Winning has a nice ring to Villanova's Bell

VILLANOVA SENIOR guard James Bell is averaging nearly 16 points a game, which is a team best and almost twice what he scored last season, six rebounds (tied for team high with center Daniel Ochefu) and shooting 40 percent from the arc.

The Wildcats are 24-3 and ranked eighth, heading into tonight's game against Butler (12-15, 2-13 Big East) at the Pavilion.

Don't even think about asking which numbers mean more to him. He wouldn't need words to answer. The look he'd give you would be sufficient.

"I think it makes this group unique," said the 6-5 Bell, who commonly goes by his middle name, Tahj. "We don't care who gets the credit, and we play like it. I'll do anything for this team.

"And I hate to lose. Not at all. It doesn't sit well."

His teammates clearly take their cue from him. There's no question that this is his team, his season.

"I trust in the coaching staff and the way we play," said the obvious favorite for Big 5 Player of the Year. "We know what we're doing and what we're playing for. We're out there for each other. It keeps us on an even plane."

Maybe that's one of the reasons this group, which can beat you many ways, is 8-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer, including their last two. Or why they're 4-0 in overtime, including three on the road, with each of those coming after a blowout loss.

The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the new 10-team Big East. The program record for wins is 30, by the Final Four team in 2008-09. Bell is one of three guys who were on the team that tied a program record with 19 losses 2 years ago. He didn't set any goals, individual or collective. He simply wanted to be the one everyone else could follow. For him, that's enough.

"We're trying to find our path," said Bell, who will be playing for the last time on the Main Line, since the two remaining home games are in South Philly. "I always looked at myself as trying to do things the right way. I definitely take a lot of pride in that. It's just not something I think about.

"At the end of last season, we got close to being what we could be, and this is a continuation of that. I know what this program's about. It's not about me getting personal accolades. We're playing well. I think that goes with being so close off the court. You have to put in the work, and trust yourself. Some nights it's up to the person next to you to pick you up. That's us."

Coach Jay Wright has had some really good ones. But the only one Bell reminds him of is Randy Foye. And isn't it about the company you keep?

"They're very similar," Wright said, "in that they had as much respect off the court as being one of the guys. Some guys are respected as players. Other guys are OK players but they love them off the court. Those two have that combination. The other players know, because they live with you every second. He's thinking about all of them, not about himself. What do we have to do today, is everybody ready to go? He makes sure they're on the same page. They can see he's legit."

Bell committed to Villanova before his junior season at Montverde Academy (Orlando, Fla.). But injuries limited him his final two seasons there and his first two here. You never know how someone will respond to that.

Finally, we're seeing the answer.

"What he is now is the guy everyone thought he'd be," Wright said. "That was so long ago. He never let it get in the way. I'm really thrilled that it worked out for him. He's got an incredible calm about him. And that's what our team is. Our team is him.

"I'm going to miss him, because I can get to an anger level that sometimes is not productive. But I can go after him, and then he'll talk to the other guys on a street level. That they understand. Because he says it, they'll do it. It's amazing to have a guy like that."

Nobody knows how this journey will end. Four games are left, then the conference tournament, followed by the only tourney that most people remember. But the Wildcats never seem to look at it that way. They'll judge themselves when it's over. And they might not judge themselves the same way others will, regardless of how long this all lasts.

"It will be a weird feeling, walking into that locker room for the last time," Bell said. "But I really haven't given it much thought. There's a time and place for everything. And I'm always going to come back.

"At Montverde, I had to grow up really fast, being in a boarding school and being away from my family. I had to do a lot of things on my own. But it got me ready for college. And this college has made me the person I am.

"A couple of my seasons haven't been ideal, but this [year] as a senior is the way you'd like to go out. Leaving it all out there. That's all you can ask. This year has gone by the fastest.

"I never got down," he went on. "My older teammates wouldn't let me. So now that I'm the old guy, I just want to be there for everyone else. You have to have the mentality of a warrior. I take that seriously."

It shows, every time they put themselves on the line.