A lot to like in Villanova’s win over Xavier

By AARON BRACY

January 3, 2024

Big5Hoops.com

VILLANOVA, Pa. — No one is going to hang this Villanova performance in a museum. Then again, the Big East is usually more muscle than Matisse, anyway.

The Wildcats’ 66-65 win over Xavier on Wednesday night might not have been a masterpiece, but there sure was a lot to like.

Let’s start with the obvious. 

Villanova, cast aside by some of its most ardent supporters after going 0-3 in the Big 5, is now 3-0 in the Big East. The Wildcats are the only undefeated team in one of the toughest and deepest leagues in the country.

Lose at Penn, home vs. St. Joe’s and at the Wells Fargo Center to Drexel.

Win at Creighton, at DePaul and vs. Xavier.

It all makes perfect sense, right?

Who knows? One thing that I do know is Villanova played the kind of ferocious defense Wednesday night that a team that wants to be high up in its league standings and go deep into the postseason can count on.

Xavier entered averaging nearly 17 fastbreak points per contest, leading the Big East. 

Villanova held them to 9.

Quincy Olivari scored 29 points in the Musketeers’ last game and averaged 18.2 points per contest entering.

Villanova held him to 14.

Xavier made 10 of 20 3-pointers last time.

Villanova pressured the Musketeers into 5-for-18 shooting from the arc this time.

D-D-D, DE-FENSE!

“I loved the way we defended,” Wildcats coach Kyle Neptune said. “I know for everybody else you go back to the stats and look for what each guy had offensively, but for us we try to lock in on the defensive end.”

Let’s look at some other things to like for the Wildcats.

Brendan Hausen hit a 3-pointer with 15:22 remaining that put the Wildcats up 48-38, their biggest lead of the game. 

This was significant for two reasons: 1) Hausen found his stroke Wednesday night, something Villanova will need. 2) Forty-four of those 48 points came from players not named Eric Dixon or Justin Moore.

Dixon, an early candidate for Big East player of the year, has been everything and more for Villanova this season. But he can’t be The Man every night. Moore missed his fourth straight with a knee sprain, suffered on Dec. 5 at Kansas State. He could be out for a while, or he could be back on Saturday against St. John’s. “Day-to-day,” Neptune said.

Those are the Wildcats’ two best players. That they took a 10-point lead with zero offensive production from one who was in street clothes on the bench and minimal offensive production from the other is a great sign for Neptune.

“We have a talented team,” Neptune said. “We have confidence in anybody who goes in the game.”

Said Dixon, “People ask, ‘Did you feel pressure to score?’ No, because of nights like this. We have a lot of talented guys.”

More to like about Villanova on Wednesday?

Hakim Hart continued to take advantage of his opportunity with Moore saddled to the bench. His best play came with 4 ½ minutes remaining when he dived for a loose ball like his life depended on it, crashing the back of his head into the TV signage at midcourt. 

You hear the cliche “Villanova basketball” repeatedly from players and coaches in the program. That, most definitely, was an example of what they mean.

“That’s Villanova basketball,” Hart said right on cue. “That’s what I had to learn here. That’s what I’m working on.”

Hart led the Wildcats with 14 points, one better than Dixon. Hausen chipped in 12 and TJ Bamba and Jordan Longino each had eight. 

There were some stumbles toward the end, and Xavier thrice had chances to take the lead in the final minute but came up empty each time. Dixon missed a pair of free throws late that could have cost the Wildcats.

In the end, though, no one will remember all of that.

Sure, Wildcats fans might not be putting a frame around this one.

But they don’t draw diagrams in the “W” column.

Villanova just moves its number one higher.

And, for Neptune and his players, that is a beautiful thing.

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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.