Monmouth’s Kenny happy to get Villanova
Senior guard thinks 16th-seeded Hawks have size advantage on Wildcats
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PHILADELPHIA - Monmouth’s Chris Kenny was quite the motormouth.
Apparently, nobody told the senior guard that No. 16 seeds have virtually no shot against No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament.
Top-seeded Villanova (25-4) may never have heard of the fiery Kenny before Thursday, but they sure heard from him.
Kenny — who livened up those usually mundane press conferences — was actually pleased to see the Wildcats as Monmouth’s first-round NCAA tournament opponent. He felt Monmouth (19-14) had an interior size advantage, and a confidence boost from winning the play-in game against Hampton.
He just wasn’t too excited about playing in Philadelphia.
“As a central Jersey guy, you kind of associate yourself with New York and we think that is the biggest, baddest city in the world, which is correct,” Kenny said. “But coach (Dave) Calloway is from south Jersey so he’s always like, oh, Philly, it’s the best city. I’m like, c’mon, the Eagles are pathetic.”
Well, Monmouth doesn’t have to worry about the Eagles — and they rarely win a big postseason game at home anyway. The third-ranked Wildcats, though, are rested and ready as they enter the tournament with their best chance to win their first national championship since 1985.
Villanova starts right down the road from campus in Philadelphia, likely looking at two games at the Wachovia Center where they went 3-0 this season, including a win over No. 1 UConn.
They’re also a little angry after losing to Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament semifinal. For a team that boasted two 10-game winning streaks in the same season for the first time, bouncing back from a loss has been rare. It’s also something they don’t expect to do again.
“It really served as a great learning experience for us this late in the season,” coach Jay Wright said. “I think it was perfect for this time of year. It woke us up, hit us with a dose of reality, and enabled us to go back to work. Our practices have been spirited and tough.”
They’ve been practicing with star guard Allan Ray, who said his vision was fine and he was no longer feeling any pain or soreness in his right eye. Ray was severely poked in the eye in the Big East tournament, but will play without goggles because the only risk to his eye would be getting poked again.
“My vision is back to 100 percent,” Ray said. “I’m ready to go out and play.”
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“I love playing in Philadelphia. It’s great to be here,” guard Randy Foye said.
Wright turned to a four-guard starting lineup featuring Foye, Ray, Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi this season when forward Curtis Sumpter was lost to a knee injury, the same approach he used in last season’s tournament after Sumpter was hurt the first time.
Yes, the Wildcats are small, but they’re too quick to cover man-to-man and they shoot too well to use a zone.
All four starters average double-digit scoring and they’ve outrebounded the opposition this season, too.
Villanova is playing with its first No. 1 seed, has been ranked in the top 10 all season, and is one win away from matching the school record for victories.
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That doesn’t deter Kenny. With 6-foot-10 center Corey Hallett in the middle, and reserves like 7-2, 320-pound movie ticket taker-turned-reserve John Bunch coming off the bench, Kenny believed Monmouth has the size to give the Wildcats a scare.
“I was happy to get that draw,” he said. “We match up better with a guard-oriented team. Of all the No. 1 seeds, I think they’re the best matchup, but that’s even a nightmare.”
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