Is this deja-vu?
One year ago, Villanova took a trip up to Syracuse to play in front under the bright lights of ESPN’s “College Gameday” Game of the Week.
The team got crushed. It came in the midst of a 6-7 tailspin for ‘Nova that eventually ended in a second round loss to St. Mary’s of California.
Anytime you have to denote which state a school is from, it was probably a bad loss.
The test against Syracuse, when both teams were ranked in the top 10, was disappointing on several fronts. Through January of last year, ‘Nova was a legitimate Final Four contender, having been ranked as high as No. 2 in the country and receiving several votes for the top spot. But by the time the game rolled around, ‘Nova had a pedestrian 3-3 record over its previous six games and the matchup would serve as a good measuring stick to see if the struggles were just a blip on the radar, or something more.
It was something more.
Not only did the Wildcats lose, but the game was never close, and ‘Nova never bounced back. Shortly thereafter, the ‘Cats would lose in their first Big East tournament game, barely squeak by (in overtime) 15th-seeded Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and then lose to St. Mary’s (Cali!).
Read the rest of Kyle Scott’s article at Philly Sports Daily: http://phillysportsdaily.com/college/2011/01/21/villanova-syracuse-deja-vu/
