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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 19-13;
7-9 in Big East
(5th/East)
Postseason: Lost to Temple 63-57 in NIT quarterfinals.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Buchanan 17.8
Rebs: Wright 8.0
Assists: Snowden 3.9
FG: Sullivan 52.9%
3pt: Buchanan 42.3%
FT: Buchanan 91.1%
01-02 Stats:
Villanova | Big East
KEY LOSSES
Brooks Sales | 10.4 ppg
Reggie Bryant | 9.1 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | Der. Snowden | Junior
G | Gary Buchanan | Senior
F | Ricky Wright | Senior
F | An. Sullivan | Senior
C | Jason Fraser | Fresh
Player to Watch
Gary Buchanan
Senior Guard
Shot 91% from FT line last season, down from nearly 95% in '00-01.
DATE TO REMEMBER
Villanova goes to Madison Square Garden, where the reception promises to be chilly for Fraser, Sumpter and Ray -- New York City-area stars who turned down St. John's in the recruiting process.
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VILLANOVA WILDCATS
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Check out the Wildcats' starting five. It doesn't begin to tell the story of the 2002-03 Villanova team, which probably will start just one freshman, 6-10 Jason Fraser, but will be fueled by three others off the bench. Coach Jay Wright has shown he is one of the better recruiters in the country, and this haul of Fraser, 6-2 Allan Ray, 6-3 Randy Foye and 6-7 Curtis Sumpter is simply sumptuous. Adding their kind of talent to an experienced group that includes a starting point guard (junior Derrick Snowden, 10.4 ppg), perhaps the best pure shooter in the Big East (senior Gary Buchanan, 17.8 ppg) and two rugged senior forwards (Ricky Wright, 13.7 ppg, and Andrew Sullivan, 5.7 ppg), well, that's awesome. Teams hoping to beat Villanova better do so soon, because Wright is working on another monster recruiting class.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
We're looking really hard for a negative with Villanova, and here's what we came up with: Are their enough basketballs to go around? Probably so, but still, chemistry might be the biggest hurdle facing Wright, who has five skilled players on the wing who'll want to get their shots in Buchanan, Snowden, Foye, Sumpter and Ray. As far as problems go, this is a good one to have.
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
When Buchanan misses a free throw, it's news - front page. He is the Big East's career leader in league play at 93.6 percent, and he also was 42.3 percent accurate from three-point range last season in all games. Given the amount of defensive attention that should go to Fraser, Wright, Sumpter and others, Buchanan could have better looks at the basket this season.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
Young talent is in vogue in college basketball, and Villanova has as much of it as almost anyone. Add in the senior leadership of Buchanan, Wright and Sullivan, and you've got a special mix that should do well in March.
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