Nova Still Dancing Even With Loss

               Villanova fell to 4th ranked Louisville tonight in a rematch of a game the Wildcats won earlier in the season.  The Cardinals won by a final score of 74-55 at Madison Square Garden to advance in the Big East Tournament and send Villanova home, for now.
 Despite the loss, the Wildcats still should receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, after amassing 3 Top-5 wins, and also defeating 17th ranked Marquette.  Villanova will need to have a short memory before the tournament gets going, as they try to become this years Cinderella team.  The Wildcats proved they are capable of beating top-notch programs this season, and tonight's loss was simply a bump in the road.  Turnovers were costly for the Wildcats, one night removed from Ryan Arcidiacono committing 8 turnovers, Villanova turned the ball over 24 times.  Their shooting simply was not smooth enough to make up for the copious turnovers, as they shot 38.9% from the field and 16.7% from 3-point range.  The Cardinals shot at a much better percentage to make up for the 18 turnovers they committed, and walked off the court victorious and heading to the next round of the Big East Tournament.
                  The Wildcats were led in the contest by sophomore forward JayVaughn Pinkston, but his efforts were not enough to keep Villanova in the game.  Pinkston notched 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in an impressive game for the young player.  Villanova received a double-double from Mouphtaou Yarou, who scored 13 points while also grabbing 11 rebounds.  Freshman Ryan Arcidiacono cut down on his turnovers since last nights contest, but simply wasn't the scoring threat he typically is, as he scored only 3 points on 1 for 8 shooting from the field.  While it would have been nice for the Wildcats to beat the Cardinals for the second time this season, it should not cost Villanova their ticket to the big dance.  With a resume that boasts quite a few impressive wins already, tonight's game was simply for a higher seed for the Wildcats.  So after a tough loss it's time for Jay Wright and his team to head home, regroup, and polish those dancing shoes as they get ready to enter the NCAA Tournament.  I doubt any high seed would want to play Villanova in the Tournament as they have made it blatantly obvious that they can compete with the top teams in the country.  So rest up Wildcats, the madness has only just begun.  The Wildcats are going dancing!