For the first time in the 2022-23 season, Villanova played a basketball game with every expected contributor available as Jordan Longino returned from his hamstring injury. The result was a 58-54 win over Seton Hall.
“Another ugly Big East game,” Kyle Neptune said. “I though both teams played really hard, obviously Seton Hall’s one of the best defense teams in the country. I was really proud of our guys’ defensive effort, I thought we played hard all night. They make it hard on you offensively, they do that to everybody, but I was proud of our guys’ defensive effort.”
Things got off to a slow start to say the least. The teams shot just 2-12 combined over the first four minutes of the game, heading into the first media timeout tied at three. Seton Hall was eventually able to build an 11-7 lead before Villanova’s offense finally got going. The Wildcats ripped off an 11-0 run to take an 18-7 advantage and would push that run to 17-3 to extend the lead to double figures at 24-14 with 4:04 to play in the half. After starting just 3-17, the ‘Cats hit seven straight shots. The Pirates would score eight of the final 11 points of the period, however, cutting the ‘Nova lead to 27-20 heading into the break.
‘Nova held Seton Hall to 32% shooting overall and 20% shooting from three in the first half while also turning eight Hall turnovers into nine points. Second chance points helped keep the Pirates in the game, as 11 of their 20 points came on second opportunities. ‘Nova had just two second chance points. Interestingly, all 27 of Villanova’s points were scored by just three players, with Eric Dixon dropping 13 and Caleb Daniels adding 11. Cam Whitmore had the other three.
The second half was a game of runs. ‘Nova opened the half with an 8-4 push to extend the lead to 11, but Daniels picked up three fouls in the period’s first 2:53 and was forced to the bench. A Dixon layup pushed the lead to 13, but Hall would rip off a 10-0 run to pull back within three with 10:46 to play. The game started to take the feel of some others this season in which ‘Nova was in control in the second half only to come apart down the stretch as the ‘Cats missed eight straight shots and suffered through a 6:47 drought. Hall would extend the push to 13-1 to get within a point at the 9:31 mark.
This time, however, the ‘Cats would have the response. ‘Nova scored nine straight points to give itself a bit of breathing room, and would extend the run to 15-2 to take a 14-point lead with just 3:15 to play.
“I thought we got a couple stops, we got a couple turnovers, got out in transition,” Neptune said of the Villanova response that ultimately decided the game. “For us, it starts with your defense. If you can get stops and get into your offense quickly before they set up that’s normally the best way to score.”
In a season where nothing has been easy for the ‘Cats, the final three minutes would be an adventure. An 8-0 run from Hall pulled the Pirates within six with 1:51 to play. ‘Nova was able to extend the lead back to 10 with just 25 seconds left but Hall would continue to make things uncomfortable, getting back within six with 14 seconds left. Justin Moore hit one of two free throws with 13 seconds left, and Hall would hit a three with seven seconds left to get within four before finally running out of time.
Let’s get the negative out of the way first. The final three minutes took some of the luster off the performance, as the ‘Cats committed three turnovers during that stretch and were outscored 15-5. They also missed three of four free throws late, helping Seton Hall cling to hope. After a really strong six-minute stretch after Hall pulled within one at the 9:31 mark, the final three minutes were equally poor and nearly led to a catastrophic collapse.
However, the ‘Cats were able to do enough to hold on. A win is a win, and teams in Villanova’s position certainly can’t be picky. The ‘Cats did have some great stretches, with the response to Hall’s 13-1 run particularly impressive. At the very least Villanova could have found itself in a tight game the rest of the way, and at worst it could have completely folded and let another game slip away. Not only did neither of those things happen, but the ‘Cats played a dominant six minutes of basketball and completely re-seized the momentum. That’s not easy to do, and they deserve a ton of credit for it.
Statistically, it was a mixed bag for ‘Nova. The ‘Cats shot just 43% overall and an uncharacteristically poor 63% from the line. They committed 13 turnovers, eight of which came in the second half and some that came at really inopportune times. But they shot 40% from three, forced 18 Hall turnovers and scored 23 points off those turnovers. The rebounding was better in the second half, and ‘Nova held Hall to 40% shooting overall.
Only five ‘Nova players scored, with Dixon leading the way with 19. Daniels was close behind with 18, while Whitmore added 12. Brandon Slater chipped in eight while Moore had one. For Daniels, the performance pushed him over the 1,000-point mark in his Villanova career.
“He was great,” Neptune said of Daniels. “He played hard. We all know that he’s a scorer and he can get hot and make shots. I think defensively is where he really gave us a boost tonight, his body out there, his mobility, he also had five rebounds, he was big time.”
We also want to quickly note Brendan Hausen. The freshman played just seven minutes and didn’t make much of an impact on the stat sheet, accumulating one assist and one steal. But he was second on the team with a +13, and while single game +/- doesn’t always tell the whole story, it was a notable number for Hausen. His coach is excited about the freshman’s future.
“That kid’s gonna be big time,” Neptune said of his young sharpshooter. “I probably should have had him out there more. He’s literally one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen. He’s changed his body over the time he’s been here. We expect great things from him, he’s going to be a star.”
As far a KenPom rankings go, this was Villanova’s best win of the season. The Hall entered the game 56th in the metric. Oklahoma is ranked 63rd. The ‘Cats will have four opportunities to top this win (No. 30 Providence, No. 26 Xavier, No. 10 Creighton and No. 6 UConn). Of course, the ‘Cats have been close to topping this win over No. 56 Seton Hall, losing by two to No. 42 Michigan State, No. 18 Iowa State and No. 11 Marquette. They also had another close loss to Marquette as well as close losses to Xavier, UConn, Providence and Creighton.
For now, Villanova will enjoy this win while preparing to try to win a third straight game when it hosts Butler on Tuesday.
