Villanova's day started off on an optimistic note as word spread that Justin Moore was set to make his season debut following his Achilles injury in last season's Elite 8 win over Houston. Not only did Moore return, but he was in the starting lineup. Unfortunately, spirits wouldn't be quite as high by the end of the game as No. 23 Providence gutted out a 70-65 win over the Wildcats.
The good feelings carried over to the start of the game, where 'Nova jumped out to leads of 6-2 and 11-5. The Friars would battle back and take a three-point lead with 6:35 to play in the half, but 'Nova would respond with a 12-2 push to go back up by seven with 3:38 left.
Providence scored the last four points of the period to send 'Nova into the break with a three-point advantage, but it was an encouraging half nonetheless with Moore making an obvious difference for the 'Cats.
In a bit of a throwback, much of the damage was done on the inside in the first half. Villanova shot just 2-10 from beyond the arc and scored 18 points in the paint. The inside/outside split was even more pronounced for the Friars, who shot 0-8 from three and scored 22 points in the paint. Ed Croswell led the Friars with 10 points on perfect 5-5 shooting. Eric Dixon led the 'Cats with eight, while Brandon Slater and Cam Whitmore chipped in seven each.
Providence landed the first blow of the second half, scoring eight of the period's first 10 points to take a 36-33 lead with just over three minutes played. A 7-2 run for 'Nova reestablished a two-point 'Nova lead, and after Providence tied things up the 'Cats ripped off a 7-0 run and looked as if they were beginning to assert control. They led 49-42 with 10:42 to play.
Unfortunately, Providence answered immediately with an 8-0 run of its own to retake the lead and set up a nip-and-tuck finish. The teams played within a possession or two of each other for the next five minutes, until a pair of Providence three's sandwiched around a Whitmore free throw pushed the Friar lead to six with 3:59 to go.
The lead was still six at the 2:37 mark, but a pair of Caleb Daniels free throws and a Whitmore three pulled the 'Cats to within one with 1:33 to play. The Wildcats, however, were unable to make the plays at either end down the stretch to pull out the win.
Following Whitmore's three, Mark Armstrong drew an offensive foul on Providence's next possession, giving the 'Cats with the ball and a chance to take the lead with 58 seconds left. Moore had a layup blocked on Villanova's possession (a theme on Sunday) and then Jared Bynum put on an impressive move in the paint, stopping on a dime to shed his defender and hitting a short jumper to push the Providence lead to three with 15 seconds left. Villanova turned it over on its next possession, Bynum converted two free throws and 'Nova was handed a bitter five-point defeat.
The 'Cats did a better job controlling the paint in the second half, outscoring Providence 16-14. But they had no answer for Bynum, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half on perfect 6-6/3-3/2-2 shooting. The Friars also got it going from outside as a team, hitting 6-10 to Villanova's 4-13. Bynum and the outside shooting really decided the game. In addition, the Friars piled up seven blocked shots, many of which came right at the basket (including Moore's potential go-ahead layup), a pretty big factor in a five-point game.
"I give Providence a lot of credit, down the stretch they just made more plays, just were a little tougher than we were and came away with the win," Kyle Neptune said.
“He’s just a tough player," Neptune added about Bynum's second-half exploits. "He makes really tough shots. You can be there, you can be in him and he just makes a really good play. He made quite a few tough shots over high hands, mixed it up in the lane. He was tough.”
Much like the multitude of other close losses this season, the 'Cats just couldn't make enough plays at either end down the stretch. It was a valiant effort against a very good team, and the 'Cats generally looked much smoother and more fluid on offense and much more stout and solid on defense, but it wasn't enough.
The good news is Moore did not appear to be limited in any way and played 31 minutes. There was naturally some rust, most notably on his three-point shooting where he went 0-4, but he contributed five points, four rebounds and four assists and again 'Nova looked much better at both ends with Moore in the game. As he gets back into game shape and gets more comfortable, it's fair to think the 'Cats will have a chance to make some noise at the Big East Tournament.
"I felt good," Moore said of his return. "Of course, I haven’t played in 10 months so I had to get back into rhythm and stuff but it was great to be back out there with the guys and compete again.”
Whitmore looked like a big beneficiary of having a more advanced playmaker on the court, finishing with a game-high 21 points to go with nine rebounds, a steal and a block. He shot 50% both overall and from three and did not commit a turnover.
“A lot," Whitmore said when asked about how much the floor opened up with Moore back out there. "He can get everybody in their spots, move the ball, he’s really the glue to distribute.”
It was another tough one to take for 'Nova fans, but there are some legit reasons for optimism and with Moore back in the mix, the 'Cats should have a real shot to make a push at the Big East Tournament. They have 10 regular season games to continue to get better and build chemistry with Moore in a effort to get in the best position possible heading to the Garden, starting with a trip to Marquette on Wednesday.
