Can Villanova recover?
It seems as if we've passed this way before.
Can Villanova recover?
Joe Juliano, Inquirer Staff Writer
It seems as if we've passed this way before.
As Villanova ended its regular season in 2009-10, it had lost six of its last 10 games. Although the Wildcats talked of how things would improve in the post-season, they went one game and out in the Big East tournament, were extended into overtime by No. 15 seed Robert Morris in the NCAA tournament opener, then saw their season end against St. Mary's, the 10th seed.
So as we ended a second straight regular season where the Wildcats slumped, this time to a 5-9 finish after a 16-1 start, we wonder how there is any reason for optimism this post-season.
The Wildcats enter Tuesday's first-round game in the Big East tournament against South Florida not knowing the status of Corey Stokes, who sat out Saturday's 60-50 loss to Pitt with a hamstring injury. In addition, Corey Fisher, struggling with tendinitis in his knee, went 3-for-14 and scored just seven points against the Panthers.
These are the Cats' top two scorers, much of their firepower. Maalik Wayns picked up a lot of the slack Saturday with a career-high 27 points but he can't be expected to hit half of his three-point shots as he did against the Panthers. He was shooting at only a 24 percent clip from deep entering the game.
Early in Saturday's game, Villanova slowed it down on offense and put the basketball in Fisher's hands to make plays. But he got off to a slow start shooting-wise, picked up his third personal foul just before halftime and never got in a real rhythm in the second half.
What looked worse, Fisher had trouble getting his legs into his jumper as the second half rolled on. Fisher said he felt good and was fighting through the injury. 'Nova coach Jay Wright said he didn't know how much Fisher was hurting.
Saturday's surprise was the disclosure of the injury to Stokes. Wright said Stokes hurt himself in Thursday's practice, aggravating the hamstring that he initially injured on Jan. 9.
Stokes played through the injury, then sat out three games in February with a sprained left big toe. Presumably, the idle time would have healed his hamstring, but it didn't.
Villanova practices are closed so there was no way to know what Wright revealed Saturday -- that Fisher has been hobbled by his knee in the second half of the Big East season, and that Stokes and Fisher had sat out various practices with their injuries.
The Wildcats said the right things after Saturday's game, that it's a new season and that they're prepared to handle the high-stakes one-and-done nature of the post-season.
But even though Wright insists that the spirits of his players are great and that they come to practice prepared and ready to work, there is no reason to be very optimistic that the Wildcats will win more than one game in the Big East tournament, or get through the first weekend of the NCAAs.
Predctions, however, aren't always right. Nova Nation can always hope.
--Joe Juliano
I don't expect 'Nova to do much. You really need to be playing your best ball at this time of the year. And we clearly are not. So, I'm expecting a one and done postseason. But Jay will reload and we'll make another run next year. GP '93— Gary_Philly- you think it's bad now...wait until next year. this team will not be ranked for the foreseeable future. wright needs some help recruiting. otherwise nada.— ziggy26
- Saw some interesting stats for Nova on ESPN's website. They are 96th in the nation in assists per game and 153rd in FG%. This reflects the obvious, that Nova is not getting many easy baskets, which is odd for many reasons...including that this is a team with a three-guard offense that ought to run the ball and ought to accumulate assists. It is so curious to me that for all his success Wright cannot recruit or develop really good big men. Anyway...Villanova is pretty much a one-dimensional team...if they hit their 3's they can win, if not, they won't. A one-dimensional team is a refelction of both the players and the coach.I think Wright was once viewed as a hot commodity for a possible NBA job, but I suspect his stock has dropped considerably over the past few years.— bartfr
- Villanova is not very good right now because:
Taylor King transfer
Jay Vaughn Pinkston suspension
James Bell slow recovery from his leg problems
Corey Stokes hamstring & toe problems
Corey Fisher's tendinitis
Jay Wright's medicore coaching
Yarou's slow development
put them altogether and they spell mediocrity
— NYG1958 - @ shultz99
- I'm not so sure that Kennedy stinks. He shows good hands down low. While he doesn't rebound as much for his size, he could still be a nice compliment to Yarou down low.
- The say Johnson is a bruiser who will drive. Maybe a taller Lowry? We can hope, right?
- Pinkston... I mean, don't forget that we should be able to get him back next year (unless he decides to transfer which I haven't heard that he is). He would've made a difference with his inside/out game this season. If he comes back, he'll step in and help right away.
Going forward, the class looks bright. We will see though. I am worried that we are not recruiting as much out of NYC and N. Jersey recently though.
Let's go 'Nova!!!— KevinQ - NO— Howard32
- According to the odds, Villanova has underachieved in 8 straight.
0-8.Forget winning, they haven't even competed. Tell me one reason why they should even be in a tourney. They've been a complete wreck. There are some deserving teams who won't make the tourney. Villanova is one of the few undeserving teams who will. They are a total pretender.— 2smart4philly - I actually like the makings of their roster moving forward. They have a true PG coming in next year in tyrone JOhsnson. He was a high school QB. I think he played with Yarou and Armwood for a bit but transferred to a school in NJ. Darrun Hillard is an athletic SG who can shoot. Marcus Kennedy stinks. He is a Pilsbury doughboy. In 2012 they have a total stud in Savon Goodman. I think most people will love this guy. Do you ever notice how some gusy do a pullup after a dunk to make it look like they jumped high? Goodman can't do pullups because his head is already at the rim. Acridiacono is a PG who can also shoot. The problem is they are lacking a big man. Sound familiar? They could use a big man. I guess the kid from Chester, Daniel Ochefu is their best bet. Rivals has his ranked in the top 20 or so but I don't see highlights on youtube which probably means he is not that good.— shultz99
- What do you guys think of Wayns? I think he is way overrated. To me he is just another Scottie Reynolds type small forward who is too small to play SF and too small to play SG and can't shoot well enough to play SG so they make them PGs. The problem is you want a PG who can pass, create and protect the ball. Wayns has one goal and that is to score. Passing is almost an afterthought with these guys.— shultz99
- Bulldog. THey were doing what Notre Dame did vs Pitt. The point that Jay Wright did not understand is ND can shoot. Nova was horrible. They would pass it around the perimiter and made zero attempt to get the ball inside. They would then shoot a three. Wayns made a 3 or 4 in the last 2 minutes but other than that they could not shoot.— shultz99
- Hopefully, next year the pollsters will rate Nova very poorly pre-season - where they should be. Then, if they win a Big East game next year, it will be a nice surprise. Nova would then have the chance of being the beloved underdog, which Temple has always enjoyed.— Paul Short
- BullDog have you been watching? that has been the horrible offense all year....our fundamentals and BBall IQ is atrocious— bigpiece85
- How can we continue to start a guard with a less than 20% shooting percentage in the last 4 games and can't seem to get the ball to the inside guys? Despite Corey Fisher's many contributions over the last several years, he's lost his touch. Let some of the younger guys play, like Bell, Armwood, Cheek. They'll get good experience and it can't turn out any worse than it has. Rollie had the guts to put starters on the bench when they hit rough spots, Wright needs to give it a try.— ecavana
- Can someone explain the offensive scheme against Pitt? Dribble,dribble, pass for 30 secs and then take a bad shot ??? Until they get a front court they are done.No team can win consistently with a front court like NOva's. Yarou, Pena and Armwood are useless. Seniors have underachieved, injury's notwithstanding. Sophs show no improvement whatsoever. Yarou is lost. Two more games and done amd next year which promises to be even worse.— bulldog60
- The best thing that can happen to Villanova is to win one, even two games in the BE tourney and then lose game three. That way they can get some rest and have a week to try to figure out what's wrong with themselves. This team has lost all it's confidence and shows no intensity. When they blew the 8 point lead with 21 seconds left against Rutgers, they never recovered.— Tomme
Comment removed.- Can't see it happening. They don't know how to block out thus allowing teams two, three shots at the basket. Now they can't even make foul shots. The season started with such high hopes and now they are abysmal. I can't understand how they managed to stay in the top 20 so long.— fanup
- If Nova wins a single game in the tournament, it would be through pure luck, because the team has no tools at all. It's amazing how the pre-season pollsters got this team so wrong - two years in a row. Nova is at this point one of the worst teams in the Big East, if not the worst. I want the team to win, but I can't logically see how given the performance over the past month.— Paul Short
- They are frauds like their law school. One and out in BE and they go to NIT— davi
- Cats will advance in BE tourney. USF is a walk-over, Cincy is a good match up and ND would be a welcome get back.— nova9047
Not happening ... they don't have the talent this year— shawnmac- WOW !! at first I thought the problem was that the guards still thought they were playing on a playground with the 6 ft Nova guards driving the lane into 3 hugh forwards = NO POINTS !! but now u see the Nova players, guards & big guys just aren't that good & we know Wright is not the best game day coach .. & THE LOSING STREAK PROVES THAT !!— suptom
- One and done. This team just isn't that good.— Gigs1777
Juliano joined the Inquirer in 1985 after 10 years at United Press International and has covered college sports for most of that time. His current beats are Villanova basketball, Penn State football, golf and the Penn Relays. Reach Joe at jjuliano@phillynews.com.
