Villanova

Taylor King Enrolls at Villanova

Press Release — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 20:05:29 -0700

THE GIST: As expected since April, Taylor King officially enrolls at Villanova after a season at Duke.

VILLANOVA, Pa. - California native Taylor King has enrolled at Villanova after spending the 2007-08 academic year at Duke University, it was announced today. The 6-6 King, who averaged 5.5 ppg in 34 games for the Blue Devils last season, will out sit out the 2008-09 campaign as a transfer with the Wildcats and then have three years of eligibility beginning in 2009-10.

"We are thrilled to have Taylor King join our Villanova basketball family," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We recruited Taylor out of high school and believe his year at Duke was an excellent learning experience for him. He will add great passion and personality to our team and campus."

Last season, King logged 330 minutes for the Blue Devils over the course of the regular season. He was 43-of-115 (.377) from beyond the 3-point arc and added 2.0 rpg and notched a season-high 27 points in 21 minutes of action in a November game against Eastern Kentucky.

King, a 2007 McDonald's All-American selection, stockpiled a long list of achievements during a decorated stint at Santa Ana Mater Dei High School. In his four seasons at Mater Dei, King scored 3,214 points, becoming only the fifth player in state history to go past the 3,000 point plateau. He also established the career scoring record for Orange County and drained more than 300 3-point field goals. As a senior in 2006-07, he was named California's "Mr. Basketball", a second team Parade All-American and was a member of the 2006 U18 USA Junior National Team that captured a gold medal at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men.

Poll: What Will be Friday's Big Upset?

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 08:43:23 -0700

Poll: Which Double-Digit Seed Will Advance the Farthest?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:53:52 -0700

2008 NCAA Tournament Capsule: Villanova

Joel Welser — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 21:55:37 -0700

Villanova Wildcats

Big East (20-12, 9-9)

Seed: #12

Midwest Region

RPI: 49

Big Wins: 1/6 Pittsburgh (64-63), 2/20 West Virginia (78-56), 2/23 Connecticut (67-65)

Bad Losses: 1/3 at DePaul (76-84), 1/12 at Cincinnati (66-69), 1/23 at Rutgers (68-80)

Coach: Jay Wright

Probable Starters:

Corey Fisher, Freshman, Guard, 9.1 ppg, 2.8 apg

Scottie Reynolds, Sophomore, Guard, 15.6 ppg, 3.3 apg

Dwayne Anderson, Junior, Guard, 6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Antonio Pena, Freshman, Forward, 7.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg

Dante Cunningham, Junior, Forward, 10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Malcolm Grant, Freshman, Guard, 5.8 ppg, 1.4 apg

Corey Stokes, Freshman, Guard, 6.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Reggie Redding, Sophomore, Guard, 4.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg

Shane Clark, Junior, Forward, 7.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Casiem Drummond, Sophomore, Center, 5.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:

Villanova has three talented scorers who can put up points in a hurry. Scottie Reynolds is the star and will take all the big shots for the Wildcats. He is a decent outside shooter, but more importantly Reynolds will get to the basket and finish. He gets to the charity stripe nearly six times per game and hits them with a 78.3 percent frequency. As if his scoring was not enough, Reynolds leads the team averaging 3.3 assists per game and will hit the glass quite effectively.

Freshman Corey Fisher has not looked like a freshman most of this season. He is not very efficient, but he can score in a hurry. Dante Cunningham, a 6-8 forward, is a match-up nightmare for opposing coaches. Cunningham is deceptively quick and will have little problem beating an opposing big man off the dribble. He has also developed into a decent low-post scoring threat and will use his strength and quickness to be effective in the paint.

Why They Can Disappoint:

The young backcourt might have a ton of talent, but they take some bad shots too. The team as a whole shoots just 42.9 percent from the floor and 34.2 percent from long range. Having the confidence to hit every shot you take is one thing, but forcing up a three will likely just turn into a wasted possession. Fisher hits just 33 percent of his long balls, but players like Shane Clark, Dwayne Anderson and Corey Stokes are hovering around the 30 percent range and will still chuck up some tough shots.

Who To Watch:

Nova commits a lot of fouls and luckily they have a lot of talented depth sitting on the bench ready to come in and commit some more fouls. Ten players average at least 13 minutes per game. Twelve of those players have even started a few games this year. The only player who has not started is Stokes and he has had a great finish to the season and will be a major force in the tournament. Not only does the depth help keep individuals out of foul trouble, but it has also kept the key players fresh down the stretch of the season and having fresh legs is huge in March.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.8 (99^th in nation, 8^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 69.3 (189, 11)

Field-Goal Percentage: 42.9 (223, 12)

Field-Goal Defense: 43.8 (175, 12)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (128, 8)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (104, 8)

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.3 (70, 2)

Rebound Margin: 2.7 (86, 7)

Assists Per Game: 13.7 (139, 12)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.2 (157, 12)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas

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Today's Top Game Predictions: Villanova at Georgetown

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:17:27 -0700

A companion to our daily Three Stars of the Day, we present the top three Games of the Night.

Arizona State (19-11) at USC (20-10)

3:00 PM

It's put up or shut up time for Arizona State. The Sun Devils are hanging around everyone's bubble despite a weak RPI in the 70's and a .500 conference record. Today's game against the Trojans could make or break their Tournament hopes. These teams split their season series, but the Trojans handed it to them at the Galen Center. This game isn't technically a home game for USC, but its in LA, which is enough of an advantage to favor Mayo and crew.

Prediction: USC

Villanova (20-10 vs #9 Georgetown (25-4)

12:00 PM ESPN

Was yesterday's win over Syracuse enough for the Wildcats to be in the Field of 65? I'm not so sure. At the very least, they need to put in a primo effort against the Big East regular season champs. The last time these two teams met, the final result was obviously highly controversial.. as a a ridiculous foul was called with 0.1 seconds left on the clock. Can Nova get revenge? The short answer is no.

Prediction: Georgetown

Arizona (19-13) vs #11 Stanford (24-6)

11:30 PM

Everyone seems fairly certain that Arizona is in the field as of now.. but its by no means a lock.. and I think people are overstating their chances. After all they've won just 4 times in their last 11 games.. and 2 of those wins are against Oregon State. basically, that means they're 2-9 against actual D1 teams in recent weeks. Even though Stanford did win the previous meetings, they were very close.. and tonight, you have to figure Arizona will be playing with more fire.

Prediction: Arizona

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 93-54)

March 12th - Syracuse vs Villanova (2-1)

March 11th - IUPUI at Oral Roberts (3-0)

March 10th - Gonzaga at San Diego (1-2)

March 9th - Florida at Kentucky (1-2)

March 8th - UNC at Duke (2-1)

March 5th - Tennessee at Florida (2-1)

March 4th - UNLV at New Mexico (3-0)

March 3rd - Texas Tech at Kansas (3-0)

March 2nd - Clemson at Maryland (1-2)

Three Stars of the Day: Reynolds, Cajou, Johnson

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:01:45 -0700

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

Scottie Reynolds - Villanova

Reynolds hit 4 threes and finished with 22 points as the Cats picked up a huge win over Syracuse

Jean Cajou - Mount St. Mary's

The freshman lit up off the bench with 15 points, including 3 of 4 from three, in the NEC title game

Marcus Johnson - Dayton

Led the Flyers with 16 points and hit the eventual game winner in an OT win over pesky Saint Louis

Other Top Performers

Joe Alexander - WVU - Scored 22 points as the Mountaineers helped their chances of locking up a tournament bid

Julian Conyers - Coppin State - Hit the game-wining ft's with 2 seconds left as Eagles upset Hampton in the MEAC tourney

Previous Stars of the Day

March 11th - Jeremy Evans, WKU

March 10th - Kevin Kanaskie, MTSU

March 9th - Brandon Johnson, San Diego

March 5th - Marquis Weddle, UTM

March 4th - Joe Alexander, WVU

March 3rd - Kevin Love, UCLA

March 2nd - Tyrese Rice, BC

Team of the Moment: Villanova

Raphielle Johnson — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:21:27 -0700

Villanova 20-11 (9-9 Big East) Computer numbers (courtesy of kenpom.com, before today's games): RPI 57, SOS 56 Result: Villanova 82, Syracuse 63 in the first round of the Big East Championship. Next up: Georgetown (Thursday Noon, ESPN) The Wildcats blew open a close game in the second half with a 26-6 run that moved the score from a 41-all tie to 67-47 with little over four minutes remaining in the game. Five Wildcats, led by Scottie Reynolds with twenty-two, reached double figures and the eight minutes that the march spanned couldn't have come at a better time for the Wildcats. Now they may be in good shape regarding the NCAA Tournament, especially given the performance of other bubble dwellers over the past couple of weeks. Nova, who has won at least one game in the last five Big East Championships, would be wise to put up a strong showing if not beat top seed Georgetown tomorrow just to make sure. Also picking up a key win: Dayton. The Flyers held off St. Louis 63-62 in overtime to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Xavier tomorrow. A win there would do wonders for their resume. Next up: St. Joseph's and West Virginia. Both have games that frankly they should win. A win against Fordham or Providence won't do much for the at-large profile of these two, but a loss could be catastrophic.

Poll: Does Villanova's Win Push Them Into the Tourney?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:01:12 -0700

In or Out: CHN Bubble Predictions

CHN — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:20:17 -0700

Much to Joe Lunardi's chagrin.. everyone thinks they're a bracketologist this time of year. So we asked 7 CHN writers which bubble teams will end up in the field or out.

	JB	RC	JF	RJ	SS	JT	JW
Arizona St	Out	In	In	In	Out	Out	In
Dayton	Out	In	Out	Out	In	Out	Out
Illinois St	Out	Out	In	In	Out	In	In
Ohio St	In	Out	In	In	In	In	In
Oregon	Out	In	Out	Out	In	In	Out
Syracuse	In	In	Out	Out	Out	Out	Out
UAB	Out	Out	In	Out	Out	In	Out
Villanova	Out	Out	Out	In	In	Out	Out

Our Consensus:

Arizona State - In
Dayton - Out
Illinois State - In
Ohio State - In
Oregon - Out
Syracuse - Out
UAB - Out
Villanova - Out

Our Guarantees:

Jason Brubaker's Guarantee: I'll 100% guarantee Syracuse will make the Tournament this year, for two reasons. They've shown they have the talent to beat good teams (Georgetown, marquette), and there's no way the committee wants to listen to another off-season of pleading from Jim Boeheim to expand the field to 128 teams.

Rob Carpentier's Guarantee: The Pac-10 will get 7 teams in because Oregon will beat Washington State, ASU will beat USC and Arizona will win two.

Jeff Fox's Guarantee: Dayton will not make the NCAA tournament - 7th place in the A-10 doesn't cut it, plus they peaked too early - the tournament committee likes teams that get hot late.

Raphielle Johnson's Guarantee: I guarantee that Oregon will be left out of the tournament due to early losses to Nebraska and Oakland. (and that Boeheim will rant about the system when he's once again sent to the NIT)

Shawn Siegels's Guarantee: Its a moral certainty that UAB will not make it.. they haven't won a Top 50 game all year and won't do so in the CUSA tournament.

Jon Teitel's Guarantee: I'm 100% certain that the loser of the Big East Tournament 1st round game between Villanova and Syracuse will not make it, as no conference is getting 9 teams into the NCAA Tournament this year.

Joel Welser's Guarantee: Jim Boeheim will be mad, but losses to Cincinnati and South Florida have doomed the Orange.

Today's Game Predictions: Syracuse vs Villanova

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 09:12:17 -0700

Syracuse (19-12) at Villanova (19-11)

Noon ESPN

Depending on your opinion, this game might feature two NCAA Tournament teams or none. I'm not sure which view is correct, but I know whoever wins today's game will get a major boost. The bettors favor Villanova, even though Madison square Garden has long been a home away from home for Syracuse. This to me is the ultimate pick'em game.. the teams had the same conference record, a similar overall record, a similar RPI, and they split their regular season meetings. I like the Cuse though.. simply because they have more firepower, and there's always the chance Greene or Flynn catches fire.

Prediction: Syracuse

Mount Saint Mary's (17-14) at Sacred Heart (18-13)

7:00 PM ESPN2

While home-court advantage will be a big deal in the game below, this game isn't necessarily a lock for Sacred Heart despite the venue. The Pioneers are only 8-5 at home on the year, while MSM is a decent 8-7 on the road. I actually like the Mountaineers here, as they've been playing the better basketball in recent weeks. They've won 7 of 8 games and destroyed favorite Robert Morris last time out.

Prediction: Mount Saint Mary's

Northern Arizona (21-11) at Portland State (22-9)

9:00 PM ESPN2

As we've seen in other leagues (MAAC, HL, WCC), it's very helpful to host a conference championship game. Thus you have to favor Portland State in the Big Sky title game.. perhaps by more than the 4.5 point spread. After all, PSU did beat NAU twice already this season, and it wasn't even close in the Rose city. If the Vikings do win, it would be quite an accomplishment for a program that won just 10 games two years ago, but has steadily improved.

Prediction: Portland State

Previous Game of the Night (Predictions, 91-53)