Villanova Uses 19-0 Run to Beat Maryland

"I had no idea at the number.  I didn't even realize it was 19-0."  Maalik Wayns and the Villanova Wildcats overcame a late 12 point deficit, coming back to stun the Maryland Terrapins.  Sitting in the stands, most of the stats in the game go unnoticed, and the big run was no exception.  It wasn't until I was notified by a friend, that I realized how long and critical of a scoring streak the Wildcats had.  19 straight unanswered points in the second half, to transform a 12 point deficit into a 7 point lead.  Corey Fisher had 8 of those 19 points, with a couple of huge jump shots.  As much as people point out the 19 points scored in the streak, the most impressive and more important aspect was the 0 points allowed.  To shut a team out of that caliber for a long period of time, shows how Villanova's defense has improved.  The press worked very effectively, as it created turnovers, by forcing Maryland to make difficult passes.  

Maalik Wayns scored 22 points in the victory on just 10 shots from the field.  The biggest surprise of the game was the play of the Wildcat big men.  Given a tough task in guarding Jordan Williams, Mouphtaou Yarou played a physical game down low.  His numbers look awful, as he didn't make a basket in his six attempts, but his 12 rebounds cannot be stressed enough.  He kept Jordan Williams from easy baskets, constantly contesting post moves and forcing Williams to earn it from the line.  Williams had an outstanding game still and really kept the Terrapins in position to win the ball game if it weren't for the Villanova run.  Williams finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds, but 16 of those points came in the first half.  

Isaiah Armwood had his best career game at Villanova.  He did in fact hit a game winning three pointer early  last year, but for the first time, Armwood displayed his toughness as a big man.  Isaiah finished with 6 points and 13 rebounds, with 5 offensive boards.  For the first time all season, Villanova had three players with 10 or more boards, as Antonio Pena also added 10 rebounds.  With the play of the big men on defense and the offensive prowess of the guards, this team has a legitimate Big East chance.  The next test is against UConn on Monday and will be played in Connecticut.  

Tune in to the Point After for analysis and after the game vs. UConn, join in on Coach Bill's radio show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/offtheboards.   The Point After will have some of its bloggers calling in to offer our insight on the game, and feel free to call in as well!