In March 2005, Villanova played North Carolina in the Sweet 16. Nova was without star forward Curtis Sumpter who had injured his knee in the 2nd round against Florida. Without Sumpter, the Cats were heavy, heavy underdogs against a loaded Tarheel team - a squad including Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May, and Marvin Williams that was even more talented than the current group. But Nova played the Heels to a standstill, losing 67-66 to the eventual champions with the help of a terrible traveling call against Allan Ray with 9 seconds to play.
So the Wildcats have a chance at a reversal of fortune when they play NC next Saturday and while Carolina will be favored, Nova will not be the long shot it was in '05 or for that matter in 1985 against Georgetown. North Carolina has balance and depth - but so does Villanova who can get scoring from at least as many sources as the Chapel Hill bunch. For the past two months, the Cats have been playing as well as anyone in the country when you consider their competition. In particular, their defense has been otherworldly. What that "D" did to 30-win Duke and Gerald Henderson was nothing short of humiliation- if it were a boxing match, the ref would have had to declare a TKO. Nova actually should have beaten a fine Pitt team by a wider margin. That they didn't is a tribute to the collective heart of Blair, Young, and Fields (Fields' two free throws to tie the game were a profile in moxie).
But to beat Carolina, there is little margin for error. Their size poses match-up problems but no more than Connecticut to whom the Cats lost a tight game in the regular season. Ty Lawson, of course, poses match-up problems for everybody, but the Nova guards should be able to attack the 5' 11" Lawson as well. If the team can hold its own on the boards, avoid foul trouble (the downside of playing their aggressive brand of defense), and survive some early-game nerves, Villanova basketball could be on the verge of something very big.
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1 comment:
Yes, they should be. North Carolina has a lot more size then Pittsburgh. Look at how DeJaun Blair ate them up. Also, unlike Pittsburgh North Carolina has the quickness to match up with Nova. Its not a unwinnable game but they are heavy underdog and should be. If both teams play there average game Nova loses by about 10 imo. Its just the truth. I give the cats about a 1 in 4 chance and thats only because they are playing so well.
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