ALBANY - Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro has always preached that you can't make up a big deficit at once.

It's something that he learned during his early coaching days, when he was an assistant at Villanova, under Rollie Massimino.

The last few games, the Saints have been tested in coming-from-behind.

On Monday, Siena finally got over the hump, turning back UAlbany 64-60, to reclaim the Albany Cup.

The Saints have been patient, when falling behind, but they showed a lot of poise on Monday, especially for having such a young team.

"I always tell kids that," Buonaguro said. "Two-by-two, good possessions, don't get rattled and the kids responded."

He said that Massimino's teams always came back, using that philosophy and he's preached it every since. 

"I've said that my whole coaching career," Buonaguro said.

Overview: UAlbany has eight new faces, Villanova has their entire starting five back.

The last college basketball game I saw in person had the Wildcats in it, when they defeated Siena in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and boy, was I impressed. The Saints had a ton of momentum and that meant nothing to a team that was on a roll from the Big East.

The Great Danes get lucky in this sense. If there was any time where the Wildcats wouldn't be totally in sync, this is it, in their first game of the season.

The problem for UAlbany is, no matter how well they play they won't be totally in sync either because they haven't been playing together long enough.

Senior Dante Cunningham is a matchup nightmare for opponents at 6-foot-8, sophomore Corey Fisher provides a huge spark off of the bench and sophomore Corey Stokes scored 20 last season against Siena.

UAlbany has plenty of firepower this season, but the question is who will score the basketball tonight, in front of a packed house, on the road, against a Top 25 team.

Senior Brian Connelly averaged more than 10 points per game last season, but someone else will have to step up in order for the Great Danes even to stay close.

Records: Villanova 0-0. UAlbany 0-0

The Series: These two teams are meeting for the second time. Villanova posted an 86-72 victory on Dec. 22, 2004.

Allan Ray scored a game-high 26 points for the Wildcats, while Curtis Sumpter and Randy Foye each added 23.

Jamar Wilson led the Great Danes with 19, while Lucious Jordan added 16 and Brent Wilson knocked down five 3-pointers.

UAlbany only trailed by five with 4:34 to go in the game.

Player to Watch: Scottie Reynolds, junior guard. Reynolds led the Wildcats with 15.9 points per game last season and is a preseason All-Big East selection. This is the guy who ended Siena's season last year with a 20-point, eight-rebound, five-assist performance. Reynolds has already scored over 1,000 points in his Villanova career and was only the second Big East Rookie of the Year in school history (Tim Thomas). With two freshmen at the point for UAlbany, Reynolds may be poised for a big night.

X-Factor: Will Harris, junior UAlbany. To say I know what Harris will bring to the table tonight is just not true. Not even UAlbany coach Will Brown can be sure what Harris, who two months ago was not even eligible to play, will have in him. The positive is that Harris has played a season and a half in the ACC, so he won't be overwhelmed by the atmosphere or the opponent. If the Great Danes are lucky, maybe he will even lead by example and give UAlbany fans an early glimpse of what he will bring to the table this season.

Injury Note: UAlbany red-shirt freshman Billy Allen will wear a mask tonight after breaking his nose in practice. Allen will be making his UAlbany debut after missing last season after undergoing back surgery.

Villanova senior Shane Clark is out at least until December after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery on his right knee. Clark averaged 7.1 points per game last season and had 25 points in the 2007-08 season opener against Stony Brook.

Prediction: Villanova 83, UAlbany 62

I can't believe it's only one day before the beginning of the college basketball season (I don't consider Duke beating Presbyterian the start of the year and I know UCLA goes for 2-0 tonight on ESPNU).

Man, that snuck up on us.

Anyway, since the University at Albany kicks off their season against Villanova, the team that ended Siena's season last year, I decided to ask some of the Saints at Wednesday's practice if they could give the Great Danes one tip of advice for facing the Wildcats.

Here's what they had to say.

"Bring it," junior guard/forward Edwin Ubiles said. "They are one of the top schools. They're bigger guys, stronger guys, quicker, faster and athletic, so they just have to bring it, be ready and focused."

"Really take these guys seriously because they are one of the top programs in the country and they're going to come with everything they've got," junior forward Alex Franklin said. "If you don't come hard, they're really going to try and walk all over you."

"Definitely contain Scottie Reynolds," junior guard Ronald Moore said. "Everything goes through him and keep their big guys off the glass because they do attack the glass hard. Definitely control Scottie Reynolds. If you stop him, you have a great chance of winning."

"You have to match their intensity," senior co-captain Josh Duell said. "Villanova plays that style where they get up in you right away. They box you out, they hit you, foul you seven times in one possession and it doesn't get called. They have to be ready and keep the intensity up."

An aside for Siena fans, Duell says his foot is getting better. He didn't practice Wednesday and I'd be surprised to see him suit up on Monday night, but here's what he had to say.

"I'm starting to be able to get back into practice a little bit. No contact stuff, but just starting running and trying to get in shape," Duell said.

As for a return to the floor, Duell wasn't sure when he'd be back practicing.

"I hope as soon as possible," Duell said. "It's all up to what the trainers said. I'm at the mercy of them, but if I had my choice, I'd be back as soon as possible."