On Sunday, Villanova will look for a desperately needed win when it takes on Xavier.
The Wildcats defeated the Musketeers 85-75 in the first meeting between the teams. That loss was the first in what turned into a six-game losing streak for Xavier, but the Musketeers have bounced back with three-straight wins entering Sunday’s game. They sit at 14-13, with a 6-8 mark in the Big East.
There is hope that a meeting with the Musketeers is just what the doctor ordered for ‘Nova, as Xavier struggles mightily to defend the 3-point line, and that played out in the last meeting when the Wildcats rained in 15 3’s at a 44.1 percent clip. With the ‘Cats struggling from deep of late, perhaps a steady stream of open looks can help them snap out of their slump. Collin Gillespie, who has been hit particularly hard by the recent shooting slump, knocked down six 3’s against Xavier.
Xavier shoots just 33.6 percent from 3, so if ‘Nova can find the long-ball again there is an opportunity for an advantage. The Wildcats had a 45-18 advantage from beyond the arc in the last meeting.
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree could be a key for the ‘Cats on Sunday. Xavier gets solid contributions from its frontcourt and can cause problems with its size. The Musketeers punished Villanova inside early in the last meeting, and although the ‘Cats ended up with winning the rebounding battle, Xavier pulled down 15 offensive rebounds and finished with 42 points in the paint. In addition, Xavier struggles to guard the pick and roll and ‘Nova had some success getting easy buckets with hard rolls out of the P&R. Despite being limited by foul trouble, Cosby-Roundtree finished with 11 points and six rebounds in the last meeting.
Villanova did an excellent job containing Paul Scruggs in the last meeting, limiting him to seven points. But Tyrique Jones had a strong performance, scoring a season-high 21 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He’s averaging 18.5 points per game over his last two contests. Naji Marshall had 15 against the ‘Cats in the last meeting and is coming off a 28-point performance in a win over Seton Hall.
Heading into the last matchup between the teams, we thought there would be an opportunity for Jahvon Quinerly to make an impact based on Xavier’s issues defending the pick and roll and isolations. That proved not to be the case, as Quinerly got just five minutes, scoring two points on a pair of free throws. It would be nice to see him get that opportunity on Sunday.
While everyone will have their eyes on Villanova’s shooting and the 3-point line in general, we’ll also be watching the battle on the glass and the Wildcats’ interior defense.
Having lost three of four, the ‘Cats will be playing under as much pressure as they’ve felt all season. A loss would deliver a devastating blow to their hopes of a Big East title and would put them dangerously close to the panic zone. Conversely, a win would provide a desperately needed confidence boost and serve to steady the ship. It will be interesting to see how ‘Nova handles the pressure and the hostile environment.
