On the heels of a loss at Seton Hall, the Villanova Men's Basketball Team faltered late at #23 Pittsburgh on Sunday.
- Villanova beat the spread by a half of a point- the 17th time this season they've done so.
- Nova is 3-2 in Overtime games this season.
- In the last 5 years, Villanova is 22-31 against Top 25 opponents.
- Nova is 3-9 when scoring 64 or fewer points.
- The Wildcats have recorded more steals and fewer turnovers than their opponents for the past five games.
- His 23 points accounrted for 36% of Villanova's scoring output.
- He has led the team in scoring for 8 games this season and has 5 straight double-digit scoring games.
- It was the 5th 20-point game of his career.
- Had 8 rebounds to lead 'Nova- the 13th time he's led the team this season.
- Has scored in double points for 6 straight games.
- Had a career high with 4 blocks.
- Has scored in double-digits for 8 straight games.
Dr. Oliver’s Diagnosis
Dr. Dean Oliver, a former basketball player and coach at Cal Tech and author of the book, Basketball on Paper, maintains that only four statistics, eFG%, TO%, OR% and FT Rate, determine the outcome of most basketball games.
Ed’s model, which is based on Dr. Oliver’s work, has correctly picked the winner of 28 of 30 (93%) of Villanova games this season, including the latest loss to Pittsburgh.
The table below compares Villanova vs. Pitt’s eFG%, TO%, OR% and FT Rate in Sunday’s game. Although ‘Nova did a marginally better job protecting the ball and getting to the free throw line, Pitt did a significantly better job shooting (45.9% 2PT and 41.2% 3PT vs. ‘Nova 41.1% 2PT and 30% 3PT) and grabbing offensive rebounds (even though Steve Adams and his 2.8 ORPG did not play).
| Team | eFG% | TO% | OR% | FT Rate | Composite Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pitt | 50.9% | 18.8% | 36.4% | 44.4% | |
| Villanova | 42.6% | 14.1% | 27.5% | 48.1% | |
| Advantage (Disadvantage) | -8.3% | 4.7% | -8.9% | 3.7% | -3.9% |
Video Highlights
Around the Interweb
Pittsburgh Bests Wildcats 73-64 in Overtime [Villanova.com]
Villanova lets resume-building opportunity slip from their grasp [NBCSports]
Talib Zanna lifts Pittsburgh past Villanova in OT [ESPN]
Bubble watch: Virginia, Villanova suffer tough losses [Sporting News]
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