Good Luck vs. Georgetown -- Very Impressive Win vs. My 'Cats!

[Buckeye70]

You guys were very, very deserving of your win Monday
 night in front of a fired-up Bradley Center-in-Reverse.

We're very, very young and I liked a whole lot of what I saw from Villanova,
but Marquette and Crean took a calculated gamble, which Dominic James brought out in his post-game analysis when he said, "We wanted to rush them at the 3-point line and make them go inside."

In the first half, we almost killed you in there, and I think you'll see next winter that Pena and Cunningham will be monsters. With Drummond healthy, we hope, our frontline will be very tough. And we have the inside track on a 7-2 juco who has wanted to come and has gotten his academic side together.

But Monday nite your defensive quickness and other adjustments in the second half made every pass an adventure, and that is good coaching and smart on-court presence by James in particular, but also by McNeal, Acker, Matthews and others who really challenged our entry passes. Your quickness was (almost) fun to watch. If it had been anybody but Villanova, I REALLY would have enjoyed it.

That is a mark of a classic Top 25 team well worthy of its ranking. I like the Warriors -- have family ties there (one cousin who went there and another who is a diehard ... and many of their 7 chilldren are M.U. folks).

Good luck against Georgetown and in the Tournament. Also, as a service to humanity, PLEASE beat Syracuse.

b70

[downtown85]

nice, post.  thanks.  I have several friends who are villanova alums and are all classy people.  you seem to have a great fan base!

one question, why do you call yourself buckeye70?

[reinko]

pure class!  I asked my buddies watching the game on Monday, do we hate Villanova for any reason?  And none of us could come up with one reason.

Class acts all the way

[ecompt]

my wife and I were saying the same thing the other night. We have reasons for disliking a lot of BE schools for one reason or another, but we decided there is no reason to dislike Villanova. Great program with great tradition and terrific, knowledgable fans. You guys will be very, very good next year. Best of luck.

[4thAndState]

The mutual respect for the MU-Nova teams and fans is a bit of a rarity. I can think of dozens of reasons why there is a heated/hated rivarly with Pitt, Louisville, ND, UConn, GT etc., but for some reason I've taken to Nova as my second favorite BE team. Can't fugure it out. Their fans who post always seem respectful and knowledgeable, non-flamers. Jay Wright also seems like a solid coach and class act.

[AlumKCof93]

That is so funny as I had the same conversation at my house - i really like Villanova as well.  The conversation at our house began once one of the broadcasters relayed how well Jay Wright took the loss against Georgetown when Villanova was screwed.  Instead of pulling a Beoheim, Jay Wright didn't whine about it even though he had every reason to.  I guess ultimately, Villanova is a classy program and a good representative of its school.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

Yea, I can't really think of a reason not to like 'Nova.

Always had a nice program, always seemed to have some good players and coaches.

Even when they were so good a couple of years ago, I still didn't hate them.

[Tampa Warrior]

Yea, I can't really think of a reason not to like 'Nova.

Always had a nice program, always seemed to have some good players and coaches.

Even when they were so good a couple of years ago, I still didn't hate them.

I completely agree.

[downtown85]

I have always had an affection for Villanova ever since, in the early 80's, I read Harvard Lampoons parody of Lord of the Rings called "Bored of the Rings."  If any of you are LOTR fans you might enjoy this and recognize this passage from the original...

"As Goodgulf stepped onto the bridge the passage echoed with an ominous dribble, dribble, and a great crowd of narcs burst forth.  In their midst was a towering dark shadow too terrible to describe.  In its hand it held a huge black globe and on its chest was written in cruel runes, "Villanova."  "Aiyee," shouted Legolam.  "A ballhog!""

[BuzzSucksSucks]

Here we go into their place and come away with a win, over a team fighting for a shot at the postseason. Nova fan comes back with congrats and good wishes.  We had this same conversation on another thread prior to the game, by the way, how we like you guys.  I just wanted to chime in and echo what everyone else has said here.

[Ahoya06]

I have nothing but respect for Jay Wright and Villanova. If not this year, they will be a tournament team again real soon...

[dwaderoy2004]

well to be fair and balanced, i got quite a few F-yous as i left the arena, as i was wearing my wes matthews jersey.  now, these were mostly students, who probably had a few beers and were upset that they're going to the NIT, but still.  I did sit by some NOVA fans who were very kind and gracious in defeat.  Side note: NOBODY knew were Marquette was located.  Literally had 5 people ask me, and their response was always the same.  "what's a school from wisconsin doing in the Big East?"

[The Lens]

When we played Nova in Nov of 02, I remember Buckeye70 posting on tghe Ahoya board before the game.  So I'm at Tir Na Nog before the game, see a guy wearing a Buckeye's hat and I said: "Buckeye70?"  He said "Yep"...and that's when I knew I spent too much time on messageboards.

[Buckeye70]

 Hi Gang. This thread is 3-4 days old, but I thought I'd chime in here just for
 a sec.

 M.U. and 'Nova fans have tons in common. They're among the most spirited
 in the BIG EAST and I think basically, the sense of competition we have
 makes the rivalry that much more appetizing.

 We're not saints, believe me, but by and large, Villanova fans -- like you --
 are pretty well educated and come from the kind of backdrops where we're
 taught to respect folks.

 We've got a few folks who are less than model citizens at games, but I think
 every school in America probably does.

 Downtown85: I am a proud Buckeye native (Lima) and an O.S.U. football
 diehard (South stands, section 37B...), grew up in the culture, even when
 living in nearby Pittsburgh, then not-so-nearby New Jersey!

 Follow the Bucks in hoops, too, but my first love, of course, is my alma
 mater. And as I've told many a Villanovan, if we ever played O.S.U. in
 football, it would be a painful choice, but I'd swap the Scarlet & Gray for
 the day and be decked out in Blue.

 DamonKey: That recollection of the Tir Na Nog reminds me of my attempts
 to find said bar. I must tell you, I'm not at all unfamiliar with the backdrop
 of midtown Manhattan and M.S.G., but as my late, great friend Myron Cope
 was fond of saying, "Yoi and double-yoi!!!" I asked a local cop with an Irish
 mug if he had heard of Chernanog. He gave me a friendly, but blank stare.

 Then he started thinking. "I think it's Viet Namese or something," I said
 timidly. "Oh no," he said back, "It's Tir Na Nog, an Irish bar and it's at 34th
 and 8th Avenue."

 Otherwise we might have been one Villanova fan poorer because of logistics
 issues!

 Good luck the rest of the way. Sorry about that loss to G'town Saturday;
 I was pulling hard for you.

 b70