March 10, 2016

'Nova Notes: Playing small, hating the Big Apple and previewing Providence

By Rich Hofmann
PhillyVoice Contributor

NEW YORK -- While the 2006 Villanova Wildcats were probably the best team that Jay Wright has coached his last 15 years on the Main Line, they were essentially a one-pitch pitcher. That pitch was equivalent to Mariano Rivera’s cutter, but injuries and personnel dictated that ‘Nova needed to play four guards for long stretches.

The Wildcats employ a more traditional brand of basketball a decade later, but that doesn’t mean the current group can’t turn back the clock.

“We used to have to [play small],” Wright said after Villanova’s 81-67 win over Georgetown in the Big East Tournament. “Right now, we don’t really have to as much but when we do, we’re fine.”

Wright had to call for one of his secondary pitches when Thursday’s Big East quarterfinal was still in doubt. Senior center Daniel Ochefu couldn’t move on a right ankle that he sprained in practice earlier in the week. That left the Wildcats with a seven-man rotation and only one traditional big, junior reserve Darryl Reynolds.

As it turns out, they were just fine. When Ochefu left the game for good, ‘Nova was trailing the Hoyas, 40-39. Reynolds made a major contribution with nine rebounds in 25 minutes, and when he got tired, the Wildcats extended the lead with 6’5” Josh Hart and 6’6” Kris Jenkins manning the nominal 4 and 5 positions.

“Earlier in the game, there was one time we had Darryl and Daniel playing [at the same time],” Hart said after scoring a game-high 25 points. “We’re able to play big and small. Just having those two different styles is definitely going to help us.”

Going small definitely has its advantages. When ‘Nova plays four-out around Ochefu and Reynolds, their floor spacing is excellent. When they go to five smalls, it’s even better and the Wildcats might be even harder to guard.

One play in the second half encapsulated the difficulty that other teams will encounter matching up with a smaller Villanova. Jenkins (3-7 3P), who shot 43 percent from deep during conference play, found towering Georgetown center Bradley Hayes guarding him well beyond the three-point line. After a shot fake, he waltzed right into the lane.

Of course, there is also a downside to downsizing.

“It only works if we can defend and rebound at a high level,” Jenkins said.

Bingo. In the first half, Georgetown kept the game close by “destroying” (Jenkins’ words, not mine) on the offensive glass. The Hoyas rebounded nine of their 19 missed shots in the first 20 minutes, which isn’t going to cut it from Villanova’s perspective.

Ochefu is an elite rebounder nationally (26.4 DR percentage), so the glass will always be an area of concern when he’s off the floor. Reynolds, who earlier stepped up in a major way when Ochefu missed three Big East games due to a concussion, is now more comfortable with the added responsibility.

“It made me play subconsciously a lot smarter,” Reynolds said. “You know you’re the only big guy, the only forward out there I guess is the best way to put it.”

Lost in all of the success that ‘Nova had going small is the very real concern of having to move forward without their senior big man. Wright said that they’re going to try to play Ochefu, who later added that he expects to play, against Providence on Friday night.

We’ll see. Villanova is going to run into much better teams than Georgetown over the next few weeks, and even though they have the ability to go small, they don’t want to have to rely on their secondary stuff.

'I hate New York'

Hart drew a lot of laughter with that line.

“I hate New York, but I love playing in the tournament,” he said.

As long as he keeps scoring at such a high level, Hart will be forced to stay for a few more days. But why exactly does he not care for the Big Apple?

“I don’t like crowds,” Hart said with a smile. “I’m a very simple guy. I play basketball, go to school, and play XBOX. That’s about it. Even when I go to events in D.C., my girlfriend loves taking me to events. I hate it, I don’t go.”

Friday preview

Providence breezed past Butler 74-60 in the early session’s second game behind a monster game from Ben Bentil: 38 points (16-24 FG, 5-9 3PT) and 8 boards. They will meet Villanova at 6:30 Friday night (on Fox Sports 1) for the season’s rubber match.

• It took overtime, but Providence won the first matchup in snowy Philly, 82-76. Afterward, I wrote about the Friars’ star (and future Sixer?), point guard Kris Dunn.

• Reynolds went for 19 and 10 in Rhode Island, as the Wildcats won the rematch without Ochefu, 72-60.