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VILLANOVA, Pa. Red Mike Alstott Authentic Throwback Home Tampa Bay Buccaneers Reebok Mens NFL Jersey . -- Patrick Farrell missed his first free throw, and was off on his second. With only 19 seconds left in the game, the pressure was on for Farrell to make the third. The Villanova fans stood and cheered, and his teammates were stoked, yelling from the bench at the sophomore forward that the final one would be good. Farrell practiced his motion, took a breath, released, and watched as the basketball bounced twice around the rim before it plopped through the net. The eighth-ranked Wildcats went wild, celebrating Farrells first point of the season like a game-winner, and not just the finishing touches of a 67-48 victory over Butler on Wednesday night. For a team that played about 30 minutes of basketball to forget, that moment of team bonding for the deepest of deep reserves was one to remember. "I love that," coach Jay Wright said. "Thats whats special about this team." The Wildcats (25-3, 13-2 Big East) survived one of their worst halves of the season to win for the ninth time in 10 games. They needed almost the first 10 minutes of the game to score 10 points, missed eight of their first nine 3-point attempts, and didnt have a player reach double digits in scoring until midway through the second half. "Youve got to find a way to grind against them," Wright said. "Ill take that." Darrun Hilliard and James Bell led them with only 11 points each and the Wildcats put up the kind of numbers that usually lead to a loss. Not against the lowly Bulldogs (12-16, 2-14). Butler was even worse, shooting only 26 per cent in the first half, and the Bulldogs lost their seventh straight game. The Wildcats had a small hot streak at the end of the first half, making 5 of 6 shots, to build enough of a cushion and slowly pull away. The Wildcats fell shy of their 79.9 points per game average and played for about 35 minutes looking nothing like the team that has become one of the best in the Big East. Each team took turns trading clunkers and clangers in the first 10 minutes, one reason the Wildcats only led 10-4. With 6 minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs and Wildcats combined for only 26 points. And no, Bo Ryan wasnt coaching either of the teams. The Pavilion had all the atmosphere of an art museum on a sleepy Sunday morning, making this one feel more like a bad NBA preseason game than the final on-campus home game of the season. Wright did let senior reserves Nick McMahon and Tony Chennault start -- though McMahon played only 20 seconds before he was benched for Ryan Arcidiacono. McMahon couldnt have been worse than the rest of the offence. Villanova missed 12 of its first 15 shots, most from 3-point range. The Wildcats were determined to keep shooting 3s until they fell. Bell and Arcidiacono did hit two straight near the end of the first half for a 28-15 lead. Butlers Kellen Dunham buried the shot of the game with a high banker for 3 that cut it to 34-20 at halftime. He led Butler with 12 points. Hard to believe these teams needed overtime before Villanova pulled out the win in their first matchup. "We didnt have it tonight," coach Brandon Miller said. "When you keep getting the results you dont want, it weighs on you a little bit." Bell was the lone senior regular for the Wildcats and exchanged an emotional hug with Wright after he checked out for the final time. "It was tough," Bell said. "I dont see my mom that much. My dad works a lot, doesnt really get the chance to get down that much. That was probably the toughest part, seeing my mom crying. Other than that, it was time to play." Pick a stat in the first half and both teams probably wish the number could be wiped from the record book. Butler missed 8 of 10 3s; Nova missed 12 of 16. Butler had two starters who went scoreless in the half. The Wildcats shot 38 per cent from the field. But theres a reason the Wildcats have spent most of the season in the Top 25, and they showed why in the second half, going more than 25 minutes without a turnover during a 16-3 run that stretched the lead to 24 points. Butler scored six baskets in the first half, and didnt reach seven for a second-half total until there was 1:51 left. While the Wildcats are in the hunt for a top-three seed in the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs need a shocking conference tournament championship to have any shot at returning for some March Madness. "This is a really good group to coach," Wright said. "Its been a pleasure all year. But it cant let that prevent us from driving them and them driving themselves to get better." Orange Dashon Goldson Game Alternate Tampa Bay Buccaneers Nike Womens NFL Jersey . The top-ranked Czech Republic will visit Canada for a first-round tie Feb. 7-8, 2015. "This will be our first World Group tie and the team knows that no matter who the opponent, it will be a very talented team that is one of the best in the world," Canadas Fed Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau said in a release. Womens Orange Evan Dietrich-Smith Alternate Limited NFL Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jersey . Now shes ready to make waves in the U.S. Pace shot a 3-under 68 on Saturday to grab a share of the third-round lead with Laura Diaz in the Marathon Classic. She can barely express what a breakthrough win on the LPGA Tour might bring.When I retired from gymnastics three-years ago, I thought that attending a gymnastics competition was going to be a stress free experience from that point forward. What my "already retired athlete" mentors forgot to inform me of was that I would still feel every ounce of the competitive emotion from the sidelines when the pressure was on. Im blaming fellow CTV Olympic analyst Marnie McBean for the complete exhaustion Im suffering from right now. Come on Marnie, you could have at least given me a warning! As I found out this week at the Olympic test event and final Olympic qualifier in London, apparently that "stress free" existence was wishful thinking. Watching the Canadian teams vie for the final team spots here launched me on an emotional rollercoaster ride that I may never recover from. I experienced one end of the emotional spectrum on Tuesday when the Canadian men, in an absolute heartbreaker, failed to qualify a full team of five to the Olympics. Needless to say, everyone in the Canadian camp was devastated. It was a huge blow to the program that sideswiped everyone. It was crushing to observe Team Canada slowly fall apart during the competition. It was even more painful as they had to watch "CANADA" drop down the leader board as the day progressed. I couldnt help but feel sick to my stomach because many of the members of the mens team here were former teammates of mine. I know how much theyve invested into this dream. All of these guys have spent nearly their entire lifetimes dedicated to this moment. Earning a berth to London 2012 was the goal they all were chasing. It wasnt supposed to end this way… The harsh reality of the situation here is that they blew it. They had a phenomenal opportunity in their grasp and they didnt deliver on the one day it counted. The team could make up a million excuses about why they came just 0.5 shy of that coveted spot in the top four, but when all was said and done - they simply messed up too many times and that left them in fifth. Theres no other way around it, the reality of that result just simply sucks. Personally, I know that I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks afterwards so I can only imagine the sentiment they were experiencing. As they spent the afternoon watching, waiting and hoping that they would squeak through. When the inevitable occurred, you could the air come out of the room. Not even an afternoon pint (or two…) could ease the heartache. It was an extremely quiet night that followed in the Canadian mens camp as everyone tried to process what happened, why it happened and what happens now. The only certainty is that the team had been relegated to one individual spot at the Olympics. Who takes that spot is yet to be determined. It makes me sick to think about all the Olympic dreams that are going to go unfulfilled because of a bad day at the office. Sport can be so unforgiving sometimes. Im sure many of the guys are thinking, "Can we have a do-over?". Sadly, gymnastics is not a sport where you get a second chance. The very next day, after a restless sleep and a million-and-one questions floating through my mind (surely, team replayed each routine over and over in their mind all night too); the Canadian women took to the floor for their chance to shine. Leonard Johnson Elite Red Home Jersey Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Womens NFL. The womens competition was a completely different experience as the Canadians came out with guns-a-blazin and looked ready to attack every single performance. They started on floor exercise and it was as if each routine provided them (and all of us watching) with energy and momentum – and in gymnastics, momentum is a nearly unstoppable force. I found myself tweeting live updates and bouncing up and down in my chair as I did it. I was willing on each athlete on each routine and each element, and generally reacting like a teenage girl who just met Justin Bieber any time they landed their dismounts. Im sure I was annoying everyone around me on press row and for that, I apologize. Nothing gets me more excited in this world than seeing a team come together and achieve their potential. I love it when athletes dig deep and fight for every single tenth of a point. I love it when you see determination and aggressiveness in the eyes of a competitor. I love it when you can feel the intensity in the air. With the Canadian women, there was plenty of this to go around. It was a special treat to sit back and watch the reactions of everyone in the program when they surpassed their top team score by nearly six points and secure their spot as a team to the Olympics. The girls spent the afternoon thinking about the wonderful possibilities these next seven months will hold. They were giddy with excitement. They did their job and they knew it. They were one step closer to being an Olympian! Their faces beamed with satisfaction and you couldnt help but to soak it up and feel it too. It was an infectious sense of joy that was so refreshing after the devastation the previous days events brought. At the end of the day, when the last of four subdivisions concluded, the Canadian women placed second overall and earned five spots to this summers upcoming Olympics Games. In addition, I feel that this experience opened their eyes up to their true potential. This team is capable of a top eight finish at London 2012 and I have a feeling they all believe it now. If they dont, they should. They are that good. Im really looking forward to coming back to the O2 Arena this summer. Its been awesome to get a sneak peek into the gymnastics venue and to feel a hint of the craziness that will ensue. After going through emotional experiences that covered the entire spectrum here in London, I am, as the English say, completely knackered. Some fish and chips and a run through Greenwich Park should help that a bit, but who knew that being on the sidelines would be such an adventure? Marnie McBean sure didnt…or at least if she did, she sure didnt tell me! Kyle Shewfelt is the only Canadian to ever reach an Olympic podium in gymnastics by capturing gold in Athens 2004. He remains an ambassador and mentor for Gymnastics Canada and will serve as the CTV Olympics gymnastics analyst at London 2012. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
