Game 25: Villanova University (13-11)
Feb. 16, 7:00 pm EST
Washington DC
Capital One Arena
Tickets: Available
Media:
TV: CBS Sports Network
GU Radio: WTEM-980
VU Radio: WDAS-1480
About the Wildcats:
Location: Villanova, PA
Enrollment: 6,791
Conference: Big East
2022-23 Record: 17-17
Record vs. Georgetown: 49-45
Meet The Coach:
Kyle Neptune
(Lehigh '07)
2nd season, 30-28
Career: 46-44
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Expected Starters |
Name |
Ht. |
Pts. |
Mark Armstrong |
6-2 |
8.4 |
T.J. Bamba |
6-5 |
10.5 |
Justin Moore |
6-5 |
9.8 |
Tyler Burton |
6-7 |
8.3 |
Eric Dixon |
6-8 |
15.8 |
|
Team Stats: |
Points/Game: |
72.5 |
Points Allowed: |
66.5 |
FG Shooting: |
42.4 |
FG Defense |
41.6 |
3FG Shooting: |
33.3 |
FT Shooting: |
81.7 |
Rebounds/Game |
35.7 |
Assists/Game |
12.7 |
Turnovers/Game |
9.8 |
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Last 5 Games (2-3) |
01/27: Butler 88, VU 81
01/30: Marquette 85, VU 80
02/04: VU 68, Providence 50
02/07: Xavier 56, VU 53
02/11: VU 80, Seton Hall 54
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Entering the final three weeks of the 2023-24 regular season, five teams are fighting for an NCAA at-large invitation. Four of the five -- Villanova, St. John's, Xavier, and Providence -- visit Capital One Arena over the next 17 days.
The first of the four, Villanova, arrives downtown with no room for error. Picked fourth in the pre-season Big East poll and ranked at the start of the season, it's been a wild run of inconsistency on the Main Line--wins over North Carolina and Creighton, but five losses by five points or less. In its last two home games, the Wildcats beat Providence by 18 and Seton Hall by 26, but has also lost its last four games on the road.
For the four schools, Georgetown is more than a upset bid, it's an NCAA land mine. With road games ahead at UConn, Providence, and Seton Hall, Villanova probably needs to win five of its last seven to be in strong tournament contention. This could all come crashing down tonight if the Hoyas do something they have done only twice in the last three years: win a Big East game at home.
The Wildcats soared in the pre-season prognostications on the strength of a four man class in the transfer portal ranked in the top three nationally. At that top of that list was Washington State guard T.J. Bamba, the first inbound transfer to the program since 2019. Of the four, he is the most productive, but can be inconsistent. Bamba was held to six points as the Wildcats lost at Xavier, but responded with 14 in the win over Seton Hall. Overall, his numbers in 2023-24 trail that of his time at Washington State, but he is always capable of a big run, and off-guards have been particularly strong against the Hoyas of late.
Bamba has been well supported by a trio of guards which serves the Wildcats well in Big East play. Sophomore guard Mark Armstrong leads the team in assists and while his shooting took a nose dive in a recent slump (shooting 8 for 39 over a three game run before the Seton Hall game), he a strong ball handler that has allowed coach Kyle Neptune to sit senior Chris Arcidiacono, who started 20 games last season but has been seen sparingly since, with just two points this season. Sophomore Brendan Hausen (6.6 ppg) has been Nova's thee point marksman, with 46 of his 52 field goals this season from outside at a 41 percent mark. Hausen's work has softened the blow for a weaker offensive output from Jordan Longino (6.7 ppg), shooting 29 percent from three and 38 percent overall, but only 3.3 points per game in Big East play.
One of the major hurdles for the Wildcats this season has been the play of Justin Moore, returning from Achilles surgery that sidelined him midway in the 2022-23 season. Projected as an all-Big East first teams selection in the pre-season and a first round NBA draft pick by CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, Moore's output has cratered in conference play. Outside of a 15 point game versus UConn on January 20, Moore has struggled down the stretch, shooting just 10 for 42 in his last six games, 2 of 21 from outside the arc. The defensive play of Dontrez Styles and Wayne Bristol bears watching to see if Georgetown can continue to keep Moore contained, or whether Moore can return to the lofty accolades once afforded him.
The transfer portal was widely projected to send Villanova back into the NCAA conversation but results to date have been mixed. Tyler Burton, coming off a 16 point average at Richmond, is tracking at about half that total for Villanova, largely as his outside shooting has been limited by taller and more mobile Big East defenses. Hakim Hart, a defensive star at Maryland, has started just two games as a Wildcat and has only one double figure output in his last 10 games. Following a 4 for 4 effort from three versus DePaul in December, Hart is just 4 for 27 from three over his last 11 games.
In a position that doesn't get the attention it once did, Eric Dixon is an old fashioned big man who comes to play every night. Dixon is seventh in scoring in Big East play across the conference (17.6), seventh in shooting (.485) and fourth in free throw percentage (.889), with a season high of 34 versus North Carolina. Dixon has been less effective on rebounding, however, and does not list along the top 15 in the conference in that category, a point of concern as Villanova ranks 9th in the conference in rebounding, just ahead of Georgetown. Dixon has fouled out of only one game in a 117 game career, and will be a tough test for Supreme Cook to avoid foul trouble.
Villanova enters the game holding Big East opponents to just 68 points per game, but its offense is averaging just 71.7, keeping many games close and vulnerable to late finishes. The big wins with Providence and Seton Hall were driven by strong outside shooting which kept opponents out of reach early; in short, it's a strategy Nova would like to pursue in this one.
Two numbers define the Hoyas in its 1-12 Big East run to date: 39 and 52. GU is hooting 39 percent from the field and allowing opponents 52 percent in return. The Creighton game was a train wreck not only for the Bluejays' 17 threes, three off its school record, but the fact that Creighton scored on a shameful 17 of 22 attempts inside the arc. If Georgetown cannot defend better, it simply cannot win.
Keys to the game:
1. Disrupt The Perimeter: Villanova wins games on the three point line, but can wander when they are struggling. Georgetown's perimeter defense has been lacking in recent games and must improve.
2. A Slower Pace: The Hoyas are allowing 88.0 points per game in its last seven games, all losses.
3. Massoud Magic: Ismael Massoud has missed 14 of 17 shots over the last four games. He's a better shooter than this but needs to do something before spending his final games as a collegian on the bench.
Maybe the land mine doesn't go off tonight. Maybe it awaits St. John's, X, or Providence. Georgetown's going to get that win, and it might as well be sooner than later.