Comparisons between St. Joes and Villanova
In 2004, Philadelphia’s interests were turned to St. Joes as the Hawks entered the NCAA tournament as a number 1 seed in the East Bracket. In the regular season, St. Joes was 27-1 thanks to the excellent play of Jameer Nelson and Delonte West. Nelson went on to win the award for National Player of the Year while St. Joes lost in the final seconds of the Elite 8 game to Oklahoma State.
Here in 2006, Villanova has emerged as one of the elite teams in the country. There are a few similarities between those ‘04 Hawks and these ‘06 Wildcats. St. Joes was led by their guards and the Wildcats are also in a similiar situation. Jameer Nelson and Delonte controlled the Hawks offense while Randy Foye, Allen Ray, and Kyle Lowry make the Nova offense work thanks to the absence of Curtis Sumpter. Both Nova and St. Joes lack the interior strength which could be a big factor once the tournament begins. Nova’s big men on the inside are Will Sheridan and Jason Fraser while St. Joes had Dwayne Jones. Sheridan averages 4.9 points and 6.0 rebounds a game while Fraser has 3.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. This simply isn’t the kind of production that the truly elite teams get from the men on the blocks. The lack of dominant men on the inside could potentially cost Nova a shot at the National Championship. All of this said, if Curtis Sumpter wasn’t injured then the whole situation would change because Sumpter can be the best player on the court at any given time.
Coaching wise, St. Joes had the gritty Phil Martelli while the media friendly Jay Wright is running the helm for Villanova. Can Wright lead the ‘Cats further than Martelli took the Hawks two years ago? I think there is a very good possibility that ‘Nova will advance past the Elite 8 and into the Final Four. But it also depends heavily on what other teams are placed in Villanova’s bracket. If solid contenders such as Texas, Ohio State, or Memphis are placed in Villanova’s bracket then they will have to play some great basketball in order to advance to the Final 4.
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Posted on March 9, 2006 by Kyle Garis | Filed Under Villanova, St. Joe's, Philadelphia
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Who wins head to head? Nova of 2006 or St. Joe’s? That would be some great guard play!
A head to head matchup between these two would be one hell of a game. I could see it really going either way, but I think I’d give the nod to Nova if I had to pick a winner. The trio of Lowry, Foye, and Ray can be very explosive and Mike Nardi can step it up too. I would love to see how Jameer and Delonte would play against Nova’s D and likewise.