On Saturday, March 7, Villanova men’s basketball defeated Xavier, 91-78, at the Finneran Pavilion with the help of senior forward Duke Brennan’s 20-point, 13-rebound double-double in the regular season finale.
Villanova (24-7, 15-5 Big East) took a lead over Xavier (14-17, 6-14) one minute into the game and held for the remainder of regulation. Brennan guided the team with his 14th double-double of the season, tying Michael Bradley’s single-season program record set in 2000-01.
Brennan collected his 1,000th career point and is now averaging a double-double with 12.3 points and a team-high 10.5 rebounds per game. His 10.5 rebounds per game rank second in the Big East.
Villanova head coach Kevin Willard first saw Brennan when he was coaching Maryland in the NCAA Tournament last season. Maryland played Brennan’s former school, Grand Canyon, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
“I got to play against him last year,” Willard said. “And so I knew what a warrior he was, but I just didn’t know how good a person he was. And obviously, he’s been the backbone of our inside all year, but he’s been a great leader. I think he represents what all the former players that played here represent, toughness, but he is a phenomenal person.”
Freshman guard Acaden Lewis collected his first career double-double, totaling 14 points and a team-high 12 assists (three turnovers).
Junior guard Tyler Perkins scored 18 points, marking his 13th game with 15 or more points over Villanova’s last 15 contests.
Villanova shot a season-high 56.5% from the field along with 41.9% from beyond the arc.
“I think Richard [Pitino] has done a phenomenal job with instituting his tempo, and how fast [Xavier] plays. So we knew we were gonna have opportunities. We really passed the ball well against DePaul in the second half, and I thought we continued that [today].
In the first half, Villanova opened the game with a commanding 21-7 run that separated it from Xavier by double digits. In his second start of the season, senior guard Devin Askew contributed nine points during the run, including a pair of three-pointers.
Askew replaced Bryce Lindsay in the starting lineup and totaled 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, shooting 5-for-11 on three-pointers. Lindsay had started in all of Villanova’s games except the season opener against BYU, where Askew started instead.
“I feel good,” Askew said when asked about his health at this point in the season. “Just wanna keep progressing, and we’re not done. Yes, the regular season is over, but we still have a lot to accomplish, and just keep pushing every day.”
Brennan and Askew’s first-half performances allowed Villanova to lead Xavier, 44-32, at halftime.
In the second, Villanova used its 12-point halftime lead to safely control the game. Xavier was able to cut its deficit down to as little as six points twice in the second half, but could not do any better.
Perkins scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, shooting a perfect 5-for-5 on three-pointers.
Villanova shot 8-for-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line, marking it second best performance of the season and best since Jan. 10 against Marquette (7-for-7).
With just over 40 seconds remaining on Senior Day, Villanova’s walk-on forward Wade Chiddick checked in at the scorer’s table. Chiddick drew a touch foul and went 2-for-2 at the free throw line.
The Wildcats are now staring down their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022, when Jay Wright took the program to a Final Four appearance in his final season as head coach.
“I mean, it’s a fun time of the year,” Brennan, who has made the NCAA Tournament in all of his four collegiate seasons, said. “March Madness is the best tournament ever put on. It feels good to be back, 4-for-4 for me, so I’m really proud of myself. But it’ll be great for those guys, especially our freshmen, younger class guys that haven’t made it.”
Willard commented on Brennan’s achievement.
“Four for four is tough,” Willard said with a chuckle
Brennan responded with, “That’s why you recruited me.”
Villanova will now prepare for postseason play, beginning with the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Wildcats, who hold the No. 3 seed, will open tournament play on Thursday, March 12 (9:30 p.m., Peacock/NBCSN).
The Wildcats will play the winner of the No. 6 and No. 11 game, which takes place on Wednesday, March 11, at 9 p.m. (Peacock, NBCSN).
