No Va Still Means Doesn’t Go

by Posted on

I gave them respect, as difficult as that was being a lifelong Syracuse fan. I put aside my strong dislike for a majority of their alums and placed a bet on them to win it all, just in case Kentucky stumbled. That was no small decision. This would mean jamming myself into the crowded pub and cheering for the same teams as large groups of men in business-casual attire on a Saturday night.

I was in, as much as a Nova hater could be in. I was financially committed. I like Jay Wright’s haberdashery tastes. I thought this team was different.

This team appeared to be far less reliant on perimeter than most past teams. They had bigs that had a physical presence and produced. This Nova team looked like the total package.

NovaTourneyAgainst an athletic North Carolina State squad, Ochefu and Pinkston combined for 3-12 from the field and 17 points. That wasn’t enough to pick up the slack of Ennis and Arcidiacomo, who combined for 4-20 from the field. Darrun Hilliard carried the Wildcats with 27 points, but that wasn’t enough.

Nova was a squad that dictated tempo. Their defense frustrated teams and forced them into bad decisions and poor shots. On Saturday, Nova was the team frustrated and making poor decisions.

I was duped–duped by the way Villanova dominated league play throughout the season. Ochefu and Pinkston looked physical. They looked like the bigs that Nova has long needed. In reality, Ochefu and Pinkston may be nice players that looked more talented than they are because they are in the Big East, which is a shell of its former self since the departures of Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Notre Dame. Villanova was simply the best team in that shell.

The ACC, which had 6 teams in the Tournament, has 5 teams remaining (Louisville, NC, NC State, Duke, Notre Dame). The ACC is 11-1, Virginia being the lone loss. The PAC-12 had 4 teams. They are a combined 7-1, with Oregon being the only loss. The Big East had 6 teams in the 2015 Tournament. They are 5-5 in the tourney with only Xavier remaining. Villanva simply dominated a medicore conference.

At this point, it’s also fair to ask, is Jay Wright a better dressed Jamie Dixon from Pitt? Jay has his style of play, usually a 3 guard set. Jamie has his style of play, tough and physical. Neither like to deviate or adjust from their system. Both put up solid regular season stats, but tend to disappoint in the Big Dance. Jamie Dixon is a nice coach with a nice program. So is Jay. Is that enough for Nova Nation, though?