Villanova, Outplayed for Most of Game, Edges St. Joe

The talent on the floor last night at the Pavilion won't be confused with North Carolina-Duke, but Villanova and St. Joseph's played a great Big 5 game last night. St. Joe's outplayed Nova most of the way, leading by 9 deep into the second half with excellent outside shooting from Darrin Govens and the usual strong inside presence of Ahmad Nivins. Dante Cunningham had another solid effort for the home team and Reggie Redding hit several key shots down the stretch, but Scottie Reynolds was the offensive leader throughout the game, something he was not against Texas at Madison Square Garden.

St. Joseph's played a near-perfect 30 plus minutes. They slowed the game down on offense using at least 30 seconds of the clock but were still able to get high percentage shots frequently yielding three-pointers by Govens. But you had the sense that Nova was going to be around at the end and they were as St. Joe's began turning the ball over, something they had avoided in the first half. Ball handling looks like it's going to be an issue for St. Joseph's throughout the year.

It's also apparent that after Reynolds and Cunningham, Villanova's points are going to be hard to come by. They are going to have to depend on one or two of their role players to step up from game to game. To succeed in the brutal Big East this season, this team is going to have to overachieve.

Villanova's First Test - Texas at the Garden

Villanova's basketball team had the opportunity to make a statement on a national level at Madison Square Garden last night against 6th ranked Texas. But that statement was muted in a ragged game dominated by aggressive, physical defense and horrible foul shooting as the Longhorns won 67-58.

The Big East is widely regarded as the strongest conference in the country from top to bottom this season with an outside chance of sending 10 of its 16 teams to the NCAA tournament. Jay Wright, not prone to exaggeration, thinks his league is the strongest the country has ever seen. Currently, 8 conference teams are in the top 25, with Nova at #12. But much of this is hypothetical, particularly for the Main Liners as their schedule has been less than imposing. Connecticut, Pittsburg, Louisville and Notre Dame are considered the league's elite with Villanova knocking at the door. Based on last night's performance, they're still knocking.

Texas has a reputation as one of the best defensive teams in the country and this was on display in the Big Apple. But Nova's defense was almost as impressive although they could not quite match Texas' brute strength. The other positive for the Main Liners can be expressed in two words, "Dante Cunningham". Dante had a 23 and 12 night while giving away size and strength. It is very unusual for a role player who has been under the radar for 3 years, to suddenly become a team's go-to guy. Especially someone as unassuming as Cunningham. But that's the end of the Nova highlight reel. The rest of the offense sputtered. Scottie Reynolds struggled mightily to get 10 points, and Corey Stokes and especially Corey Fisher were ineffectual. It goes without saying that without a major contribution from Reynolds, Villanova will have to lower its expectations.

Nova should have learned a lot last night, but for now, they're still knocking at the door.