Well, any concerns that Villanova was going to come into their showdown with Syracuse completely ice cold have been pushed aside after their 74-49 thrashing of South Florida. When the Wildcats needed him most this season, Scottie F'in Reynolds got them back on track. Of course he did.
You would think that the fact that we call him Scottie and not Scott Reynolds would work against him, like Joey Harrington vs. Joe Harrington. But it doesn't. Scott Reynolds is boring and generic. Scottie Reynolds is scrappy and dangerous. You golf with Scott. You go to Vegas with Scottie. His choice in naming is no accident.
It's Reynold's final season with Villanova and as far as Syracuse fans are concerned, he can't leave quick enough. With Reynolds and Syracuse, it's pretty simple. He and his Wildcats have beaten us more than we've beaten him. And often, he's the reason.
2007
Syracuse 75, Villanova 64 (14 pts)
Villanova 78, Syracuse 75 (22 pts)
2008
Villanova 81, Syracuse 71 (25 pts, 4-7 3-pt shooting)
Syracuse 87, Villanova 72 (12 points)
BET: Villanova 82, Syracuse 63 (22 pts, 4-7 3-pt shooting)
2009
Villanova 102, Syracuse 85 (10 pts)
Villanova 89, Syracuse 86 (10 pts)
And to think, he almost went to Oklahoma instead. But he ended up at Villanova and now here we are. The Big East more or less comes down to Saturday's game between Syracuse and Villanova and Scottie Reynolds will factor in. Just how special is he to the Wildcats, who have gone from middle of the conference pack to Final Four team during his time here?
"He's so confident with his place in this program," he said. "He's the beacon, all the time. That's hard to do. I don't even want to think about what the last 4 years would have been like [without him]. It's scary, really.
I want to think about it. I find it pleasant, actually.
As part of the Daily Orange's 3 Keys To Beat Villanova, shutting down the Wildcat guard-play, and namely Reynolds, is among them.
It seems like Reynolds has been around forever, but he's finally done after this year. In his tenure at Villanova, he's 5-2 against the Orange, including 3-0 in the past three games. As the point guard of the team, he's the engine that makes the team go. When he's on, he can carry a team to the Final Four. He's a cerebral leader on the floor and has no problem stepping up to score 40 points in a game or letting his teammates take over. If you want to defeat the Wildcats you have to take out Reynolds, the heat of the team who's averaging 19 points per game.
This game could go a long way towards determining the Big East Player of the Year between Scottie Reynolds and Wes Johnson. Add that to the pile of significant things about this game and ways in which we will remember Mr. Reynolds at SU. It's a respectful hate, but hate nonetheless.