Well, that was perhaps the least surprising result we'll see in the Big 5 all year. Villanova's 87-61 rout of Penn wasn't much of a game from the start, and still wasn't one when the Quakers outscored the Wildcats in the second half.
So I don't put too much stock in what happened after the first 10 minutes of the game, with the exception of Tyler Bernardini's three threes in four possessions to start the second half. Perimeter shooting is a skill no matter how much time is on the clock.
Corey Fisher had another sublime night, with 13 points -- including 3-of-5 from three -- four assists and four steals. Scottie Reynolds' 21 points won't be overlooked either.
But what I will remember from this game was a 50-second span starting at the 15:13 mark of the first half when Antonio Peña hit a layup, a three and a slam dunk on consecutive possessions. That was the moment when I realized just how deep this Villanova team is.
Obviously, Thursday night's game against LSU will be different, not least because the bodies on the other side will be a lot bigger and a lot faster. But Shane Clark didn't even play last night and Villanova got 21 offensive rebounds. This team is a lot deeper than we thought coming into the season, and I'm starting to think it could do some pretty good things this season.
Joe Juliano recaps the game, and there's also audio from the Penn and Villanova postgame press conferences.
Elsewhere, Jeff McLane recaps Penn State-St. Joe's and Kevin Tatum digs through the demolition derby that was Creighton-Drexel.
There's also a good story by Jeff Gammage that looks at the past and present of professional soccer in Philadelphia.
