Villanova will open Big East tournament play against Providence after the Friars dismantled Butler 80-57 on Wednesday night.
Providence blitzed the Bulldogs with an effective, balanced offensive attack. The Friars shot 55.8 percent from the floor and 47.8 percent from 3. Maliek White led the way with a career-high 19 points. Alpha Diallo added 18, while David Duke chipped in 16 and Isaiah Jackson 13. In total, nine Friars scored.
Villanova beat Providence twice this season, 65-59 and 85-67.
In the first meeting, ‘Nova jumped out to a 43-25 halftime lead before a long scoring drought almost led to disaster. Fortunately, the ‘Cats were able to hold on and escape with the win. Villanova shot 45.1 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3. The Wildcats were able to win thanks to the hot first half offensively and because of a strong defensive effort. They were -4 in turnovers, -1 from the free throw line, took seven fewer field goal attempts and were outrebounded 41-36 including the 17 offensive rebounds they conceded. But Providence shot just 34.5 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3.
In that game, Makai Ashton-Langford scored 20 points off the bench, while Isaiah Jackson added another 11. Alpha Diallo was the only starter to reach double-figures with 10. Duke had just five, while White only managed four.
Phil Booth led the way for ‘Nova with 23, while Eric Paschall had 13 to go with 14 rebounds. Cole Swider had the best game of his freshman season, scoring 10 points on a perfect 4-4 from the field.
The second meeting played out in the opposite manner, with the teams battling throughout the first half and the ‘Cats taking a five-point lead into the break before running away with things in the second half.
‘Nova shot the ball well in that meeting, knocking down 51.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from 3. Booth and Paschall again carried the load, scoring 22 and 25 respectively. Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree played the main support role, rounding out Villanova’s double-figure scorers with 12.
The Wildcats again defended the perimeter well, holding the Friars to 28.6 percent from deep. Nate Watson had 18 and Diallo had 11, the only double-figure scorers for Providence. Duke had four, Jackson had eight, White had eight, and Ashton-Langford was held scoreless.
‘Nova again struggled on the boards, getting outrebounded 36-29, and the again struggled to keep the Friars off the offensive glass, giving up 16. But this time, the ‘Cats were +6 from the charity stripe, +12 from beyond the arc, and had four few turnovers than Providence.
The glass will clearly be important on Thursday, as ‘Nova struggled to keep the Friars off the glass in both meetings this season.
Hopefully, the Wildcats will be able to continue the success they had defending the perimeter against Providence.
‘Nova relied heavily on Booth and Paschall in each of the first two meetings, and while it proved to be enough in both games, the ‘Cats become much more vulnerable when lacking a third and fourth scorer, so we’ll be watching to see if any other Wildcats step up.
Providence is clinging to faint NCAA tournament hopes, so it will likely come out focused and ready to play with the season on the line. The fact that the ‘Cats are coming off a loss adds a bit of importance to the matchup, as they don’t want to head into NCAA tournament play having lost two-straight. Hopefully, they can get a third win of the season against Providence and build some momentum heading into the Big Dance.
Thursday's game tips off at noon on FS1.
