Reynolds' toughness shines through in Wildcats' win

LOUISVILLE, Ky.

Jay Wright may appear as though he just stepped directly out of GQ, but the Villanova coach has significant experience dealing with toughness.

Remember, he coached Kyle Lowry and Randy Foye — two of the most fearless guards to wheel through the Big East in the last decade.

Wright wasn’t convinced that this year’s team possessed a toughness level that ranks anywhere close enough to get the Wildcats back to the Final Four.

Then, he went out and watched his team get absolutely manhandled in a first half at Louisville in which the Wildcats turned the ball over 17 times.

In fact, it was so ugly watching his players attempt to deal with Louisville’s pressure that he received a technical for a tantrum that he deemed “embarrassing” following the game.

"I’ve never seen him that mad for that long in public,” Villanova senior Scottie Reynolds said.

‘Nova, which trailed by seven at the break, was fortunate to even be in the same stratosphere as the Cardinals.

"The way they were playing, it was like they had seven guys out there," Reynolds said. "We were practicing the last few days with six guys out there, but you can’t even simulate what they do with six guys.”

Then, Villanova came out in the second half and turned the table. An hour after it appeared as though the Wildcats would be run out of Freedom Hall, it was Rick Pitino’s club that was on the verge of being blown out.

A 17-point deficit had quickly turned into a Villanova nine-point advantage midway through the second half.

"I was in shock at how quickly it changed," Louisville freshman guard Peyton Siva admitted.

So was the crowd of more than 20,000 that filed out of Freedom Hall with their mouths wide open in disbelief after Villanova’s 92-84 come-from-behind victory.

The second half was the Scottie Reynolds Show.

The senior guard has had his share of electrifying performances in his career, but I’m not sure he played a more efficient and dominating half than the second 20 minutes against a Louisville program that had virtually owned him for the past three years.

Reynolds had averaged just 6.5 points per game in his career against Pitino’s Cards. A year ago in the Big East tournament, he scored just two points and had six turnovers.

The first half looked as though it would be a repeat performance as he had just three points in the first 10 minutes and six at the break.

But then Reynolds did what no longer surprises Wright. He took over, scoring 30 second-half points on just eight field goal attempts. He was 9-for-10 from the field overall, made all five of his shots from beyond the arc and was 13-for-17 from the charity stripe.

"It’s one of his top ones,” Wright said. “But he’s done that before.”

He had 40 against UConn as a freshman, put 40 on Seton Hall last season and I saw him put ‘Nova on his back two years ago down in Tampa, Fla., to lead the Wildcats to a first-round upset over Clemson with a monster second half.

This performance was just the second time in the history of the Big East that someone scored 30-plus points in a half of a conference game.

The other time?

‘Nova’s Kerry Kittles went for 33 in 20 minutes against Boston College 15 years ago.

"Scottie was an absolute animal tonight,” Villanova forward Taylor King said after the win. "He brings our team up to another level.”

Wright admits that Reynolds’ level may not stack up to the Kittles’ or even the Lowry’s and Foye’s that have come through Philadelphia's Main Line, but the body of work of his entire career may be another story.

Reynolds, in fact, could end his career with a pair of Final Four appearances if the Wildcats can make a return engagement this season.

"He’s starting to approach them,” Wright said. "This guy’s career matches up.”

Reynolds lifted No. 4 Villanova to a 15-1 mark to start the season and also a 4-0 record in Big East play.

It was an ugly contest in which each team committed 22 turnovers, there were 67 fouls whistled by the zebras and the two clubs combined to shoot 94 free throws.

With road wins few and far between, a team whose toughness was questioned by its own leader showed something on Monday night.

"Louisville really jumped on us,” Wright said.

Villanova fought back.