After nearly a week-long hiatus, Villanova took on its first ranked opponent, No. 14 Cincinnati. The Wildcats earned a 68-60 victory, handing the Bearcats their first loss of the season. The Wildcats are now 5-4 on the season.
Last week, Villanova took a blowout win against Rider University which came after a heartbreaking one-point loss to Maryland. The team has seemed to turn a new page on the season with the hard-fought win.
Cincinnati got the scoring started, but Villanova answered right back with a layup by graduate forward Eric Dixon. Neither team could create much separation until the Wildcats started pulling ahead midway through the half. They were up by as much as 11 points.
The ‘Cats were playing tough and physical defense to start the game including a full-court press used throughout the half. The aggressive defense was firing up the crowd and sparked the 13-2 run that gave Villanova the big lead.
“I thought our guys came out and really played hard and intense throughout the entire 40 minutes,” head coach Kyle Neptune said. “I think that was our best performance throughout the 40 minutes. I thought we had times throughout the season where we played good in spurts, but this is the first time we put together a full 40 minutes.”
The first half closed with Villanova up, 37-28, topped off with a tough stepback three-point shot by graduate guard Jhamir Brickus. He had an outstanding first half, scoring 11 points hitting threes all over the court. Dixon also added 11 points in the first, proving to be a strong dynamic duo for the Wildcats.
He started the second half strong as well, hitting two early buckets to give Villanova a 13-point lead, its largest of the game.
The Bearcats started to fight back, getting within two points. However, the Wildcats maintained the lead and went on another run to bring the lead back to double digits. This was capped off by a huge three from sophomore guard Tyler Perkins to force a Cincinnati timeout.
Cincinnati stayed competitive but Villanova proved to be too much to handle as it continued to hold the lead. Dixon scored crucial points late, including two dagger threes to put the game on ice, and give the Wildcats their best win of the year. The 68-60 victory was a commanding one that serves as a reminder that Villanova can still be a threat to any opponent.
Dixon ultimately led the team in scoring with a 31-point performance. Brickus flirted with a double-double, scoring 13 points and collecting nine assists while recording zero turnovers. He is starting to look comfortable in this Wildcat offense as he is starting to display the talented offensive capabilities that he had with La Salle.
“[Brickus] is just a great basketball player,” Neptune said. “He sees the game at such an elevated level. He sees the plays before they happen. He can handle it, obviously makes great decisions, can shoot it, and can make plays for other guys.”
Senior guard Wooga Poplar was also crucial in the win. He scored 12 points and brought in 10 rebounds, an impressive accomplishment for a guard. His defensive effort was also huge for the Wildcats.
“I thought he was amazing,” Neptune said. “The box score really doesn’t do him service. I thought he was amazing switching on to whoever he was on. He’s a guy that can really cover ground with his speed and athleticism. He’s stronger than you think. He’s faster than you think. He was big-time today.”
As important as these individual performances were, the team played incredibly as a whole. The ‘Cats shot 40% from three and were efficient all game. With shooting efforts like this, they can compete with any team in the country.
Villanova’s next matchup comes against a familiar foe. The team will be traveling to Philadelphia to take on Temple in the Big 5 Classic. The Wildcats will hope to end their struggles against Philly schools in this one and maintain their winning record.
