Dec. 3, 2005
Post-Game Notes from Villanova's 85-74 victory over Oklahoma
Villanova senior guard Randy Foye scored a career-high 32 points in this evening's game. He eclipsed his previous career-high of 28 points, set in the Sweet 16 against North Carolina last season. Foye is the first Wildcat to score 30 points in a game since Curtis Sumpter scored 39 points against Northeastern on December 12, 2003 in a 74-55 win.
The Wildcats stormed to the victory this evening after trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half. Oklahoma took its largest lead of the night at 25-15 with 7:39 left in the first half. The victory marked the first time Villanova won a game in which it trailed by double digits since an 83-78 overtime victory at Providence on January 11, 2005. The Friars scored the first 10 points of that game and led by as many as 11 in the first half before the Wildcats rallied.
Villanova's burst of 50 points in the second half was the most points the team had scored in one half since it also scored 50 in the second half of a 94-61 victory over Rutgers on January 29, 2005. The Wildcats have not exceeded 50 points in one half since scoring 53 in the final period of an 86-72 victory over Albany on December 22, 2004.
The Wildcats improved to 6-6 all-time against the teams that currently make up the Big 12 Conference. That mark includes contests against Colorado (0-1), Iowa State (1-0), Kansas (1-2), Kansas State (1-0), Missouri (0-1), Nebraska (2-0), Oklahoma (1-1) and Oklahoma State (0-1).
Jay Wright is now 2-3 all-time against the Big 12 in his career, and 2-1 during his tenure at Villanova. Prior to tonight's game, the only team from the Big 12 the Wildcats had played in Wright's tenure was Kansas (lost in 2003-04, won in 2004-05).
Teams from the Big East Conference are 2-2 against the Big 12 this season and 25-27 since the league was founded in the 1996-97 season.
November 17 - Syracuse 81, Texas Tech 46 (Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Carrier Dome)
November 21 - Texas 76, West Virginia 75 (Guardians Classic, Morgantown, W. Va.)
November 30 - Nebraska 84, Marquette 74 (Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, Alaska)
December 3 - Villanova 85, Oklahoma 74 (The Pavilion, Villanova, Pa.)
The Wildcats are 16-7 (.696) all-time when they are ranked in the top 5 in the nation. Of those 23 games, Villanova has played at home 10 times and is 9-1 in those games. Only five of those 10 home games have been played at The Pavilion, and the Wildcats are 5-0 in those games.
Villanova's highest-ever ranking in the Associated Press polls was No. 3 from December 4-17, 1995. The Wildcats have been ranked in the top five in the nation on the following dates:
January 2-8, 1962
February 18-24, 1964
December 24-30, 1968
Preseason through December 6, 1982
March 1-7, 1983
Preseason through December 17, 1995
February 12-25, 1996
Preseason through November 29, 2005 (current streak)
Villanova is one of just six teams that have won a national championship but have never been ranked No. 1 during a regular season Associated Press poll. The other five schools with that same claim are California, CCNY, Louisville, Maryland and UTEP.
