Preview: Notre Dame vs. Villanova
25th Jan 2008
Notre Dame men’s basketball team will be taking on Big East rival, Villanova tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia. The Wildcats have moved up to 18th in the rankings as of January 21st. The Irish however still have not yet been ranked. After big losses to both Marquette and Georgetown, voters have still not seen a legitimate reason for putting them into the Top 25. Notre Dame will look to rebound from the Georgetown loss, Villanova from the Rutgers upset on Wednesday.
These two teams share identical overall records, 13-4, but Notre Dame has one less loss in Big East matches. The Irish are 3-2 in Big East games, both losses coming in away games. The Wildcats are 3-3 in the Big East with their losses also coming from away contests. Playing at home in Philadelphia, gives the Wildcats a great advantage. It is very difficult to win away games in the Big East and this has been proven true throughout the season. Notre Dame has yet to win on the road, but many feel that they will get a ‘W’ in tomorrows game.
Some statistics. Notre Dame barely outscores Villanova with 78.6 points compared to 77.5. The Irish out-rebound the Wildcats 43.1 to 37.0, have more assists, 18.7 to 13.9, and a better field goal percentage, 45.1% to 44.4%. Notre Dame also averages less turnovers, more blocks, and a better free-throw percentage. Based upon the stats, Notre Dame appears to have the slightest edge on Villanova but this means nothing considering the game is at the Wachovia Center.
Notre Dame will need to be able to shoot from three tomorrow, which they couldn’t do against Georgetown. In order for the Irish to win the game, Kyle McAlarney will need to perform better than last week and start making some shots. All of his teammates will need to help him get into rhythm so that they will have the best chance to win the game. Don’t forget Harangody, he won’t be up against a seven footer again, but he won’t be able to walk right over Dante Cunningham of Villanova. If these two players step up for Notre Dame and the surrounding cast pitches in, the Irish could keep this a close game and leave Philly with a win.
Villanova has a stud in Scottie Reynolds who is only a Sophomore and leads the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Notre Dame will look to shut him down and take him out of the game, but even than, freshman Corey Fisher will have no problem taking over his role. The six-foot-one guard out of the Bronx can play and is second on the team in scoring. The Wildcats always have strong guards, and often their big men are forgotten. Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, both junior forwards, control the glass for Villanova and play a large part in their success. The Wildcats will need to play a strong, clean game in order to beat the Irish, but with home court advantage, it should be a close game.
I will be attending the game tomorrow afternoon at the Wachovia Center, cheering the Fighting Irish on. I’ll do my best to take some pictures and will have an in-depth post game article up sometime that day. That is all for now, and as always, Go Irish!
