Cats have a chance

In March 2005, Villanova played North Carolina in the Sweet 16. 'Nova was without star forward Curtis Sumpter, who had injured his knee in the second round against Florida.

Without Sumpter, the Cats were heavy, heavy underdogs against a loaded Tar Heels team - a squad including Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Sean May and Marvin Williams that was even more talented than the current group.

But 'Nova played the Heels to a standstill, losing 67-66 to the eventual champions with the help of a terrible traveling call against Allan Ray with nine seconds to play.

So the Wildcats have a chance at a reversal of fortune when they play N.C. on Saturday. And while Carolina will be favored, 'Nova will not be the long shot it was in '05 or, for that matter, in 1985 against Georgetown.

North Carolina has balance and depth - but so does Villanova, who can get scoring from at least as many sources as the Chapel Hill bunch. For the past two months, the Cats have been playing as well as anyone in the country when you consider their competition.

In particular, their defense has been otherworldly. What that D did to 30-win Duke and Gerald Henderson was nothing short of humiliation. If it were a boxing match, the ref would have had to declare a TKO. 'Nova actually should have beaten a fine Pitt team by a wider margin.