Nova Hits Lots of Threes, Beats 'Cuse

Disclaimer for this and all future Villanova Wildcats posts: I am a Villanova alum. These posts will be written from my point of view. Therefore, if the Cats lose, it will undoubtedly be because of a combination of of referee corruption/incompetence combined with their opponent's low admissions standards. That is not a joke. If you're looking for impartial analysis, look elsewhere.

Villanova had a lot of things going against it heading into this game. All of their starters were smaller than all of Syracuse's starters. They were less athletic. They had to go to class. They could read.

This just goes to show that a little hustle and can-do spirit goes a long way. Early in this game, Syracuse had established themselves as more athletic and physical, pounding the ball inside on Villanova's smallish forwards. Villanova countered by shooting lots of threes and actually making them, beating the 'Cuse 83-63.

Villanova made 11 of 20 three pointers, including 8 of 10 in the second half. Shane "Shiz" Clark even got in on the action, scoring 11 points on 4 of 9 shooting in 25 minutes. Syracuse was done in by sloppy play and turnovers, turning the ball over 18 times.

Next up on Villanova's schedule is Georgetown, the number one overall team in the Big East. You may recall that the last time these two teams played, 'Nova got royally jobbed when a foul was called in a tie game with less than a second left, 75 feet away from the basket. Not that I'm holding a grudge or anything.

The general word on the street is that a win over Georgetown, or even a hotly contested loss, gets 'Nova into the tourney. I'd like a win, please, to remove all doubt.