Post Game: Siena -- Consistency

The Let's Go Nova posted a very brief recap with a promise for a more indepth look later. I Bleed Blue and White posted an emotional recap, "Sweeeeeet Sixteen!, filled with impressions and reactions to a number of good things done by Scottie and the team.. The Nova News Blog filed a more systematic recap, "Nova Cruises Past Siena to Sweet 16", as Tim provided a bit more detail on contributions each player made to the winning effort. He also provides a quick overview of some surprising developments from the second round. The official Athletic Department site posted an AP story about the game, "Villanova Tops Siena 84-72" to go with the official box score. And of course the Philadelphia press has been publishing stories all week. You can check them out over at philly.com -- sports. The breakdown by halves...

Opponent	Siena
	1st	2nd	Total
Pace	38.6	38.3	77.0
	Offense				Defense
	1st	2nd	Total		1st	2nd	Total
Rating	108.4	111.6	109.9		83.1	102.5	92.9
eFG%	58.3	59.6	58.9		32.8	50.0	41.1
TORate	20.6	18.6	19.6		15.6	17.9	16.8
OR%	25.0	14.3	20.0		26.1	22.2	24.4
FTA/FGA	33.3	53.8	42.9		69.0	70.4	69.6
FTM/FGA	23.3	42.3	32.1		44.8	48.1	46.4
ARate	53.3	46.7	50.0		62.5	33.3	45.0
Blk%	6.7	7.7	7.1		6.9	0.0	3.6
Stl%	12.9	8.0	10.5		7.8	12.8	10.3

This has to be the most consistent offensive output half-to-half I have seen from the Wildcats this season. Note the difference between the first and second half offensive ratings was 3.2 (just less than 3%). The numbers for pace, eFG%, Assist Rate, Turnover Rate, Block%, Steal% are extremely close for the halves. Remarkable consistency. The FTA/FGA difference was no doubt due to aggressive defense mounted by the Saints through the mid-portion of the second period. But since it did not cut significantly into the lead, Coach McCaffery curtailed it around the 5:00 minute mark. The Wildcat's defensive effort was not as consistent. Though the 'Cats won both halves, the Saints did improve on their offensive efficiency in the second half.

Odds and Ends...
1. Scottie Reynolds scored 25 points to go with his 21 point effort against Clemson. Scottie was 14-27, shooting 8-12 from the 3 point line. He also hit 10-14 from the line with 7 assists and 8 turnovers.
2. Corey Stokes recovered his groove with Siena after struggling with Clemson. Corey S. scored a career high 20 points on 8-12 shooting.
3. Casiem Drummond suffered a broken ankle in the first half. Cas had surgery on Tuesday, and should have a full recovery in time for next season.
4. Referee Notes -- The crew was manned by Paul Faia, Randy McCall and Mike Stuart. This was a strange game to watch because the Saints appeared to receive a good many "under dog" calls. Indeed while the 'Cats seemed to get to the line an "average" number of times, the Saints were the beneficiaries of far more attempts than usual. This did not change the outcome of the game, but it was a little strange to watch. While Nova's margin was not threatened after building a 10 point margin at the 14:22 mark of the first half (the Saints managed to get that bulge back down to 10 very briefly at the 10:30 mark of the second half), Anderson & Clark had 4 fouls, even as 5 others Wildcats had 3 each. No Wildcat fouled out.