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#5 Villanova Set for First Round NCAA Tournament Tussle With #12 Drake
March 14, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Villanova Women's Basketball
21-8 Overall, 11-5 Big East NCAA Tournament
East Region * 1st Round
#5 Villanova vs. #12 Drake NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: Villanova will be making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1989 this weekend in Raleigh, N.C. The team's four other NCAA berths came in a row from 1986-89. In their five NCAA Tournament games, the Wildcats are 1-4.
1985-86 No. 7 seed Defeated No. 10 La Salle (60-55) at The Palesta. Lost to No. 2 Rutgers (85-58) at Piscataway HIGH SEED: By obtaining a five seed in this year's East Region, Villanova not only recorded the highest seed in the program's history, but it is the highest seed ever by a Philadelphia Big Five team. The Big Five consists of LaSalle, Pennsylvania, Temple, St. Joseph's and Villanova.
AIAW FINAL FOUR: Villanova does have one Final Four appearance to its credit. In 1981-82, head coach Harry Perretta led the Wildcats to AIAW Final Four. En route to the Final Four, Villanova defeated Miami (OH) 69-61 and Delta State 87-72. In the national semifinals, the `Cats lost to Rutgers, 83-75, before earning third place honors by defeating Wayland Baptist, 90-81, in the consolation game.
NCAA EXPERIENCE: Only three members of the Wildcat women's basketball program have ever taken part in the NCAA Tournament. Senior center Brandi Barnes experienced the NCAA Tournament in 1996-97 when she was a freshman at the University of Maryland. The Terrapins lost to Purdue in the first round in a game played at Old Dominion. Barnes was sick for the game and did not log any minutes. Wildcat Associate Head Coach Joe Mullaney was the head coach at St. John's in 1988 when they defeated Fairfield in the first round of the tournament before losing to Virginia. Villanova head coach Harry Perretta will be taking the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in his career.
SCOUTING DRAKE: Villanova's first round opponent will be the Drake Bulldogs who enter play with an overall record of 23-6. The Bulldogs tied for the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship with Southwest Missouri State. The two teams went 16-2 in league play and split the season series. Southwest Missouri State defeated Drake, 84-69, in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title game. Drake is led by sophomore center Carla Bennett who is averaging 16.8 pg., and 9.0 rpg. Bennett is 205-of-351 from the field for 58.4 percent. The Bulldogs also have three other players averaging double figures including junior guard Stephanie Schmitz (12.8 ppg.), junior forward Erin Richards (12.4 ppg.), and senior guard Kristin Santa (10.9 ppg.) Drake is averaging 71.4 ppg., while they are giving up 65.0 ppg. The Bulldogs are a good three-point shooting team, as they are 174-for-471 (36.9 percent) from behind the arc.
FACTS AND FIGURES ON DRAKE: Drake is led by first year head coach Lisa Stone who was named Missouri Valley Coach of the Year...Stone has a 16-year coaching record of 334-97...The Bulldogs have won 16 of their last 18 games...Drake will be making its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance and have recorded a 4-7 all-time record in the tournament...This will be Drake's fifth NCAA Tournament berth in the last seven years...Sophomore center Carla Bennett averaged 28.0 ppg., and 10.3 rpg., in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, including tallying a career-high 33 points in the championship game.
UNFAMILIAR: When Villanova and Drake battle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 16, it will be the first time the two teams have ever played one another. In fact, Drake will be the first opponent Villanova has ever played from the Missouri Valley Conference.
WILDCATS FINISH FOURTH: Villanova finished Big East play with an 11-5 conference record which tied them for fourth place with Virginia Tech. Due to Virginia Tech's 65-59 win over Villanova on Jan. 23 in Blacksburg, the Hokies won the tie breaker and claimed the four seed in the Big East Tournament.
WHAT A YEAR: The 2000-2001 season has been a banner year for Wildcat head coach Harry Perretta who led Villanova to the 10th 20-win season of his career. On Dec. 2 with a 60-55 win over Temple, Perretta tallied his 400th career win. Then on Feb. 24 with a 61-45 victory over Providence, Perretta surpassed Al Severance who coached the Wildcat men from 1936-61 to become the all-time winningest coach in the history of Villanova basketball for both men and women. Perretta's 23-year Villanova coaching record currently stands at 416-244 (.630). In addition, Perretta and his wife Helen gave birth to their second son, Michael John, on Sunday, Jan. 21.
MAKING HISTORY: Wildcat head coach Harry Perretta became Villanova's all-time winningest basketball coach for both men's and women's basketball with his team's 61-45 win over Providence on Saturday, Feb. 24. Former Wildcat men's coach Al Severance tallied 413 victories from 1936-61. Earlier this season on Dec. 5, Perretta recorded his 400th career win in a 60-55 victory over Temple.
Villanova Top 5 Basketball Coaching Records By Wins 1. Harry Perretta (1978-present) 416-244 Al Severance (men's bball/1936-61) 413-201 3. Rollie Massimino (men's bball/1973-92) 357-241 4. Jack Kraft (men's bball/1961-73) 238-95 5. Steve Lappas (men's bball/1992-present) 173-107
SUCCESSFUL OPPONENTS: As of Sunday, March 11, the Villanova women's basketball team was rated 14th in the RPI as posted by www.collegerpi.com. The site also had Villanova as having played the 15th toughest schedule in the country. Of Villanova's 24 opponents, 11 won 20 games or more, 13 won 18 games or more and 15 tallied 16 or more victories. Of the team's 24 opponents, 17 had winning seasons in 2000-2001. In addition, Villanova is 16-8 versus top 150 teams in the RPI and 11-8 against top 100 RPI teams. The combined record of Villanova's 24 opponents is 423-263 (.616)
WILDCATS AT No. 23: For the fourth-straight week, the Villanova women's basketball team is ranked in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25. In the poll released on Monday, March 12, the Wildcats moved up from No. 24 to No. 23 with 83 points. Penn State is No. 22 with 192 points, while Texas (75 points) and Arizona State (39 points) fall in behind Villanova at No. 24 and No. 25 respectively. Earlier this season on Monday, Jan. 22, the Wildcats earned a national ranking for the first time since the 1986-87 season when they were No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. Villanova stayed at No. 24 for two weeks before falling out of the poll on Monday, Feb. 5. In this week's AP poll, Villanova is tied for second in teams receiving votes with 29 points. Virginia Tech is No. 25 in this week's AP poll with 35 points.
WILDCATS WIN 20:. By winning at Miami on Tuesday, Feb. 27, Villanova reached the 20-win plateau for the 10th time in head coach Harry Perretta's 23-year Villanova coaching career. Before this season, Villanova's last 20-win campaign came during the 1995-96 season when they were 21-7.
CENTER OF ATTENTION: Senior center Brandi Barnes has had a terrific senior season for the Wildcats. Entering play in the NCAA Tournament, Barnes leads the Wildcats in scoring (13.9 ppg.), field goal percentage (168-for-312 for 53.8 percent), blocked shots (45) and she is second in rebounding with a 6.0 rpg average. In 29 games this year, Barnes has scored double figures in 23 of the contests, including six games of 20 points or more. In the final regular season Big East statistics, Barnes ranked eighth in scoring, second in field goal percentage, fourth in blocked shots and 19th in rebounding.
BARNES NEARS 1,000: With 16 more points, senior center Brandi Barnes will have scored 1,000 career points during her Villanova career. In Villanova's final regular season game at Miami, Barnes scored her 1,000th career point on a lay-up at the 18:35 mark. A transfer from the University of Maryland, Barnes recorded 45 points during her freshman campaign with the Terrapins. Her 984 Villanova points, ranks her 16th on the school's all-time scoring list.
RUNNING THE SHOW: Junior point guard Mimi Riley finished the regular season by leading the Big East Conference in assist to turnover ratio. In 27 regular season games, Riley tallied 135 assists and 50 turnovers for a ratio of 2.70. Tasha Pointer of Rutgers was second with a ratio of 2.68. Riley missed all of last season due to an injured foot. Following the Big East Tournament, Riley has 147 assists and 56 turnovers for a ratio of 2.62. Earlier this year, Riley had an incredible streak of not committing a turnover for 129 minutes of play which lasted through parts of five games. For the year, she is averaging 7.9 ppg., 3.9 rpg., and 5.0 apg.
DIAL LONG DISTANCE: Sophomore guard Trish Juhline led the Big East Conference this past season in three-point field goals made with 64 in 166 attempts for 38.6 percent. After two games in the Big East Tournament where she was 5-for-10 from behind the arc, Juhline is 69-for-176 (39.2 percent) for the year from three-point range. In her two-year Villanova career, she is 135-for-362 (37.2 percent) from three-point land. Juhline had started 55-straight games until this season's final home game versus Providence when the four senior members of the team started in their final game at The Pavilion. For the year, she is averaging 11.0 ppg. (second on team), 2.4 rpg., 2.8 apg., (second on team) and 1.0 spg. In 29 games this year, Juhline led the Wildcats in scoring nine times. For her efforts this year, Juhline earned Honorable Mention honors from the Big East Conference. As a freshman last season, she was named to the Big East Conference All-Rookie Team.
A PERFECT MIX: Freshman Courtney Mix has turned into one of Villanova's most versatile performers and one of the top reserves in the entire Big East Conference. The Perrysburg, Ohio native has seen time this year at both guard spots and both forward positions. Mix was outstanding in the Big East Tournament where she registered two-day totals of 27 points (10 vs. St. John's/ 17 vs. Virginia Tech), 12 rebounds (6 in each game) two assists, and three steals. From the field in the tournament, she was 8-for-20, including a 4-of-6 effort from three-point range. From the foul line in the conference tournament, she was a perfect 7-for-7. After 29 games, she is averaging 8.0 ppg., a team-high 6.5 rpg., a team-best 1.7 spg., and 2.1 apg. She has had four games this year where she has registered double figures in rebounds. She has also reached double figures in points on 10 occasions this season. In her last 11 games (309 total minutes), Mix has committed just 10 turnovers.
BAKER OFF THE BENCH: In the last four games, no player has given the Wildcats more of a lift off the bench than junior forward/center Stephanie Baker. As one of the team's first subs off the bench, Baker has shot 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) from the field and she has scored a total of 31 points (7.7 ppg.) in the four-game span. In addition, she has tallied 18 rebounds in the last four contests (4.5 rpg.). In the Big East Tournament, Baker was 6-for-8 from the field and recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds in the two games. Her best game in the last four came against Providence on Feb. 24 when she registered a career-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting. For the year, Baker is averaging 3.9 ppg., 3.0 rpg., in 15.1 minutes per contest.
MARKED IMPROVEMENT: No player on the Wildcat team has shown more improvement from last year to this season than sophomore forward Katie Davis. As a rookie last year, Davis started 10 of the 30 games she played in and averaged 5.9 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 1.4 apg., 0.9 spg., and she shot 38.2 percent from the field (58-for-152). From three-point land last year, Davis was 20-for-68 (29.4 percent). Now a sophomore, Davis has drastically improved her production. Starting 27 of 29 games, Davis is averaging 8.6 ppg., 3.6 rpg., 2.5 apg., and 1.1 spg. From the field, she is shooting 46.6 percent (88-for-189), while she is 44-for-115 (38.3 percent) from three-point range.
TEAM BASKETBALL: As is the case with all Harry Perretta coached teams, this year's Wildcat team plays very unselfish basketball. For the season, Villanova has had an assist on 520 of its 665 field goals for 78.1 percent. By comparison, Villanova's opponents have had an assist on 343 of 632 field goals 54.2 percent.
FROM DOWNTOWN: Villanova has used the three-point shot to its advantage all season long. After 29 games, the Wildcats are 212-of-611 (34.7 percent) from three-point land, while their opponents are just 68-of-278 for 24.5 percent. When you look at it in points, Villanova has outscored its opposition by 432 points at 636-204 from behind the arc. The Wildcats are currently averaging 21.0 three-point field goal attempts per game, while they are making an average of 7.3 triples per contest which ranks seventh in the latest NCAA statistics. There have been eight games this year where Villanova has made 10 or more three-point field goals in a game. In 29 games, only once has Villanova's opponent made more triples than the Wildcats. That came at Pennsylvania when the Quakers made four compared to Villanova's three. At Notre Dame, Villanova and the Irish both connected on just one three-pointer, while at Connecticut, the Wildcats and Huskies each made five shots from behind the arc.
113 STRAIGHT: Entering play versus Drake in the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 16, Villanova has made at least one three-point field goal in 113-straight games. The last time the `Cats failed to connect on a triple in a game came at Boston College on Jan 25, 1997. Twice during this 113 game span, Villanova has tied the NCAA record for three-point field goals made in a game with 18 (vs. Penn 12/20/97 and earlier this year versus WVU on 1/3/00).
BIG WINS: By defeating No. 10 Rutgers on Saturday, Jan. 20, Villanova has now tallied three wins over ranked opponents in the last two seasons. Last season, Villanova won at No. 9 Rutgers, 66-65, in overtime and they defeated No. 19 Boston College, 60-59, in a game played at Villanova.
2000-2001 DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Brandi Barnes vs. Pennsylvania (12/12) 20 points 11 rebounds Brandi Barnes vs. Bucknell (12/29) 20 points 11 rebounds Courtney Mix vs. Georgetown(1/10) 11 points 11 rebounds Brandi Barnes vs. Virginia Tech (1/23) 16 points 10 rebounds ALL IN THE FAMILY: Sophomore forward Nicole Druckenmiller and freshman forward Courtney Mix both have members of their immediate families with professional athlete status. Druckenmiller's brother, Jim, was a star quarterback at Virginia Tech and played in the NFL with both the San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins. He is currently a member of the Memphis Maniax of the XFL. Mix's father, Steve, played in the NBA for the Pistons (1969-72), 76ers (1973-82), Bucks (1982), and Lakers (1982-83). He is currently a television broadcaster for the 76ers.
STABILITY: Villanova has used the same starting line-up in 25 of its 29 games this season. The starting five of Mimi Riley (point guard), Trish Juhline (shooting guard), Brandi Barnes (center), Katie Davis (small forward) and Nicole Druckenmiller (power forward) has been used in every contest except Penn State, Fairfield, Notre Dame and Providence. Junior Stephanie Baker started for Barnes versus Penn State and she started for Druckenmiller at Notre Dame. Against Fairfield, head coach Harry Perretta started Kelly Nash who is a Fairfield, Conn. native in place of Katie Davis. In the Providence game, Perretta started his four seniors in the last home contest of the season.
PROVING THEM WRONG: In the Big East Conference preseason Coaches poll, Villanova was chosen to finish seventh in the 14-member Big East Conference. By tallying an 11-5 Big East Conference mark, the Wildcats finished in a fourth place tie with Virginia Tech. The following is the coaches preseason predicted order of finish.
1. Connecticut 169 2. Rutgers 152 3. Notre Dame 150 4. Boston College 129 5. Georgetown 100 Virginia Tech 100 7. VILLANOVA 94 8. Pittsburgh 92 9. Miami 88 10. Syracuse 53 11. St. John's 49 12. Providence 44 13. Seton Hall 39 14. West Virginia 15
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