Recap: Villanova (Big East Tournament)
Mar. 12, 2009 7:07 p.m.
New York -- Not much to say after this one.
Clearly, a crushing loss for MU. The Golden Eagles could have gained some real momentum with another quality victory on their resume heading into Selection Sunday. Play Louisville tough in the semifinals, and who knows?
But now they'll have to sit for the next two days to await their fate. As Wesley Matthews told me afterward, at least they know they're in. But it can't sit well with them knowing they had this game in the bag, and weren't able to close it out.
He also wasn't sure if the manner in which the Golden Eagles lost might hold any sway over the NCAA tournament selection committe, which will determine where they're seeded and where they wind up playing.
"It's all up to them," he said. "Whatever they come up with, I guess that's where we'll be. And we'll be there. Wherever they put us, that's where we'll show up, and Marquette will be there."
As far as where this one ranks in terms of disappointment for MU over the past four years, for Matthews at least, it's right at the top of his list.
"No. 1. It's No. 1 right now," he said. "All the work that we put in, how we dug ourselves a hole, how we climbed back out of it, how we were standing on top of it, and we just let ourselves slip and fall right back in. It's the No. 1 downer for us."
-- One positive, if you can call it that, is for the second straight day MU fared well with Jerel McNeal on the bench with foul trouble.
Against St. John's, the Golden Eagles actually extended the lead they held when their leading scorer went out. Then against the Wildcats on Thursday, they continued to chip away at a double-digit deficit after McNeal picked up his fourth foul on a Corey Stokes three-point attempt.
Maurice Acker was big in that stretch, scoring eight of 10 points in just over three minutes, including a couple of threes.
"I think we've got three focal points," said Matthews. "When Mo's playing like that, he's a focal point. When Jimmy's playing like he is, he's a focal point. When we're playing how we're supposed to be playing and I'm out or Jerel's out or Lazar's out, everybody can still make plays, and nobody can stop us."
-- What's got to make this loss sting a little more is the fact that Wildcats big man Dante Cunningham was turned into a non-factor due to foul trouble.
He wound up playing just 25 minutes, and scored just seven points to go along with two rebounds. But he also made what was probably the defensive play of the game by, with four fouls, blocking Jerel McNeal's shot on MU's last possession, setting up the game-winner on the other end for Villanova.
"McNeal had a lane to the rim and Dante went straight up and really went up and contested without really bringing his arms down, and challenged the shot," said Wildcats coach Jay Wright. "That was a big-time play. They had run that ball screen before. We beat on it. So that was huge right there."
MU also did a great job on Scottie Reynolds in the second half, bottling him up to the tune of just three points after he poured in 18 in the first half.
-- Here's something to chew on: Had MU been able to rally from its 41-37 halftime deficit, it would have been the biggest second-half comeback in Big East Tournament history.
-- Jimmy Butler's 19 points represented a personal high, not to mention the first time a player other than McNeal, Matthews or Lazar Hayward led the Golden Eagles in scoring this season.
What more can be said about the sophomore? He's been an impact player for a team in desperate need of another not named McNeal or Matthews.
-- Acker had his biggest offensive game of the season with 12 points, sparked by 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range.
He also had two rebounds and two assists along with a turnover in 29 foul-plagued minutes.
-- A big reason for MU's struggles today? Villanova outscored the Golden Eagles, 28-10, in the paint. They did have 12 assists on 16 field goals, however, a much higher ratio than they've been posting since Dominic James has been out.
-- With 13 points and 11 rebounds, Hayward posted his ninth double-double of the season.
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