Villanova staring at uphill climb in the Big East |
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Big East Fans Home |
It seems like ages ago that Villanova won six straight, and defeated then-No.13 Pittsburgh on Jan.6 th. Since that time, the Wildcats are 2-4 and find themselves in the midst of a three-game losing streak. They were trounced by Rutgers, handled by Notre Dame, and handcuffed by Pittsburgh. Last Saturday, Villanova gave up 90 points to Notre Dame, the most they’ve given up all season, and followed up by turning in their lowest output of the season, a 57-point effort against Pittsburgh.
During their three-game losing skid, Villanova has given up just a shade under 80 points per game (79.7), while mustering only an average of 68.3. We’ve seen this before from a young, inexperienced ‘Nova squad. It took a few years for the likes of Allan Ray, Mike Nardi, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry to finally hit their stride. They had to deal with losing first before they were able to learn how to win, and the same can be said for this current collection of Wildcats. With Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher, Antonio Pena, Malcolm Grant and Corey Stokes, the talent is there; the experience, however, is not. Reynolds, only a sophomore, is viewed as the elder statesman of the group. The future looks bright, but the question remains how bright, or dim, the remaining schedule appears. At 3-5 in the Big East, Villanova may have a difficult mountain to climb to finish .500 in the conference. The likes of Georgetown, UConn, Louisville and Marquette all loom, as well as a date later on next week with a vastly improved Seton Hall squad.
by Frank Minniti
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