Oh boy. Nova wasn't exactly entering this game on a hot streak--the team had lost five of their last seven games, and were arguably something of a stretch as a tournament #2 seed. But damn, I don't think most people saw this game coming. #15 seeded Robert Morris CCAC gave te Wildcats everything they could handle, leading by as much as eight as late as 4:20 left in the second half. But a series of stops and forced turnovers, and eight consecutive made free throws by Reggie Redding and Scottie Reynolds, helped send the game into overtime, where the Cats got out to an early lead and just managed to hold on to it, escaping with the 73-70 victory.
I gotta fess up to missing this game at work, but watching the last five minutes of regulation and the OT period after the fact, it seems pretty clear to me: The refs bailed them out of this one. I'm not necessarily throwing conspiracy theories around or whatever, and it's possible that it was just a series of 50/50 calls that happened to go Nova's way, but Reynolds got three straight fouls to put him on the line late in that second half that were questionable at best, and then Nova got the benefit of having a key tie-up in the OT be ruled a foul instead of a jump ball. Morris coach Mark Rice was visibly furious, but given the nature and situation of the calls--every single one of which seemingly breaking 'Nova's way--I thought he was restrained if anything. A win is a win, especially in a single-elimination tournament, but I doubt this is one that anyone on Villanova is gonna be especially proud of.
Two people connected with Nova should especially be thanking their lucky stars they squeaked out the W--coach Jay Wright and face of the program Scottie Reynolds. Reynolds had, if not the worst game of his college career, then certainly a top-fiver, going a stunningly uncharacteristic 2-15 from the field (1-8 from long distance), with four turnovers and only two assists. He helped make up for it with his near-immaculate free throw shooting (15 of 16 total) and with one of his two field goals being a dagger three in OT (which elicited Bill Raftery's much-coveted First "ONIONS!" of the Tournament), but 2-15...that' s just bad any way you cut it.
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And of course, had Reynolds' poor performance resulted in Nova being the first #2 seed in almost a decade to lose in the first round, much of the blame would have gone to Coach Wright for his controversial decision to take him and fellow starter Corey Fisher out of the starting lineup, to demonstrate a "minor teaching point" (a phrase which no doubt would have gone down in Wildcat infamy). Reynolds and Fisher still played about 35 minutes each, but when a player of Scottie's caliber goes 2-15, people want an explanation, and you can imagine how people would (and still might) conclude that distraction over being benched was the case. Live and learn, I guess, but perhaps Wright would be better served keeping punitive decisions off the court for the rest of the tournament.
Amidst all the bad with this game, there was still some good, particularly with the play of freshman big man Mouphtaou Yarou. Afforded a rare start with Reynolds and Fisher on the bench, Yarou responded with 17 points and eight rebounds, going 5-6 from the field and 7-7 from the line, the last two of which essentially sealed the game in overtime. Hoped to be a big part of Nova's future, Yarou could also give the team a huge lift in the present if he keeps his play even near this level, as he gives the team an interior presence on both ends that they simply don't get from anywhere else. Would be nice, especially if the team's guards continue to struggle.
Wake-up calls don't come any more aggressive than this. If Nova doesn't respond in a couple of days against either Richmond or St. Mary's, you can bet that they won't be dancing for much longer.