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gtmoBlue, you're my boy! Villanova had a great shooting night, that happens, we have certainly been on the receiving end of it when Creighton was hot.

Villanova is just playing very well right now and will be tough to beat for anybody.

Looking forward to playing you guys again in Omaha and happy to see you will be representing the Big East in March.

As far as Jay leaving the starters in, he has been doing this for awhile, I don't know the rhyme or reason for it but if you think it is because Jay is looking to run up the score or stomp on opponent's throats that is simply not true. I'd just kinda get over it and move on.

I do get the impression that Jay Wright likes to leave his starters in to run up the score and honestly - it's hard to blame him. The era of Kenpom/efficiency metrics promotes if not requires it. Margin of victory matters now, so when Jay Wright leaves his starters in to bury lesser (and even worthy) opponents it helps him reach and maintain that #1 Kenpom rating.

It actually drives me nuts that Kevin Willard doesn't do the same. Especially in non-conference play, he regularly empties his bench whenever the Pirates stretch a lead to low double digits. I wish he would try to step on an opponent's throat when he has the chance the way Jay Wright does.

HallDan, whenever Nova has last possession they will ALWAYS hold the ball. Sometimes if it is 32 seconds left instead of 30, they will intentionally get a shot clock violation and hand the ball over to the opponent. This isn't some of the time, this is ALL of the time. Just doesn't sound like the game plan of a coach looking to run up the score. I am sorry but Jay is a classy guy. WELL OF COURSE A VILLANOVA FAN IS GONNA SAY THAT! True, but if you don't agree than you obviously haven't been paying attention. Again, why he leaves in the starters a little bit longer, I don't know, but if you think he is doing it to embarrass teams you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

I see most coaches leave their starters in until they are 100% sure they are going to win. I am a Creighton fan, and am only mad that our defense sucked and did not give Villanova a better game. Some games you are the bug, and some games you are the wind shield! No reason to cry about refs or subs, come on CU figure it out.

ChestRockwell85 wrote:HallDan, whenever Nova has last possession they will ALWAYS hold the ball. Sometimes if it is 32 seconds left instead of 30, they will intentionally get a shot clock violation and hand the ball over to the opponent. This isn't some of the time, this is ALL of the time. Just doesn't sound like the game plan of a coach looking to run up the score. I am sorry but Jay is a classy guy. WELL OF COURSE A VILLANOVA FAN IS GONNA SAY THAT! True, but if you don't agree than you obviously haven't been paying attention. Again, why he leaves in the starters a little bit longer, I don't know, but if you think he is doing it to embarrass teams you clearly don't know what you are talking about.

Lol well I see you enjoy spending time on Piratecrew, but I promise I'm not HallDan.

Anyway, their margins of victory vs minutes played by rotation guys speak for themselves. They beat Nichols State by 36, Lafayette by 47, Penn by 28, St. Joe's by 41, and Hofstra by 24 - and combined throughout all those games you could probably count on one hand the number of times guys outside Jay's main rotation played more than a minute or 2. As for holding the ball on the last possession - everybody does that, it's nothing special. Same with taking the shot-clock violation. That's far from unique to Villanova. Neither is running up the score - plenty of coaches do it because the current college basketball landscape requires it in order to be ranked among the elite. This isn't meant to be a criticism of Jay Wright.

No issue with coaches playing who they want to play and for how long. As a fan of a team hit with the injury bug, I would be concerned about my guys getting injured in a game whose outcome is settled. But as far as still running the offense, taking good shots (even 3s), I have no issue whatsoever.

The only time I think a coach is being an ass is if he presses (or other defensive scheme change) with the game in hand. Doesn't happen often, but it does happen (most often when a coach has an axe to grind). I don't really see any of the coaches in the BE that way, including/particularly Coach Wright.

I used to be a big fan of pulling them early (especially after the UC fight) but I think coaches just value every available minute of game that they can. Its the ultimate practice in some respects.

10 years ago we were down to LSU by 21 with literally less than 4 minutes to go in the 2nd half. We ended up beating them after Malcolm Grant WENT OFF. Whenever Jay leaves the starters in I think of that game. I honestly feel it influences his decision to make sure a W is an actual W before taking the starters out. Shit happens folks and we are playing for a 1 seed.

http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/ncb/id/3144972

ChestRockwell85 wrote:10 years ago we were down to LSU by 21 with literally less than 4 minutes to go in the 2nd half. We ended up beating them after Malcolm Grant WENT OFF. Whenever Jay leaves the starters in I think of that game. I honestly feel it influences his decision to make sure a W is an actual W before taking the starters out. Shit happens folks and we are playing for a 1 seed.

http://www.espn.com/espn/wire/_/section/ncb/id/3144972

Funny you bring that game up. I was thinking about that game specifically last night. I was at that one. And you're right Maclom Grant comes off the bench and just lights it up. No one who stuck around could believe what they saw. Maclom was a good player but there was just no room at the Inn with C. Fish and Scottie R. on that team.

In 2000, NCAA tournament, Creighton was down to Auburn by 9 with 12.7 seconds to go after a pair of Auburn FTs. Auburn inserted its senior team manager, who got to suit up because another player had been suspended. Creighton raced down the floor and hit a 3 (down 6). Then the team manager tried to inbound the ball and turned it over with 6.5 seconds to go when the pass skipped out of bounds by the Auburn bench because the pass was too low for the player to handle. Auburn subbed the team manager out. Creighton hit a quick 3 when Auburn left Terrell Taylor (who would go on to hit the double over-time, game-winning three against Florida the following year) wide open off the inbound pass. Down 3 with 3.8 seconds to go. Auburn tried to throw the ball the length of the court on the ensuing in bound play and threw it out of bounds. Creighton ball under its own basket down 3 with 3.8 to go. Alas, N'diaye blocked Ben Walker's last second 3 attempt. More recently, look at CU's epic melt down in the last two minute at Georgetown a couple of years ago. Things happen. I don't blamed coaches for being nervous about putting in the walk-ons in a conf. game. Now if its a non-conference against the sisters of the poor who couldn't beat your scrubs straight up, then that's a little different.