March 18, 2003

Villanova men's basketball game notes for the NIT Tournament Opening Round. The Villanova Wildcats (15-15, 8-8) are scheduled to square off with the Siena Saints (19-10, 12-6) on Tuesday, March 18, at the Pepsi Arena in Albany, N.Y., with tipoff slated for 7:05 p.m. The game can be heard live on WFIL 560 AM or on ESPN Radio 920 AM. Click on the pdf link below for the complete game notes.

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GAME 31

Villanova Wildcats (15-15 overall, 8-8 Big East)

vs.

Siena Saints (19-10 overall, 12-6 MAAC)


Tuesday, March 19, 2003

National Invitation Tournament

Pepsi Arena~7:05 p.m.

WFIL (560 AM) Radio ~ ESPN Radio (920 AM)

The Top Stories:

Iron Five: In two games since the suspensions levied for improper use of a university telephone access code, five Wildcats have seen virtually all of the available minutes. Marcus Austin, Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Derrick Snowden and Curtis Sumpter have played 396 of the 400 possible minutes in tight losses to Pittsburgh and Georgetown.

Stout Streak: This marks Villanova's fifth consecutive postseason appearance and fourth straight in the National Invitation Tournament. The 'Cats advanced to the quarterfinals of the NIT last season before falling at Temple.

Patience is a Key: The pace has slowed considerably at the offensive end for obvious reasons of late with a depleted bench. But the theme actually dates back to the start of VU's recent 5-game slide. VU is averaging 59.5 ppg in that stretch and it is 0-5 this season when it scores less than 60 points.

Villanova Media Relations Information:

Men's Basketball Contact: Mike Sheridan (Director of Media Relations)

Media Relations Office: (610) 519-4120

Media Relations FAX: (610) 519-7323

For updated Villanova statistics please visit www.villanova.com.

Villanova News & Notes

Hoyas Held On To Down The 'Cats

If he were inclined to take solace in valient efforts, Villanova head coach Jay Wright might have been satisfied with the 'Cats 46-41 loss to Georgetown in the opening round of the ConAgra Foods Big East Tournament last week at Madison Square Garden. After all, the 'Cats used only six players in the game due to the suspensions levied in light of the telephone access code incident of March 8.

Yet while pleased with the effort, Wright wasn't content to focus merely on the fact that the undermanned 'Cats had pushed their second consecutive opponent to the brink of a major upset.

"I didn't know what was going to happen going into [the Pittsburgh game]," explained Wright. "But this time, we've played a game, we've played this style. We knew who was going to play. We were ready to win a game and we should have. I looked at this as a game. That other one had so many other circles. This time, we just didn't get it done."

The Wildcats played a strong first half, patiently milking the shot clock and then executing well in the last ten seconds of the possession. Plus, Villanova's 2-3 zone - something it played little of prior to the regular season finale on March 9 - held All-Big East Hoya forward Mike Sweetney to four points as the 'Cats took a 23-20 advantage into the break at halftime.

A scoring drought early in the second half, however, put Villanova in a hole.

Sweetney converted four free throws and Georgetown got major 3-point field goals from Tony Bethel to take a six point lead.

Yet the Wildcats wouldn't go away. When Derrick Snowden stole an inbound pass and fed freshman guard Randy Foye, Villanova trailed 43-41 with 1:05 to play.

But Villanova would not score again and Georgetown put the game away for a 46-41 triumph. It was the lowest scoring contest in Big East Tournament history. The combined total of 87 points bested the previous low of 92 combined points in a St. John's victory over Providence (48-44) in 1980.

"I am proud of our effort," said Wright. "I am proud of the way the guys responded to this situation and hopefully they're not finished responding, but you want to win games. I think we're good enough to win games."

The loss snapped Villanova's eight game winning streak in opening round play at the Big East Tournament. The 'Cats last dropped an opening round Big East Tournament contest in 1994.

Suspensions Take Their Toll

On March 8 Villanova director of athletics Vince Nicastro announced that an inquiry into telephone usage had resulted in a series of suspensions.

As a result of an internal inquiry into telephone access code violations, 12 Villanova men's basketball players were suspended. The penalties will range from 3-8 games depending upon the dollar value of the benefit according to NCAA guidelines. The penalties will be staggered over a series of games so that the institution may field a team for its upcoming games.

The available players for the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament include: forward Marcus Austin; guard Mike Claxton; guard Randy Foye; guard Tom Grace; guard Allan Ray; guard Derrick Snowden and forward Curtis Sumpter. Guard Baker Dunleavy will be in uniform but is not expected to participate as he completes a redshirt season.

Those serving suspensions for the Big East Tournament are scheduled to include forward Andreas Blcoh; guard Gary Buchanan; forward Chris Charles; forward Jason Fraser; guard Lou Ruskey; forward Andrew Sullivan and forward Ricky Wright.

The three players not suspended are Claxton, Dunleavy, and Grace. Those currently active facing suspensions will serve theirs at a later date.

An internal university audit of telephone records detected irregularities in the use of an access code number on March 4. The code was used to make unathorized telephone calls from various campus locations over a period of months by Villanova students, including members of the men's basketball team. After consultation with the NCAA, it was determined that suspensions were warranted in these cases.

"The misuse of a university access code is a serious matter," stated Nicastro. "We only learned of this breach of our telephone system on Tuesday and have moved quickly to analyze the records. This is a complicated process because the breach involves members of the general student population as well as student-athletes.

"We are working diligently to get to the bottom of this. I trust in the integrity of our people. The preliminary part of this investigation has established that this code was not supplied to students by a member of the coaching staff.

"This is a disappointing moment for all of us at Villanova."

If the Wildcats were to defeat Siena, Fraser, Ruskey and Ricky Wright would return for Villanova's next outing. Three of the current starting five would then beginning serving their suspensions.

The Matchup

Villanova vs. Siena
All-time series: VU leads 7-2
Last meeting: VU 66, SC 58 (Mar. 28, 1994)
Last Siena win: SC 68, VU 58 (Jan. 20, 1954)
Wright vs. Siena: First Meeting

Looking Back

There are those who have likened the 2002-03 Villanova campaign to an amusent park ride. Here are some of the highs and lows.

The season opened on Nov. 15 at Madison Square Garden. Ranked as high as No. 18 in several preseason polls, the Wildcats took on Marquette at Madison Square Garden without the injured Gary Buchanan. The Golden Eagles' experience shone through as Dwayne Wade and Co. took control early and glided to a 73-61 triumph over the 'Cats.

After regrouping well in a home win over Drexel (64-41) Villanova journeyed north to the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout. Boosted by the return of Buchanan to the lineup, VU defeated Loyola Marymount and upset No. 9 Michigan State before coming up short against the College of Charleston (71-69) in the tourney final.

The Wildcats then returned to Philadelphia and defeated La Salle 74-71 in its Big Five City Series opener at the Palestra. But another crosstown rival, Pennsylvania upended the 'Cats 72-58 at the First Union Center on Dec. 10.

Following a solid win at the Pavilion over UMBC, Villanova moved on to Dayton for a matchup with the Flyers. Despite falling behind by 14 points early in the second half, VU rallied behind Randy Foye (20 points) and Buchanan (21). But a Villanova turnover on its last offensive possession gave Dayton a fast break and Brooks Hall dropped in a bank shot as the buzzer sounded to give UD an 80-78 triumph. Villanova then ground out a pair of Pavilion wins over Binghamton and Temple to enter the new year at 7-4.

On Jan. 5 in Memphis, VU again found itself in a tight struggle against a quality opponent away from home. But the Tigers made big plays in crunch time to earn a 72-68 win.

In its Big East opener, VU was forced to work overtime but came away with a 92-81 win over Virginia Tech as five players scored in double figures. The 'Cats followed that with an 81-67 win over Providence before ending a 10-game road losing streak with an 82-73 win at St. John's.

Villanova's best offensive performance of the campaign came on Jan. 18 at Rutgers. Buchanan fueled a 10-0 run to open the game and the 'Cats never looked back en route to a 110-89 win. A 94-83 win over Boston College on Jan. 22 at the Pavilion gave Villanova its first 5-0 start in the Big East since 1982-83.

At that point the 'Cats were 12-5. Since then they are 3-9.

Connecticut handed Villanova its first Big East loss on Jan. 25. After a week layoff, West Virginia upended the 'Cats 91-83 at the Pavilion. Saint Joseph's then dominated VU 92-75 on Feb. 3 in a Big Five tilt.

The track from there was downhill. Highlights included a road win at Miami on Feb. 8 and First Union triumph over UConn (79-70) on Feb. 15. But losses to St. John's (Feb. 11), Providence (Feb. 22) slowed momentum and 57-56 loss at Seton Hall proved to be damaging.

VU enters NIT play on a five game losing skid.

Calling All Shooters

With its depleted cast this week - and its corresponding lack of size - Villanova hopes to relocate its 3-point radar.

The area behind the arc hasn't been especially kind to the 'Cats lately.

The absence of all-time Villanova 3-point field goal king Gary Buchanan due to suspension also hinders the 'Cats. Buchanan is second on the Wildcats in 3-point field goal percentage at .409.

Even with Buchanan, however, the Wildcats have struggled in their last five games from beyond the arc. In that stretch VU is just 31-of-126 (.246) from deep. It was 3-of-9 in the loss to Georgetown on March 12.

Villanova is connecting on .349 of its 3-point field goal attempts this season.

It attempts an average of 19.5 triples heading into this week's action.

A Sumpter Breeze

In the early stages of 2002-03, Curtis Sumpter seemed to have fallen a few steps behind the pace of his celebrated freshman classmates. Randy Foye and Jason Fraser were members of the starting lineup by the third game of the season. Allan Ray emerged as an instant offensive threat who averaged double figures in scoring by the middle of December.

Sumpter, though, found the transition more complicated.

"Coming to Villanova, Curtis had a difficult transition converting from a 4-man in high school to a 3-man here," stated Jay Wright. "It's taken him some time but he appears more and more comfortable out there with each passing game."

In the first seven games of the campaign, Sumpter averaged 8.6 minutes and 2.4 points per game.

Following a loss to Pennsylvania on Dec. 10, however, Jay Wright made a conscious decision to create more playing time for him. From that point forward, Sumpter has made steady progress.

Lately, he has been one of Villanova's most effective players.

Sumpter has been the Wildcats best interior player over the course of March. In the two contests since the suspensions took affect, Sumpter has collected 16 rebounds (eight each against Pitt and Georgetown).

In the seven games leading up to the NIT, Sumpter is averaging 10.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per outing. In that span he established new career highs in points (21 vs. Miami on Feb. 25); rebounds (ten vs. Virginia Tech on March 1) and minutes (40 vs. Pittsburgh and Georgetown).

In his Big East Tournament debut last week at Madison Square Garden in his native New York City, Sumpter contributed six points, eight rebounds and one steal in 40 minutes of activity vs. Georgetown.

"Curt has really come into his own of late," states Jay Wright. "He seems much more comfortable out there and is making better decisions. Obviously in our current situation he is very important to us."

Sumpter averages 5.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on the season. He has played in all 30 games.

A Ray of Light

Another young player who has become more of a focal point lately is freshman guard Allan Ray.

On March 9, a 56-54 loss to Pittsburgh, Ray excelled. He scored all 15 of his points in the second half to key a Villanova rally that brought the Wildcats from 14 points down to within a basket with 19.8 seconds left in regulation play. The product of St. Raymond's High School was a perfect 7-of-7 from the line.

Ray overcame a case of stomach flu to contribute in a large way against Georgetown too. The native of the Bronx, N.Y., finished with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in 40 minutes of that contest.

Starting seems to agree with Ray.

The Pittsburgh contest marked Ray's first start since November. He opened the season in the starting lineup when Gary Buchanan was sidelined by knee injuries that caused him to miss the first two contest. Ray prospered in the role, averaging 15.5 points and 2.5 rebounds and 33 minutes per game.

In five starts this season, Ray averages 14.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg.

In 26 games off the bench Ray averaged 9.1 ppg.

On the season he is one of four 'Cats in double figures at 10.2 ppg.

Fraser Was Cleared But Won't Play

Freshman forward Jason Fraser, who battled tendinitis in both knees for much of February, encountered a new health woe on Feb. 21. He began experiencing pain in his left foot. An MRI conducted under the supervision of Villanova team orthopedist Dr. Rob Good diagnosed a stress reaction to the left foot on Feb. 24.

Fraser missed three full games and was cleared to resume action on March 7.

However, he began serving his part of the suspension as part of the telephone code access situation in the loss to Pittsburgh on Sunday and is slated to serve the final game of his suspension against Siena.

Fraser averages 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He leads Villanova in field goal percentage (.515) and blocked shots (30) and started 22 consecutive games before the injury was diagnosed.

What's Missing

So what isn't available to Jay Wright in light of the suspensions that affected 12 Wildcats?

Quite a bit.

Villanova will be without three of its four captains to open the National Invitation Tournament in the capitol of New York State - Buchanan, Ricky Wright and Sullivan. Snowden is the only captain in uniform for the NIT opener against the Saints.

It is without 52 percent of its points and 54 percent of its rebounding from the 28 games when the bulk of the roster was available.

Its backup center, Curtis Sumpter, has never played the position at the collegiate level. Its starting center, Marcus Austin, will make his fifth career start against Siena and third of the season Tuesday. Austin did not play due to a coaching decision at Boston College on March 4, the last contest prior to news of the suspensions.

It will also be without the individuals who converted 47 percent of its total 3-point field goals prior to the suspensions.

Finally, there is this: the two reserves for this game, Mike Claxton and Tom Grace, have played a total of 15 minutes in 30 games this season.

Snow Tracker

As the season has unfolded, Derrick Snowden's role has continued to grow. He shares point guard duties with Randy Foye and leads the Wildcats in minutes played with an average of 29.4 per game.

Snowden has been Villanova's most consistent Cat since the start of March. He converted 5-of-8 field goal attempts for 12 points and collected four rebounds in the Big East Tournament loss to Georgetown.

In addition, "Snow" was 2-of-2 from 3-point land. He is now 32-of-78 (.410) and has inched ahead of Buchanan as VU's top triple threat.

The most significant sign of Snowden's growth this season lies in his assist-to-turnover ratio. It is the best on the club at 107 assists (3.7 apg) to 63 turnovers.

A year ago he closed the season with 125 assists to 122 turnovers as the club's only scholarship point guard.

Lineup Roundup

The recent suspensions forced Jay Wright to tinker with his starting lineup again. Here are the various combinations used this year:

Buchanan-Wright-Fraser-Foye-Snowden: 16 games

Ray-Sullivan-Wright-Foye-Snowden: 2 games

Sullivan-Wright-Fraser-Foye-Snowden: 3 games

Sullivan-Wright-Fraser-Foye-Buchanan: 3 games

Buchanan-Sullivan-Wright-Snowden-Ruskey: 1 game

Sumpter-Sullivan-Wright-Snowden-Buchanan: 1 game

Sumpter-Sullivan-Wright-Foye-Snowden: 1 game.

Buchanan-Sullivan-Wright-Foye-Snowden: 1 game

Foye-Sumpter-Austin-Snowden-Ray: 2 games

Hometown News

Villanova has become quite comfortable in its unique on-campus Pavilion home since it opened on Feb. 1, 1986.

Lifetime Villanova is 151-46 (.766) in the 6,500-seat structure.

The 'Cats have been especially productive in the building in the recent past. Since the start of the 1994-95 campaign the Wildcats are 91-14 (.867) in front of the Pavilion audience. In Big East play over that span Villanova is 44-11 (.800). The building has been sold out for every regular season contest over the past two seasons.

This marks the 52nd straight year in which the Wildcats will host games in the city of Philadelphia.The beautiful First Union Center is Villanova's home away from the Main Line.

Villanova were 1-3 at the First Union Center this season. It defeated Connecticut there on Feb. 15 but dropped decisions to Pennsylvania, St. John's and Pittsburgh in the modern facility in South Philadelphia.

Signing In

Coach Jay Wright announced the signing of two high school seniors to national letters of intent on Nov. 19. Guard Mike Nardi, 6-1, of St. Patrick's (N.J.) Elizabeth High School and forward Will Sheridan, 6-9, of Sanford (Del.) School both will enroll at Villanova in the fall of 2003.

Nardi sat out the 2001-02 season at St. Pat's with a broken foot. He returned to action in July 2002 to lead St. Pat's to the championship of the National High School Basketball Tournament at Philadelphia's Palestra.

"Mike Nardi is going to inject our program with basketball intelligence, fire and passion," said Wright. "He has been well-coached in high school by Kevin Boyle and comes from a great family. He will be a tremendous addition to the foundation we are building at Villanova."

Sheridan averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots a game as a junior at the Sanford School in Hockessin, Del. Sanford captured the Delaware state championship last season.

"Will is coming off a great summer of basketball," said Wright. "He is very skilled and a talented forward. His mother and father have instilled great character in Will. Coming from Sanford Prep, he will be prepared for the rigors of Big East basketball and Villanova's academics."

Philadelphia Big Five Villanova again competed in the historic Philadelphia Big Five City Series in 2002-03. The results and standings are below:

Dec. 7: Villanova 74, La Salle 71

Dec. 10: Pennsylvania 72, Villanova 58

Dec. 31: Villanova 70, Temple 62

Feb. 3: Saint Joseph's 92, Villanova 75

Last season, the Wildcats finished 2-2 in the Big Five. The Wildcats lost to La Salle and Penn while defeating Temple and Saint Joseph's.

Big Five Standings
	1. Saint Joseph's	4-0
	2. Pennsylvania	3-1
	3. Villanova		2-2
	4. Temple		1-3
	5. La Salle		0-4