This isn’t going to be much of a game preview, as we spent the night drinking in Conshohocken, got almost no sleep, and have to pick up some others at the 30th Street Station in an hour or so. But here’s some quick things to look for from Villanova in today’s game.

Can we stop Sumpter?
Last year the Horns didn’t have to face Curtis Sumpter, as he went down with injury early in the year and the Cats switched to a four-guard lineup. Texas is going to have a tough time matching up with Nova’s taller team, particularly the versatile Sumpter who can hit from pretty much anywhere on the floor.

Can we keep them off the offensive glass?
This was a huge problem for Texas late in regulation and throughout the three overtimes with the Cowpokes on Tuesday night. And rebounding isn’t going to get any easier against the big men for Villanova. Senior Will Sheridan is the most efficient offensive rebounder according to Ken Pomeroy’s exhaustive statistic analysis. Sophomore Dante Cunningham will see a ton of minutes down low, where he’s hitting at a 68.3% clip. Texas can’t afford to give these two guys a ton of offensive boards and easy putbacks.

Will Scottie Reynolds go off?
Freshman guard Scottie Reynolds has been on an absolute tear as of late, scoring 27 in Wednesday night’s dismantling of Notre Dame. In Nova’s five conference games, Reynolds is averaging 17.8 points per game. It’s not quite a Durant-esque 34 PPG in conference play, but Reynolds is certainly hot and can make a big difference in this one.

Will the three-point shooters get hot?
Eminem wannabe Mike Nardi also returns for Villanova this season, and can hit from three-point range with ease. Last year, Texas was able to eke out a three-point win by shutting down the Cats’ shooting behind the arc. To be successful in this one, the Horns won’t need to shut them down quite as much from three-point range, because the return of Sumpter makes Villanova a more conventional team than the 05-06 midget squad. But that doesn’t mean that Texas can lay off of Nova’s shooters. They can hit a ton of threes and change the complexity of the game in only a few minutes.

That’s all for now from Philadelphia, where I hear it’s always sunny. Hook ’em Cats!