Villanova and Seton Hall tip off at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
February 11, 2024
Big5Hoops.com
PHILADELPHIA – Complete performance.
That was the big takeaway after Villanova routed Seton Hall 80-54 at the Wells Fargo Center on Sunday in a contest that, for me, was a must-win to realistically keep the Wildcats’ NCAA tournament chances alive.
Keep playing like this, and the Wildcats will be more than just eking into the tournament. They will be a threat to make a run in the Big Dance.
Villanova started right from the jump, scoring the first seven points and putting the clamps on the Pirates. It just continued from there for the Wildcats.
Everything was clicking on both ends of the floor.
There was Tyler Burton diving on the floor with reckless abandon.
There was Hakim Hart making a steal and passing to TJ Bamba for a fastbreak layup that pushed the advantage to 15 points.
There was Brendan Hausen pump-faking and finding a better spot to knock down another 3-pointer.
There was the offensive ball movement, with Wildcats whizzing the ball around the court to find the open shooter.
There were Villanova players with hands in Pirates’ face on the perimeters and body on body in the paint, making every shot seem like it would take every ounce of each Pirates’ energy just to get it off.
That was just in the first half.
It got even better after halftime. Hausen just continued to fire and make. The lead grew and grew until, eventually, it reached 29 points.
This was some performance by Villanova. Coach Kyle Neptune leaned over to Hausen in the final minutes, no longer needing his sharpshooting, and patted him on the head like a proud father.
“We’re a close bunch,” Neptune said. “We’re all in this together. We’re together more than our families. We’re in it with each other. When guys are doing well, we’re happy for them.”
Guys definitely did well.
Hausen finished with 17 points, making 5 of 8 3-pointers. Eric Dixon led the Wildcats (13-11, 6-7 Big East) with 18 points. TJ Bamba added 14, Mark Armstrong scored 12 and Burton had five of Villanova’s 11 steals.
Every Wildcats player made a positive contribution in some way. Neptune patted Hausen’s head but probably felt that way about everyone.
For Hausen, who couldn’t get a shot off on the perplexing final possession in Villanova’s 56-53 defeat at Xavier on Wednesday, Sunday’s outing had to feel like sweet redemption.
“It’s nice when I can get some open looks like that, for sure,” he said.
The Pirates knew about Hausen but couldn’t stay with him.
“We knew the scouting report,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said. “He’s a great shooter. He moves. He can shoot from deep. Can get it off quick. I don’t think our focus was there.”
The Wildcats, on the other hand, were all in.
“I thought that was one of our best defensive efforts that we’ve had all year, both defending on the glass,” Neptune said. “When we defend and rebound like that, I think we have a chance against anybody. I think it was just our effort, how hard we played. We were very intense.”
Villanova also brought its offense, which has been hit-or-miss this season – more miss than hit of late during a stretch in which they lost six of seven to teeter on the NCAA bubble. The Wildcats made 53.6 percent of their field goals and hit 14 3-pointers.
“We’ve got guys who can make shots, and we work on it all the time,” Neptune said. “I’m not surprised when we make shots. That’s probably the thing you can control the least in basketball. When you make shots, and you defend like that, you definitely give yourself a great chance.”
Speaking of chances, Villanova kept alive their realistic chance of ending a one-year absence from March Madness with Sunday’s impressive victory. By my math, the Wildcats need to win four of their remaining seven contests and then can clinch a bid with a victory in the Big East tournament. Two of those remaining regular-season games are against Georgetown, which is 1-11 in the league. They’ll also play at No. 1 UConn and at Seton Hall, in addition to hosting Butler, Providence and Creighton.
Honestly, if Villanova plays like they did Sunday, it really won’t matter. They will coast into the tournament. Neptune and the Wildcats. don’t think like that. They focus in on each game and talk about just trying to get better each day.
They certainly got better on Sunday. Much better.
It was a performance that wasn’t just good, it was completely good.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.