Villanova's (l-r) Tyler Perkins, coach Kevin Willard, and Acaden Lewis speak at a press conference following Monday's 74-56 win over Temple. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
December 1, 2025
Big5Hoops.com
VILLANOVA, Pa. – The building was quiet. Too quiet for a Big 5 game. Too quiet with a spot in the Big 5 Classic title game on the line.
Villanova was trailing Temple in its own house here early in the second half. Maybe the home fans were having nightmares of the sixth-place finish in the first run of this format, or the disappointing third-place showing a year ago.
There was very little juice. Again, surprisingly.
Thoughts of a Temple-Penn final flashed through your head, with a renewal of the Holy War for third place on Saturday in the third edition of the Big 5 Classic at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. Certainly not what Villanova fans wanted in Kevin Willard’s first season at the helm.
Those fans were just sitting there, waiting for something to happen, hoping for it to be good, but maybe–based on recent experience–prepared for something worse.
Then, Acaden Lewis flashed in the lane, stripping Temple’s Gavin Griffiiths. He raced upcourt and found Devin Askew for a corner 3.
Some cheers came down. Nothing crazy. But not quiet.
Then, Lewis picked up Owls point guard Jordan Mason full court, pestering him for nearly 60 of the 94 feet of the hardwood’s length. Temple was completely out of sync on the possession as a result, missing a shot that was yet another Villanova rebound on a night when the Wildcats dominated the glass, 43-24.
Lewis raced up court again. The cheers were palpable now. Lewis had Nova Nation ready to explode. Boom, he hit Tyler Perkins with a perfect pass, one of the rookie’s eight assists on a night where he filled up the box score:
12 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 0 turnovers
Perkins drained the 3. The Pavilion erupted. A one-point deficit now was a five-point lead with 13:48 left. But it felt like a 55-point lead. All thanks to Lewis.
Villanova dominated from that point, ultimately rolling to a 74-56 win that sends the Wildcats into their first Big 5 Classic title game. They’ll play Penn on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., culminating a tripleheader.
The game turned on those two possessions keyed by Lewis.
“It was big,” Willard said. “You can get your defense going at home. It makes a big difference.”
Lewis had little recollection of the sequence, so caught up in the moment, so caught up in doing whatever the Wildcats needed to win, that the details left no mark on him.
“Honestly, I have no clue; I got lost in the game,” he said when I asked about the sequence.
“I did what I needed to do,” he added.
What he did was dominate the game. He got some help from big man Duke Brennan, who grabbed eight boards, including six on the offensive glass. And Perkins (19 points) and Bryce Lindsay (13 points) chipped in solid games.
But Lewis was the difference.
“Man is he good,” Owls coach Adam Fisher said. “He’s just so smooth as a freshman.”
Since Villanova’s season-opening loss to BYU, Lewis has been really good. The 6-foot-2 guard originally committed to Kentucky before choosing Villanova and Willard over Georgia, St. John’s, and Miami after opening his recruitment. So, you knew this guy could play.
And he showed it again on Monday night on two crucial possessions when he took the quiet out of the building, turning the game and turning the Wildcats into having the possibility of raising a banner on Saturday night.
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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.