a freshman in 2000-01.
Turnover Trouble
After one of its best outings of the season in the turnover department against Connecticut (12), the Wildcats were vexed again by miscues against Miami.
Villanova committed 16 turnovers in the game's first 23 minutes. There were only two more the rest of the way, but enough damage had been done.
The Wildcats have committed 470 turnovers on the year, an average of 16.8 per game.
Where There's a Will, There's a Way
Freshman forward Will Sheridan has given Villanova a major lift off the bench of late.
"Will Sheridan gives us great chemistry," stated Wright. "He communicates on defense, is a verbal kid and really gets everyone going."
Although he doesn't shoot often - only 83 field goal attempts in 28 games - the rookie from Bear, Del. makes them count. His field goal percentage now stands at .663 on the season. More important is the fact that he averages 5.1 ppg and 4.7 rpg. It's also worth noting that Sheridan has committed just 17 turnovers this season in 593 minutes.
Suspension Summary
The suspensions related to the misuse of a university telephone access code revealed last March were completed in December.
The recap of those affected in 2003-04:
Marcus Austin (served 8 games, suspension complete)Andreas Bloch (served 5 games, suspension complete)Chris Charles (served 3 games, suspension complete)Derrick Snowden (served 3 games, suspension complete)Curtis Sumpter (served 3 games, suspension complete)
Home Work
Villanova has capitalized on its homecourt advantage since the Pavilion opened its doors on Feb. 1, 1986. The Wildcats are 159-50 (.761) in the Pavilion all-time.
Of late, however, it's been less of an advantage. The Wildcats dropped two of their final three games in the Pavilion this season. The 'Cats finished the regular season just 6-4 in the building on Ithan Avenue. It's the first time since 1993-94 that the 'Cats have dropped as many as four games in the Pavilion in a single campaign.
The Wildcats have been quite proficient in the Pavilion in the last decade. Since 1994-95, Villanova is 97-17 (.851) on its primary homecourt. It is 27-8 (.771) in the Pavilion since Jay Wright became head coach in 2001.
Nine games played at the Pavilion this season were sellouts (the capacity is 6,500).
The Wildcats also host games at the Wachovia Center in downtown Philadelphia. Villanova went 0-3 in the building in 2003-04, having absorbed defeats to Memphis on Jan. 6 and Notre Dame on Jan. 10 along with Connecticut on Feb. 28.
Philadelphia Big Five
The historic tradition known as the Philadelphia Big Five continued in 2003-04. Villanova and its City Series rivals - La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's and Temple -played a complete round-robin schedule.
Villanova defeated Temple (73-48), La Salle (74-63) and Penn (73-63). Its only loss in the city this year was to No. 2-ranked Saint Joseph's on Feb. 2 at the Pavilion (a 74-67 decision in favor of the Hawks).
This marks the most wins for Villanova in the City Series since the 2000-01 season, when it completed the campaign with a 4-0 record. The Wildcats were 2-2 in both 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Big Five Standings
Saint Joseph's 4-0Villanova 3-1Temple 2-2Pennsylvania 1-3La Salle 0-4
Austin Powered Down
Junior forward Marcus Austin underwent surgery on his left foot on Feb. 16 at Bryn Mawr Hospital. A screw was inserted to help correct a fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone. Austin will be sidelined for the remainder of the 2003-04 season.
The junior from Irvington, N.J. saw action in just one game this season. He served an eight game suspension for his role in the misuse of a university telephone access code and was not available until Dec. 22 against Columbia.
Eye on Mike
Freshman guard Mike Nardi needs one assist against Pittsburgh to move into sole possession of second place on the list for most assists by a first year player.
Nardi is only the third freshman to record more than 100 assists at Villanova (he presently has 112). Ironically, all three, including all-time leader Kenny Wilson (145) and Rory Sparrow (112), hail from Northern New Jersey.
Against Miami Nardi scored 14 points and was 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point shooting arc. His 46 3-point field goals are second to Allan Ray's 73 on Villanova in 2003-04.
He averages 10.5 ppg.
