March 15, 2037
We've been awarded the top seed in the NCAA East Region. The other one seeds are Boston College (West), Louisville (Midwest), and Georgetown (South).
March 19, 2037
NCAA East Region, First Round
(1) #1 Villanova 103, (16) Arkansas State 61
All five starters finish in double figures as we defeat the Red Wolves. Luke Christensen is the high man with 22 points; Connor Baxter (18p/6a), Eldon Castanon (17p/11a/4s), Sebastian Roberts (16p/13a), and Kyle Gribble (13p) follow.
Demetrius Reed snags 7 rebounds and blocks 3 shots in a reserve role.
Erick Sullivan will be limited for a few days, as he nurses a badly bruised cheekbone.
Record: 34-1.
March 21, 2037
NCAA East Region, Second Round
(1) #1 Villanova 104, (9) Oregon 61
Once again, we get at least 11 points from each member of the starting five, and
Kyle Gribble enjoys an especially big game with 27.
Connor Baxter (17p/11a) and
Sebastian Roberts (14p/13r/4s) post double-doubles.
Luke Christensen pitches in 17, and
Eldon Castanon scores 11 and hands out 7 assists.
Meanwhile, Houston spoils a possible Villanova-Lafayette matchup in the Sweet Sixteen by routing the Leopards, 82-54. And
Charlie Sutton's Vanderbilt Commodores are eliminated by top-seeded Boston College in a very close 86-83 contest, despite getting 37 points from Steven Albrecht and 20 more from Sutton.
Record: 35-1.
March 26, 2037
NCAA East Region Semifinal: the Sweet Sixteen
(1) #1 Villanova 82, (8) #10 Houston 74
The Cougars are a very, very good eight seed, and they prove it; they battle us hard for 40 full minutes.
Eldon Castanon makes sure his Villanova career doesn't end today, scoring 15 points, handing out 9 assists, and making 2 steals.
Kyle Gribble (17p/7r) and
Connor Baxter (14p/6a) also play like men who don't want to go home yet.
We get 13 points and 8 rebounds from
Sebastian Roberts, and 3 blocks from a fully-healed
Erick Sullivan. And the long tournament run
Matt Valentine needed comes to pass; Matt scores 6 points in 10 minutes off the bench.
Georgetown's season is over. They lose to Tennessee, 69-60.
Record: 36-1.
March 28, 2037
NCAA East Region Final: the Elite Eight
Code:
(1) #1 Villanova 103, (2) #8 Miami 77
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Miami (30-8, 12-4):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Mitchel Velazquez C 18 4-10 1-1 4 6 1 3 9
Lou Dunagan PF 19 0-5 6-8 1 5 0 1 6
Jeff Resendez SF 28 5-14 1-2 2 4 0 2 12
Angelo Davis SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 4 0
Ronald Hightower SG 31 6-10 7-7 0 3 3 2 23
Thurman Bowes C 30 5-8 0-0 3 10 0 4 11
Tony Caulfield PF 13 1-3 0-1 1 3 1 2 2
Reggie Brown PG 34 2-5 0-0 0 3 5 2 4
Keith Peres SF 12 2-3 2-2 0 0 0 2 7
Scott Jordan PF 1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Karl House PG 11 1-1 1-2 1 1 1 1 3
Joseph Bahr SG 2 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0
Turnovers: 17 (M.Velazquez 4, L.Dunagan 3, J.Resendez
3, A.Davis 1, R.Hightower 4, T.Bowes 1, R.Brown 1)
Blocked Shots: 5 (L.Dunagan 3, T.Bowes 1, K.Peres 1)
Steals: 2 (J.Resendez 2)
3P FGs: 7-19 (J.Resendez 1-6, R.Hightower 4-7, T.Bowes
1-2, T.Caulfield 0-1, R.Brown 0-1, K.Peres 1-1, J.Bahr
0-1)
Villanova (37-1, 18-0):
Player Pos Min Fgm-a Ftm-a Off Reb Ast PF Pts
Sebastian Roberts C 25 2-2 7-9 5 12 2 4 11
Kyle Gribble PF 27 8-14 5-5 0 3 0 2 21
Luke Christensen SF 23 4-14 3-4 1 3 4 2 12
Connor Baxter SG 29 8-14 4-4 1 3 4 2 23
Eldon Castanon PG 30 4-8 0-0 1 6 10 2 10
Max Bennett SG 16 2-3 0-0 1 3 7 1 5
Matt Valentine SF 17 6-11 4-4 1 5 2 3 17
Dane Barlow PG 4 1-3 0-0 0 0 1 0 3
Demetrius Reed C 22 0-1 1-2 4 4 2 4 1
Erick Sullivan C 8 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0
Turnovers: 7 (L.Christensen 3, E.Castanon 2,
M.Valentine 2)
Blocked Shots: 3 (S.Roberts 1, L.Christensen 1, D.Reed
1)
Steals: 8 (S.Roberts 3, L.Christensen 1, C.Baxter 2,
E.Castanon 2)
3P FGs: 9-24 (K.Gribble 0-1, L.Christensen 1-5,
C.Baxter 3-6, E.Castanon 2-6, M.Bennett 1-2,
M.Valentine 1-1, D.Barlow 1-3)
Player of Game: SG Connor Baxter (VLNV)
We're off to the Final Four again, as we defeat the Hurricanes to win the East Region.
The seniors lead the way again, with a lot of help from
Sebastian Roberts and
Matt Valentine. One of the upperclassmen,
Kyle Gribble, needs three points in our next game to reach 1000 for his career.
In the Final Four, two Mountain West teams--Utah and New Mexico--face each other, while two Big East foes--Villanova and Louisville--are paired.
Record: 37-1.