Villanova struggling to get through mediocre season

For the first time in awhile, it has turned into one of those seasons on the Main Line.

Villanova's basketball team, which was picked to finish eighth in the Big East, is 11-14, 4-9 in the Big East, heading into tonight's game at the Wells Fargo Center against Notre Dame (18-8, 10-3), which has won seven straight. The last time the Wildcats finished the regular season with a losing record was 1996-97 (12-17).

It should be mentioned that the Wildcats were picked to finish second last season. But after starting 16-1, they went into a late nosedive and ended up as the 10th seed in the conference tournament, their lowest such number since they were an 11 in 2004. Which was also the last year they didn't make the NCAA Tournament.

So what are we to make of this?

Well, some would have gotten rid of Jay Wright yesterday. Because he obviously can't coach anymore. He certainly doesn't need defending, least of all from me. He's the same guy who went to a Final Eight in 2006 and a Final Four in '09, with two Sweet 16s mixed in. I don't think those players simply dragged him along for the ride. I'm not saying he's John Wooden, but even Pitt's Jamie Dixon would trade bodies of work.

This just in: The usual suspects go through down times, too. Ask Connecticut or Syracuse. And, sorry to break the news, but Villanova isn't Duke or North Carolina. That doesn't mean the goal shouldn't be to make deep runs, or be consistently up there, which it has. But it's not easy. How many Final Fours has Georgetown been to since its glory days? And, as was noted, Pitt is still waiting.

Still, when you lose in the second round as a 2-seed one March (after starting 20-1) and barely get into the field the next, then follow it up with this, folks tend to notice.

So what happened, keeping in mind that most everyone figured this for a transition ride, when just getting back to the four-letter tourney would be considered a success?

Let's start with the three junior starters, since this group has no seniors. They were part of a recruiting class that was ranked among the nation's best. Maybe that's why ranking recruiting classes is an inexact science. Because, right now, they're simply not making enough of a difference. Perhaps they're not getting coached the right way, as I've heard suggested. Maybe they were rated a little too highly. There is no definitive answer.

Dominic Cheek was being recruited by Kentucky and Kansas. Mouphtaou Yarou was the big man Wright supposedly had trouble getting. To be fair, Maalik Wayns has been a warrior. Yes, he has flaws, but most can be tied to him trying to do too much. Hard to fault anyone for that. You want to blame Wright? Go ahead. It's a team game. He's got to share in it. But if you thought he knew what he was doing before, and most did, just when did he suddenly turn clueless?

This roster could've included Taylor King, who only lasted one season after transferring from Duke. Too bad he had offcourt issues, because he brought a skill set that any team could use. And Malcolm Grant, now Miami's top scorer, left 4 years ago instead of opting to sit out 1 here and then play behind Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher for another. And Isaiah Armwood, who just went to George Washington, could at least have provided a long, active body. But he didn't want to fill a role. He wanted to be the man, which at this level he isn't. With them, the Wildcats are probably NCAA-worthy. We'll never know.

Instead, what we had was a lone sophomore, James Bell, struggling through the first half after missing most of last season with foot issues. Of the five freshmen, only redshirt JayVaughn Pinkston has emerged. And it took him awhile, after sitting out last season via a university suspension. Ty Johnson, who was ranked as the best of the bunch, broke his foot last summer and has been slow to get back up to speed. Markus Kennedy has shown brief flashes, while Darrun Hilliard and Achraf Yacoubou have mostly looked like first-year guys.

What this season has done, as much as anything else, is push the program's timetable back. Now it looks as if just making the NCAAs will be the 2012-13 target. Two local top 50 prospects, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochofu, will join the mix. How much they will help right away we'll have to see. But for the situation to get better, some things are musts.

Wayns can't be asked to do the majority of the scoring and ballhandling. Yarou has to be more of a post presence. Bell has to be more of an outside threat, and he can't be the only one. Cheek needs to be a lot steadier. Johnson and Kennedy, in particular, have to take legitimate steps forward. As a whole, they have to be more consistent, and smarter. Playing defense more often wouldn't hurt, either.

It hasn't been one detail. It rarely is. It's a lot of stuff. And it all adds up. This team lacks an identity. That has to change. Do the Wildcats have enough right parts to make it work? Well, if we're asking too many of the same questions 12 months from now . . . 

There's nothing wrong with experiencing one of these seasons. The trouble doesn't really start unless you string a few together. Wright has been there before, too. Just check out his early years here. That was before he had the success. And that changes perceptions, not to mention expectations.

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, either. As long as you don't totally lose perspective of the overall.