Chin Up

[csnphilly,com]

/slow clap, slow clap, slow clap.  That’s all one can really do or say about Creighton’s insane performance Monday night.  And this past week Creighton has rightfully received a great deal of attention and speculation about how far McDermott and company can go in the tournament.  It is never fun to get drummed like that, especially on your home floor, but it still is only one game. 

Let’s also not forget some of the facts.  Creighton lost to Providence the Saturday before in a classic trap game, thus giving them even more incentive to bring the noise.  They were also picked in many circles to win the New Big East in the pre-season, and they happen to have the front runner for player of the year = they are a very good team.  But here is the kicker for me: since 2003 there have only been five teams ranked in the top 10 in both 3FG% and % of shot attempts from 3 – Samford, Air Force, Eastern Kentucky, Denver and Creighton.  I don’t think you need me to tell you that Creighton also happens to be light years better than any of them.

So yeah, the game and loss hurts, but there is every reason to believe that this team can bounce back.  This team is built on toughness, and I believe this Saturday we will come to play.  For me the key is all about defensive pressure.  I wrote before about the aggressive 1-2-2 trap that Villanova has used a lot this year.  While there are many positives of using the trap, one critical one is the ability for the trap to create turnovers.

For the season, Villanova has caused teams to turn it over on 21.1% of their possessions, good for 45^th in the country.  However, in the last three games our opponents TO’s are way down.  In fact, the last three games are also the three worst games we have had all season in terms of creating turnovers (11.4% - St. John’s; 12.7% - DePaul; 12.1% - Creighton).  Better teams obviously take care of the ball better, so it is entirely normal for our TO% to go down during conference play.  Additionally, it isn’t that unusual for any team to experience a couple of games where certain numbers aren’t in line with their season averages.  The point is that I don't think there is some underlying issue at play.  Fatigue is about the only thing I can think of, and while that may be the case, it is also something that rest and time off can fix.

So let's be clear.  Our next two games – Saturday @Marquette and Monday @Georgetown – are important games.  Everyone will be curious to see how we bounce back from a game like the one we had against Creighton, but it’s only one game and I believe that Jay and the whole team are eager to prove that we will not be pushed around like that again.