Villanova men’s basketball is looking to move on from a disappointing first week of its season. The Wildcats went 2-1 over three home games in the opening five days of the season, claiming convincing victories over Lafayette and NJIT. However, a 90-80 loss to Columbia on Wednesday ushered in the first loss of the ‘Cats’ season earlier than many on the Main Line expected.
The Wildcats will look to further stabilize themselves with some exciting matchups over the next week. First will be Virginia in Baltimore on Friday, followed by a home Big 5 Classic pod matchup with Penn on Tuesday.
Villanova will tip with Virginia on Friday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. Despite the Wildcats being listed as the home team, the game will be played at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore as a part of the Hall of Fame Series.
Virginia has started the season 2-0, defeating Campbell and Coppin State. The Cavaliers have been working under first-year head coach Ron Sanchez after the departure of former head coach Tony Bennett. Bennett, who spent 15 years as head coach at Virginia and led the school to an NCAA Championship in 2019, retired in October.
This matchup will feature two former college basketball powerhouses who have been struggling over the last few seasons. While Virginia has made each of the last two NCAA tournaments, the Cavaliers have been unable to advance past the first round in either. They recorded a 67-42 loss to Colorado State in last year’s First Four.
The Wildcats are 3-5 against Virginia overall, with Villanova taking the most recent win in 2017 on a Donte DiVincenzo putback buzzer-beater. The two teams have claimed three of the last eight national titles, but neither team has claimed a tournament win in the past two seasons.
Virginia has had a well-balanced offense to start the season, with four players scoring in double figures in the team’s season-opening win over Campbell. A player to watch is freshman forward Jacob Cofie, who recorded an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Cavaliers’ 62-45 win over Coppin State. Villanova will be Virginia’s first real test of the season.
The Wildcats will then face their Big 5 rival, Penn, on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Finn. Most Villanova fans remember losing to Penn last season, 76-72. This was ‘Nova’s fourth-ever loss against the school, making it 18-4 all-time against the Philadelphia natives.
Penn is 2-0, including two one-point wins to start the year against NJIT and Maryland Eastern Shore. The Quakers have been led by junior guard Ethan Roberts, who scored 23 points against Maryland Eastern Shore on Nov. 7.
Villanova will look to ride the success from graduate forward Eric Dixon and UMiami-transfer, senior guard Wooga Poplar.
The starting lineup has remained the same since Dixon’s return. Sophomore guard Tyler Perkins was a starter for the opening night against Lafayette, but has since then been moved to a six-man role. He spent his freshman year with Penn before transferring to the Wildcats making this an interesting matchup against the Quakers.
Redshirt freshman guard Kris Parker has worked his way into a solid role after coming off an injury to start the season. He scored 11 points on 4-7 shooting (2-4 from three) in 18 minutes against NJIT.
The Wildcats have plenty to prove in the upcoming week of basketball as it should be a fun one. Despite it still being early in the season, these could be some of those must-win games that keep NCAA tournament dreams alive and give fans hope.
