After suffering a loss to Oregon State, which was picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12, Villanova (1-1) will look to get back to winning ways against Temple (2-1). The game will take place this coming Sunday, Nov. 19, with tip-off from the Finneran Pavilion set for 2 p.m.

The ‘Cats will stay on their home court for their following game against Holy Cross (1-1). The game is set for Tuesday, Nov. 21, with a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Scouting the Other Teams

Temple’s season has gone about as expected, with two wins against low-major teams and a loss to Georgetown.

The Owls, led by second-year head coach Diane Richardson, are coming off a turmoil-filled 11-18 season. Multiple mid-season transfers and injuries depleted the roster to the point where they only had eight available players by the end of the season. The Owls have not made an NCAA tournament since 2017.

This season, however, has shown promise with a season opening rout against Delaware State, an uptick in scoring from senior forward Ines Piper and solid contributions from fifth-year guard Aleah Nelson and Towson transfer center/forward Rayne Tucker.

In the AAC, Temple was picked preseason to finish ninth. The preseason outlook for Holy Cross was a bit different. It was picked to win the Patriot League.

The Crusaders, led by fourth-year coach Maureen Magarity, are coming off one of the best seasons in program history. They won the Patriot League tournament and finished with a 24-8 record, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.

The Crusaders returned nearly their entire team, but opened their season with a challenging opponent. They opened their season with a loss to Boston College. However, the season still has much to come and with exciting talent like senior guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy, the Crusaders may prove a challenge for the ‘Cats.

Keep An Eye On

For Villanova, star junior guard Lucy Olsen has been the highlight of the squad. Olsen’s already recorded back-to-back 20-point games, the first time she’s done that in her Wildcat career.

Fellow starters Christina Dalce and Maddie Burke have also impressed thus far, particularly the leadership and rebounding success (7.5 per game) of Dalce and the scoring of Burke (10.5 points per game). Freshman guard Maddie Webber has also made an impact off the bench, averaging 4.5 points and four rebounds, with potential brimming for better performances to come.

In their upcoming matchups, the ‘Cats need to improve on their three-point shooting as thus far, they’ve connected on just six out of 35 attempts (17.1%).

Series History

For coach Denise Dillon and her team, don’t expect any major changes to come, despite the loss at Oregon State. The ‘Cats open Big 5 play and look to make it two straight against Temple, after a victory in their previous matchup last November. Holy Cross, however, marks history for both programs, as the ‘Cats and Crusaders have never clashed before.