Villanova Post Game Thread

[AntG168]

This post is going to come off as negative, but we are an awesome team and need to play better. If we play like we did the past two games 0-4 is as likely as 4-0 this next stretch. Xavier, Creighton and Marquette will be the second, third and fourth best teams we’ve played all year going off Kenpom. @65 Providence is no slouch either. This is the stretch where we learn if we are a 1 seed or if an undefeated season is possible. Going to need some complete team games.

Diarra has really stepped up these past two games. Jackson has to stop getting T’ed after hitting 3s. Newton is due for some big games - and we need it. I hope Hawkins continues to take plenty of threes - he has the green light.

Not negative at all. We’re so good we’ve won with our C game the last few games, which is fine. But we’ll need to be better to win a championship. Which is now the goal

 

[Tenspro2002]

Just checked NET and Villanova actually gained 9 spots after last night. They’re at 89 now. Man that game felt too good to be a Q3 game

Nova is not going to finish at 89 in NET. They'll be in the 40-60 range and a solid Q2 win.

 

[Umami Zen]

Nova is not going to finish at 89 in NET. They'll be in the 40-60 range and a solid Q2 win.

Justin Moore was trending towards being a lottery pick last year until he had his injury.. Starting to practice again.. If he is close to his former self in Jan/Feb..And with Nova's FF experience --that they have in their lineup-- will make them a very dangerous team throughout the rest of the BE season and March.. Would not be surprised at this being Q2 win tracking towards Q1 win.. Game on March 4 at Nova should be a rock fight...Another resume building opportunity for Nova for Selection Sunday.. Or not

 

[upstater]

This post is going to come off as negative, but we are an awesome team and need to play better. If we play like we did the past two games 0-4 is as likely as 4-0 this next stretch. Xavier, Creighton and Marquette will be the second, third and fourth best teams we’ve played all year going off Kenpom. @65 Providence is no slouch either. This is the stretch where we learn if we are a 1 seed or if an undefeated season is possible. Going to need some complete team games.

Diarra has really stepped up these past two games. Jackson has to stop getting T’ed after hitting 3s. Newton is due for some big games - and we need it. I hope Hawkins continues to take plenty of threes - he has the green light.

Are people really talking about an undefeated season????!

 

[Get a Job]

Are people really talking about an undefeated season????!

I am firmly in the we-will-almost-definitely-lose-a-game-and-probably-more-than-one camp, but one must admit, with every additional win, it becomes less and less ridiculous to speculate about running the table.

 

[giddyup]

Are people really talking about an undefeated season????!

It is quite possible, but highly improbable. The difference is we are starting to see different guys flag from game to game, but the depth is ably covering these subpar performances. That’s why it’s possible. It’s highly improbable because they are college kids, the pressure mounts and the team starts panicking when things aren’t working. As I said, the playbook is be all over Adama and work him and hope emotional Danny keeps pounding square pegs into a round hole sitting Clingan, and we go cold.

 

[Mr. Wonderful]

I am firmly in the we-will-almost-definitely-lose-a-game-and-probably-more-than-one camp, but one must admit, with every additional win, it becomes less and less ridiculous to speculate about running the table.

At this point it's still firmly in the ridiculous category.

 

[Umami Zen]

Which would you prefer as of today?? Winning a BE regular season title (Trophy #2) and possibly losing a game or two in the process?? Or betting the ranch on going undefeated?

 

[SubbaBub]

I wanna make the FF at least. An MSG trophy would be nice too. BE reg isn't enough based on what we've seen to date. X, Marq, Creighton look like the other title contenders. Go win 4 of those 6 games and the regular season should be locked up.

 

[J187Money]

There was a 16-3 run in the second half. I think we went from down 3 to up by 10pts.

Right. But that took 6 minutes of game clock. And in the middle of it Nova hit a 3. It was about as boring as a 16-3 run could be.

 

[August_West]

Which would you prefer as of today?? Winning a BE regular season title (Trophy #2) and possibly losing a game or two in the process?? Or betting the ranch on going undefeated?

Let Providence win Regular season crown. Im here for hardware.

 

[bigknight3]

Right. But that took 6 minutes of game clock. And in the middle of it Nova hit a 3. It was about as boring as a 16-3 run could be.

Were you at the game? Wasn't boring in the bar area. Wev were def into the run started by Hawkins hustle on D and coming back and hitting the open 3!

 

[Umami Zen]

Let Providence win Regular season crown. Im here for hardware.

I only mention the regular season trophy to support our coach and his stated team goals for the season.. 4 trophies.. PKI/BE reg season/BET /The Big one.. So.. We are unified.. Here for the hardware.

 

[Huskybass]

It is a great win, but am I the only one who feels the offense is not what it was a few games ago?
Credit to them for pulling out victories, but it is not the overwhelming offense we were seeing in our first games.

Nova's D is considerably better than that of an LIU or Delaware State.

 

[J187Money]

Were you at the game? Wasn't boring in the bar area. Wev were def into the run started by Hawkins hustle on D and coming back and hitting the open 3!

Yes I was there. As I said the crowd was almost ready to erupt multiple times. But then something killed the vibe. If you think that was anything like the Joey C run against Georgetown I’m not sure what you were watching.

My only point is that people said the crowd was worse. The crowd wasn’t worse. They just didn’t have the same game action to feed off of.

And in the pantheon of 16-3 UCONN runs? That was a yawner.

 

[bigknight3]

Yes I was there. As I said the crowd was almost ready to erupt multiple times. But then something killed the vibe. If you think that was anything like the Joey C run against Georgetown I’m not sure what you were watching.

My only point is that people said the crowd was worse. The crowd wasn’t worse. They just didn’t have the same game action to feed off of.

And in the pantheon of 16-3 UCONN runs? That was a yawner.

Never mentioned Joey C.

It was a good run. We're not going to get an epic run every game.

 

[willie99]

We're so darn deep, somebody different is always stepping up

So fun to watch, impossible to game plan for

 

[AntG168]

Sometimes watching great teams can be boring.

 

[ctchamps]

“Bone of Jay Wright, unknowingly given, you will renew your Daddy! Flesh of the team , willingly sacrificed, you will revive our dominance. Blood of Providence, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

Just finished watching the Hurley post game interview where he stated his wife wouldn’t let him leave the northeast and he goes all Rubeus Hagrid “I shouldn’t have said that” and next post I read is this!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I wanted to sleep on it before making this post.

Last night's game made me angry, not as a UConn fan, but as a basketball fan. I thought the Huskies played ok and ground out a decent, unremarkable win over an average Villanova team. The part that made me angry, and still has me angry the next day, was the absolutely horrible officiating. I don't think the officiating was particularly biased, it was just terrible. So terrible, that if I were the Big East I would not have those refs work a league game again until they prove they know the rules. They can call NEC or high school games if they want practice.

I think basketball is the greatest sport ever invented, but its Achilles Heel is officiating. Basketball is as dependent on good officiating as any sport, because, among other reasons, the officials can actually create scoring in basketball. Soccer is the only other major sport where that can happen. The officials make a dozen decisions every possession that impact the flow and often the outcome of the game. And when they are making consistently bad calls, they can make the game unwatchable, and at lower levels, unplayable. Last night was one of those games.

I do not advocate for officials letting them play or calling it tight. I simply want them to make the right call, and know the rules. When Villanova players are constantly flailing or fishing for fouls, the referees should either not call anything or call offensive fouls, because that is how the rules are written. Don't call some outdated foul off a flop during shooting when both the NBA and NCAA have specifically instructed officials not to reward players for doing that. Villanova, and to some extent UConn, were flopping all game. Hawkins got rewarding for flopping on a made 3, and then Villanova got a similar call about a minute later. Both calls were bad, and led to the players crashing to the ground after half the shots the rest of the way.

The refs should call 5 seconds closely guarded when Dixon takes 10 seconds backing a defender down to the paint from the 3 point line. The NCAA does not distinguish between back to the basket and facing up like the NBA does with the closely-guarded rule. On top of that, backing down, especially like Dixon was doing, is an offensive foul at every level of basketball, and the defender does not need to flop to get that call, despite the fact that the officials last night only called the offensive foul if the defender flopped. That is just lazy, stupid officiating.

Finally, call the freaking clear path foul like it is written. Officials make that call about 20% of the times they should make it. The point of that foul is so players will stop grabbing opponents on breakaways. If that foul is called correctly, there will be fewer free throws and more dunks. Who doesn't want that? Refs choke on this call all the time because they are afraid of giving a team 2 shots and the ball. Make the freaking call. Whitmore should have been called on one last night.

The NBA, NCAA and even high schools have implemented these adjustments and issued guidance over the last few years to make basketball more free-flowing, exciting, and fun. Yesterday's game was a 1990's rock fight. It was hard to watch, mostly because of the officials. If you want to know one reason why a free flowing, fun game like basketball does so much worse than football in the ratings, look at last night's game. Any casual fan that tried to watch that UConn/Villanova game would turn it off. It was just brutal. Compare that to the St. Johns/Xavier game which was much better officiated, and a lot more entertaining to the casual viewer even though Xavier was up 10+ points most of the game.

I never want to see that officiating crew again. They just suck.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Officiating is always terrible against us apparently.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Officiating is always terrible against us apparently.

Do you ever add to the conversation, or do you just take cheap shots at other posters?

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Do you ever add to the conversation, or do you just take cheap shots at other posters?

Officials for the most part suck, that’s just a fact. They don’t suck for us more than others. The only bad call I remember on us that sticks out was the Adama 3. There isn’t an agenda against UConn.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Good teams win. Great teams cover.

We all new the spread was too much. The final score was about the margin that most on this board thought it should be between 7 and 9 points.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Dixon was living in the paint on offense. There was that one play when he could not get around Adama and he was in there for five seconds no call. Not sure I agree with the five second calls. I may not be clear on the rule but if progress is being made to the basket even it takes longer than 5 seconds not sure that is a violation. Perhaps one of the experts BONEYARD posters can find the rule and share it with us. So we can have another legitimate complaint