Dec. 10, 2008
NEW YORK - It was the kind of back and forth defensive battle that, as one longtime observer noted here at Madison Square Garden, harkened back to the late 1980s and early 1990s of BIG EAST basketball. It was tough, hardnosed and not for the weak of mind. In the end, Texas prevailed 67-58 before a crowd of 14,675 that included a sixable VU contingent and Wildcats head coach Jay Wright felt he knew why.
"I like their overall toughness and aggressiveness on the glass," stated Wright of the No. 6 ranked Longhorns. "It's something that we take pride in and obviously they are ahead of us at this point. They really did a great job of coming up with big offensive rebounds, big stops defensively and really pressured our guards. They did as good a job pressuring our guards as anybody I can remember.
"They hit us with depth. They're good. I was very impressed."
Although Texas owned only a 39-36 edge on the glass, there were 16 offensive rebounds and a number of put backs that damaged Villanova as it closed to within three points in the second half after falling behind 32-26 at the half. But the `Cats could never get the margin below that and A.J. Abrams' offense - he scored 26 points, the same number that Scottie Reynolds put on the board when VU downed Texas at the Wachovia Center in 2007 - hurt the comeback attempt.
"We've got a lot of work to do," stated Wright. "We need to play in these games and we will now. We will play against this type of physical defense again. We have to be able to make plays and still take care of the basketball. As a team, we have to rebound better."
Villanova fell to 8-1 on the season but there were encouraging signs.
Dwayne Anderson looked much like the player who helped transform Villanova's 2007-08 season in his first extended game action after a lengthy absence due to a stress reaction in his left foot. The 6-6 swingman contributed four points and nine rebounds in 20 minute of work.
Anderson's former neighbor, Dante Cunningham, also acquitted himself well. ESPN analyst Dick Vitale labeled him one of the most improved players in America after his fourth double-double of the young campaign, a 23-point, 12 rebound worksheet.
"Dante has really developed into a confident scorer," stated Wright. "We just have to find more ways to get him the ball."
There were 19 Villanova turnovers and Wright felt that much of that had to do with the skill of the Longhorns.
"We played tough games against Niagara and Rhode Island," noted the eighth year Wildcat coach. "I thought tonight was about Texas. Texas has a physicality and great discipline that you have to give (Texas coach) Rick Barnes credit for. They have a discipline defensively that we haven't faced yet.
"It reminded me of some of the top teams in the BIG EAST. I think that's where we're going to be able to learn from this."
On the defensive end, VU limited Texas to .417 shooting from the field. Wright, though, felt there were times when his team did not execute as well as he would have liked at that end of the court.
"I thought that there were times when we lost our intensity defensively," he said. "Sometimes when we played small we didn't do it with enough toughness. And we didn't rebound well enough against a team that is very good at it. Some teams you can get away with it. But this team is relentless on the glass."
Wright was asked if Texas' size advantage and ones that Villanova will face going forward will be a challenge for his club.
"We are who we are," he said. "There are things we have got to do. We've got to rebound better from the guard spot. We have to team rebound better. Those are things we've got to take from this game."
The good news for Villanova is that there is a chance to get back on the hardwood in a matter of hours. The Wildcats return home to the Pavilion to host Philadelphia Big Five rival Saint Joseph's on Thursday at 8:00 p.m.
- MIKE SHERIDAN
