Villanova readyto meet expectations

The buzz that surrounded Villanova for so long was based almost solely on potential. Coach Jay Wright brought in a highly touted group of freshmen three years ago, and it was assumed that victories and NCAA tournament berths would follow.

This year the Wildcats are finally in the NCAA tournament, for the first time since 1999. Villanova (22-7) is the fifth seed in the Syracuse Regional, which is loaded with dangerous teams, but the Wildcats are capable of making a run. The potential has finally turned into performance.

"That's what is gratifying about this season," said Wright, whose team will face 12th-seeded New Mexico (26-6) on Friday in Nashville. "You can't talk about [doing something]; you've got to go do it."

The freshmen that Wright brought in three years ago — guards Randy Foye and Allan Ray, and forwards Jason Fraser and Curtis Sumpter — are now juniors, and they helped lead Villanova to an 11-5 finish in the Big East, its best showing since 1995-96. The Wildcats enter the tournament having won 13 of their past 16 games, including a 21-point blowout of Kansas, a 76-70 upset of Boston College, and two tough wins over Pittsburgh, one of the Big East's most physical teams.

The Wildcats can put three talented guards on the floor, and they like to play at a high speed. They're tough to defend because so many different players can score; five different players — Foye, Ray, Fraser, Sumpter and sophomore Mike Nardi — have had 20-point scoring efforts this season. Foye (15.1 points) and Ray (team-high 17.3 points) are physical guards who are very good at creating their own shots; the 6-foot-7 Sumpter (16.1 points) is athletic and versatile.

"We're really all juniors and sophomores, but these juniors and sophomores have been through a lot," Wright said. "We're a pretty experienced team."

Prior to this season, the Wildcats' performance on the court failed to match the grand expectations created by that recruiting class. Two years ago, Villanova went 15-16 and wound up in the National Invitation Tournament; last season, the Wildcats finished 19-17 and again went to the NIT.

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Injuries and scandal derailed the Wildcats in the past. Fraser missed 12 games during his first two seasons due to a stress fracture in his left foot, and he also battled tendinitis in his knee. The Wildcats were reduced to seven players toward the end of the 2002-03 season and the start of the 2003-04 season thanks to a series of suspensions. Twelve players were disciplined for making unauthorized telephone calls with an athletic department access code.

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This season — which featured a harrowing emergency landing of a team flight in early January -- hasn't been particularly smooth either, but the struggles of the previous years have helped the Wildcats form a tight-knit group, able to cope with anything.

"It goes back to being family," Fraser said. "It tightens that bond that we have with each other. It gives you a sixth sense -- I've got to grab a rebound, and I know that Allan is standing there on the other side. It's hard to explain, but it's just going through the practices together, going through the games, going through the ups and downs together. Having a strong bond, a feel for what type of person is to your left and to your right. We have a good feel for that."

Four different players — Fraser, Sumpter, Nardi and freshman Kyle Lowry — have missed games due to injury. But the Wildcast have found ways to cope. When Nardi, for instance, was sidelined for two games with a sprained ankle, Lowry -- who missed the first seven games while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in September -- made the first two starts of his career. He led the Wildcats to victories over then-No. 3 Boston College and Georgetown, scoring 23 points in the two games, but more significantly, adding 10 assists with only four turnovers.

"You can talk about a lot of things in life, but unless you put your effort forth, it's not going to come about," Nardi said. "This group is doing a great job of that. We've been gone for a couple of years, and this group of guys is trying to bring it back."