Villanova's offense is off to a hot start in 2008 (#1 in adj off eff), shooting well, protecting the basketball, grabbing offensive boards in bunches. Despite losing a couple of excellent offensive rebounders from a year ago, they haven't missed a beat so far, as the new starters are also capable on the offensive glass. And the starting lineup features plenty of height: 6-2, 6-5, 6-7, 6-8, 6-10.
The Man To Know in this one is Scottie Reynolds, a point guard who will shoot it from everywhere. While he shot well from three last year, scoring from inside the arc was a struggle (and that trend has continued into 2008).
Statistically, the defense has been about as bad as the offense has been good, but that's because they're enduring a bit of early season bad luck: almost 50% of their opponents' field goal attempts have come from outside, where those opponents have shot 44.1%. But they're forcing turnovers and rebounding well, which indicates that they're active and sound fundamentally, and their 2FG% defense has been fine. That's not to say they don't have a weakness along the perimeter--the Cats' 3FG% defense was average in '07--but they're going to regress in the right direction, obviously.
They tend to commit plenty of fouls, though, and that's something we can definitely take advantage of.
The Man To Know in this one is Scottie Reynolds, a point guard who will shoot it from everywhere. While he shot well from three last year, scoring from inside the arc was a struggle (and that trend has continued into 2008).
Statistically, the defense has been about as bad as the offense has been good, but that's because they're enduring a bit of early season bad luck: almost 50% of their opponents' field goal attempts have come from outside, where those opponents have shot 44.1%. But they're forcing turnovers and rebounding well, which indicates that they're active and sound fundamentally, and their 2FG% defense has been fine. That's not to say they don't have a weakness along the perimeter--the Cats' 3FG% defense was average in '07--but they're going to regress in the right direction, obviously.
They tend to commit plenty of fouls, though, and that's something we can definitely take advantage of.