The way Villanova fans are feeling after Tuesday’s game against DePaul, besides relieved, probably depends on whether they are naturally an optimist or a pessimist.

The good news is ‘Nova escaped with a 79-75 overtime win over the Blue Demons. The bad news is that it never should have gotten to that point, as the ‘Cats fell victim to an epic collapse in the final two minutes of the game during which they looked completely lost and overwhelmed.

Villanova’s trend of slow starts and early deficits continued, with the ‘Cats falling behind right from the jump and trailing by as many as 13 midway through the first half. Fortunately, they were again able to respond, and a 12-0 run over the final 3:25 allowed the Wildcats to take a two-point lead into the break.

The teams traded blows throughout the early part of the second half before Villanova slowly started to build the lead. The Villanova advantage got as big as 12, and a pair of Jeremiah Robinson-Earl free throws with 2:14 left put the ‘Cats up 11. At that point, it felt like Villanova was in a good spot. Then the wheels completely fell off.

Flustered by the DePaul press, ‘Nova turned it over on three straight possessions, allowing DePaul to cut the lead to four with 1:11 to go. Collin Gillespie temporarily stopped the bleeding by going 1-of-2 from the line with 44 seconds left, but DePaul immediately answered with a three to cut Villanova’s lead to two. The ‘Cats again turned the ball over, and Charlie Moore took advantage with a game-tying layup with nine seconds left. Villanova got a decent look at the buzzer, but Saddiq Bey’s three didn’t fall and we headed to overtime.

The ‘Cats scored the first four points of overtime, all courtesy of Gillespie free throws and that proved to be enough as ‘Nova kept DePaul at bay for the rest of the period. Saddiq Bey and Jermaine Samuels provided a bucket each, and Gillespie and Robinson-Earl iced the game at the foul line.

Villanova got great balanced scoring out of the starting five, but not much from the bench. Gillespie led the way with 21 and four assists. Bey had 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists. Samuels added 15 points, six rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Robinson-Earl had another double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Cole Swider chipped in nine points. Justin Moore was the only player to score of the bench, netting three points to go with three rebounds and two assists.

The three-point shooting was a bit better as the ‘Cats connected on 39.3 percent from deep and 43.1 percent overall. The ball movement was decent, with ‘Nova assisting on 15 of 25 made shots. The ‘Cats held their own on the glass, losing the battle on the boards 37-33. They also won the turnover battle, despite the disastrous final two minutes, committing 14 turnovers to 17 for DePaul. ‘Nova also established a 12-point advantage from the foul line, earning 21 trips to the charity stripe. Those numbers are a bit inflated by the late game script, but the Wildcats were better at getting to line Tuesday and did a very good job of defending without fouling. The defense was good overall as well, as the ‘Cats had only surrendered 55 points before the late-game collapse.

So, if you’re a glass-half-full kind of person, you’ll likely look at the solid three-point shooting, the decent job taking care of the ball against a disruptive team (except for the last two minutes), the mental toughness to fight through what happened in the last two minutes, and most importantly, the win.

If you’re more of a glass-half-empty person, it’s virtually impossible for you to ignore that last two minutes in which Villanova was completely overwhelmed and looked like it had absolutely no answers as it tried to hold on for dear life. The inability to handle DePaul’s pressure, along with the recurring issues inbounding the ball, loom as major concerns down the road, and you’re probably concerned that those issues will bite the ‘Cats at a bad time in a big game in March.

As with moth things in life, the reality is probably somewhere between the two extremes. Yes, the final two minutes of regulation were frustrating and quite concerning, and Villanova will have to clean those issues up sooner than later if it is to reach its ceiling. However, the ability to fight through that disaster mentally and pull out the game in overtime is encouraging and speaks volumes about the team’s toughness and mentality. As much as the previously discussed issues could doom the ‘Cats in a big game, that toughness could just as easily win the Wildcats a big game. Outside of the first nine minutes and the final two minutes, Villanova played solid basketball and had control of the game for much of the contest.

The collapse was jarring and incredibly difficult to watch, but at the end of the day, a win is a win, especially in this year’s Big East. The ‘Cats got one and have themselves in a decent spot it the Big East standings.

Next up they’ll take a break from Big East play to take on former (and future) Big East foe UConn on Saturday at noon.