Villanova's Devin Askew, coach Kevin Willard, and Tyler Perkins address the media after Saturday's 86-79 loss to St. John's. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
Big5Hoops.com
January 17, 2026
PHILADELPHIA – Villanova coach Kevin Willard compared his young players’ performance against St. John’s on Saturday night to the experience of drinking a bottle of wine.
“It’s like when you open up a bottle of wine,” Willard said after the Wildcats’ 86-79 loss to the Red Storm. “If you open up a bottle of wine that was just bottled, it sucks. But if you wait three years and you let it age and you let it mature, it’s usually really, really good.”
Willard and the Wildcats certainly can’t afford to wait three years for their young players to come of age, but there is a learning curve in any aspect of life. And college basketball is no different–especially college basketball today when players, like Villanova’s Devin Askew, are playing six years.
Freshman Acaden Lewis spent much of the evening next to Willard because he struggled when on the court, playing just nine minutes in the second half which saw St. John’s open with a 20-4 run to take a commanding 17-point lead. Lewis finished with three points, five assists, and six turnovers in 26 minutes.
Matt Hodge, also in his first season, couldn’t find the range after doing so really well of late. He had four points in 23 minutes.
And Bryce Lindsay, who is in his second full season of college hoops, had 11 points in 29 minutes.
Lewis, Hodge, and Lindsay combined to miss 11 of 16 shots and commit eight of Villanova’s 14 turnovers.
The trio was no match on this night for the physically tough, experienced Red Storm players. St. John’s took control with that second-half run. Villanova twice cut the lead to within five but never got closer.
Tyler Perkins and Devin Askew, two players who have been through the rigors of big-time college hoops against experienced opponents in intense atmospheres, led the Wildcats with 23 and 21 points, respectively. It was no surprise to Willard.
“Against grown men, that’s why Dev and Tyler play well because they’re grown men,” he said.
Asked what advice he would give to Lewis, Hodge, and Lindsay, Askew said it was just a matter of experience.
“As they play more games in atmospheres like that, they’ll get better,” said Askew, who previously played for Texas, Cal, Kentucky, and Long Beach State. “We have great players. I have great teammates. It’s not a talent thing, or nothing they can’t do. They’ve just got to get used to it, and they will.”
Willard also believes the Wildcats will get there. They have been better than expected–remember Villanova was picked seventh in the Big East preseason poll–but still have a long way to go to get back to national prominence.
“We’re going to have some bumps in the road,” Willard said.
Saturday night was one of those bumps that only experience will solve. It wasn’t pretty against St. John’s for Villanova’s youngest players. But, just like fine wine, they’ll be a little more aged and a little more mature for the next physical matchup.
—
Aaron Bracy has covered sports in Philadelphia for nearly three decades for various publications and as a freelancer for the Associated Press. His first book, A Soaring Season: The Incredible, Inspiring Story of the 2003–04 Saint Joseph’s Hawks (Brookline), can be ordered HERE. He is working on his second book, which will chronicle the memorable 2000–01 season of Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers. It will be published in April 2027. Follow Bracy on social media HERE. Contact him at bracymedia@gmail.com.