Villanova - Siena Preview

Midwest- Round Two
Villanova Wildcats (12) Vs. Siena Saints (13)
Sunday, March 23 @ 12:10 pm

Here’s another bracket that features teams involved in first round upsets. Villanova beat fifth seed Clemson 75- 69, and Siena handed it to Vanderbilt 83- 62. Both wins deserve a “Wow!”

Nova came out for the second-half of their game behind by 12 points. Wildcats’ guard Scottie Reynolds was determined to ensure that his team bested the favored Clemson team. With 11:56 left in the second period, the Wildcats went ahead 50 to 49. It was nip and tuck up until the last 30 seconds of the game. Then Nova put the game away.

Reynolds, at guard, led the game in scoring with 21 points. Freshman guard Corey Fisher put in 17 and Antonio Pena put in 12 while grabbing 6 rebounds. The Cats shot the lights out, hitting 50% from the field and 83% from the foul line. Their three-point shots went in 54% of the time. Basically, Nova’s players were extremely hot from whenever and wherever they shot.

The Siena Saints went into the locker room up by 12. By the end of the game, the Saints had beaten the Commodores by 21. That is a true upset as the 13th seed hammered the 4th seed. Siena became the first MAAC club to make the NCAA second round since 2004.

Sienna dominated all scoring, hitting 57% from the floor, 45% from three-point land and 88% from the foul line. They also committed 8-less fouls than Vandy. The Commodores never led.

Five Saints scored in double-digits and five had 4 or more rebounds. Guard Kenny Hasbrouck was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points. Another guard, Tay Fisher, put in 19 points. Both Edwin Ubiles and Ronald Moore earned 11 points. Moore had 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

With a 12th and 13th seed and both teams playing even ball, this is a tough one to call. I favor the Siena Saints.