Has everyone caught their breath yet?

With Villanova as desperate for a win as it’s been in years and staring across the court at the 10th-ranked team in the country, the Wildcats put together an inspired performance and gutted out a 67-61 win over Marquette.

The game got off to a somewhat odd start. Villanova’s cold shooting continued as the Wildcats missed their first six field goal attempts, creating some concern. But it was hard not to love everything else the ‘Cats were doing. The energy was great, and they were playing excellent defense. As a result, Marquette’s high-powered offense was sputtering as well, and the game was tied at seven six minutes in.

Then the offense clicked, sparked by an outburst from Jermaine Samuels, and the ‘Cats sprinted out to a nine-point lead. The lead got as high as 12, but Marquette had a response and ‘Nova took a four-point lead into the break.

We finally got the aggressive Jermaine Samuels we’ve been clamoring for, as well as the expected results. Samuels was undeterred after missing his first two attempts from 3, and after he connected on try number three the floodgates opened. His first 3 was followed by a free throw and then another 3, as he accounted for seven-straight points. As Samuels established himself as a threat from deep, Marquette’s players strayed from the game plan of sagging off Samuels on the perimeter, and he took advantage of the tighter D with drives to the basket. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, he had tied his career high with 15 points. He took 12 first-half shots, equaling his total from the last seven games combined.

Villanova’s defense contributed to 10 Marquette turnovers, and that combined with Samuels’ outburst was the story of the first half.

Samuels picked up right where he left off to start the second half, knocking down a pair of 3’s sandwiched around a pair of Phil Booth free throws to push the ‘Nova lead to 10.

Marquette wouldn’t go away and chipped away before taking the lead 46-44 on a Markus Howard 3 with 13:41 to play.

A Collin Gillespie layup with 9:38 to go gave the ‘Cats a two-point lead, and on the ensuing possession Howard picked up his fourth foul when he was called for a charge. Unfortunately, ‘Nova wasn’t able to take advantage as Marquette went on a 7-0 run as the ‘Cats suffered through another scoring drought, this one lasting four and a half minutes.

A Booth 3 ended the drought and sent the ‘Cats on a 12-1 run to finish the game which would carry them to the six-point win.

Obviously, this was Jermaine Samuels night. He finished with 29 points on 10-19 shooting. In addition, he added nine rebounds, an assist, and a block. Samuels showed off a versatile offensive game, starting by knocking down a few 3’s and then taking advantage of a tightening defense with dribble-penetration. We’ve been asking and hoping for an aggressive Jermaine Samuels, and on Wednesday night we finally got it.

Phil Booth struggled mightily shooting the ball, going just 3-18 from the field, but his leadership was on full display. He went a perfect 10-10 from the foul line and ended up being the only Wildcat besides Samuels in double-figures with 17. Booth was excellent as a facilitator, dishing out seven assists. He also grabbed five rebounds and helped set the tone defensively.

Speaking of defense, we have to give a nod to Villanova’s on Wednesday night. The numbers don’t look great as Marquette shot 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent from 3. But holding Marquette to 61 points is no small feat, and for the most part, the ‘Nova defense was very good. The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers while committing only seven. After Marquette came out scorching hot to start the second half, the ‘Nova defense tightened considerably. Over the final 5:16 of the game, the only point Villanova gave up was on a Markus Howard free throw with 30 seconds to play. Villanova’s shooting was pretty similar to what it has been over the past few weeks: 34.5 percent from the floor and 28.1 percent from 3. The difference was the defense.

With the win, Nova Nation can let out a sigh of relief. The losing skid has come to an end and the ‘Cats have added another signature win. Their tournament seeding will start trending in the right direction, and they remain alive in the Big East title race. Most importantly, ‘Nova once again looked like a team that no one will want to play in March. Confidence has been restored, and the team has a performance it can build on.

We’ll have much more on the big win tomorrow.

The Wildcats will look to keep things going on Saturday when they host Butler at the Wells Fargo Center.