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Message: [QUOTE="cap2nine, post: 858756, member: 1855"] Keys to victory vs. Villanova- 1) Rebounding- Despite our general height advantage, ‘Nova is the better rebounding team. I don’t think we have to win the rebounding war, in raw numbers necessarily, to win the game but we do need to clean our own glass effectively. We simply cannot afford to give them many 2nd chances. They pass and move the ball too well to allow them extra time and possessions to get good looks. 2) Turnovers- This has been a huge key to our success so far this season. Only St. Johns won the TO battle against us and that game could have quite easily gone the other way. We’ve enjoyed about a +6.5 TO margin average per game but Villanova does a pretty good job of taking care of the ball while creating some turnovers of their own. We are not likely force 20 against Villanova but I’d like to see us +5 while limiting our own TOs about 10. 3) The bench- The Cooney cat is out of the bag. If there was any doubt about how dangerous he can be, it was erased with his 5 for 6 (from deep) performance last week. ‘Nova will close out quickly on him and I wouldn’t expect him to provide a ton of offense in this one. IMO we will need Mike G to have an impact and make some plays when he has the chance. I won’t be surprised at all if we “go small” (for stretches, not the whole game) with Mike G getting some time at the 3. 4) The paint- In general I think we need to drive the lane and work the paint, often. Even if it’s just to collapse their zone for a quick kick-out to an open shooter, we need to put their “bigs” to a decision and force some fouls. Our real advantage will be on the inside so we have to attack, attack, attack! This really is a HUGE game with what could be heavy seeding implications come March. A win over ‘Nova will be a real jewel in what is a relatively average OOC schedule. The Baylor win is big but they’ll finish 4th (3rd tops) in the Big 12. A win over the current, strong favorites to win the BE will be much bigger. Let’s Go Orange!! [/QUOTE]

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