On Thursday, March 12, Villanova men’s basketball was defeated, 78-64, by Georgetown after exhibiting one of its poorest shooting performances of the season in its first and only game of the Big East Tournament.
At the end of the regular season, Georgetown finished last in the conference and was seeded No. 11 for the Big East Tournament. In the first round, the Hoyas upset six-seeded DePaul, 63-56.
Villanova’s (24-8, 15-5 Big East) offensive production was limited, as it was 23-of-61(38%) from field goal range and 7-of-29 (24%) from beyond the arc against the Hoyas (16-17, 6-14 Big East).
“You got to take the shots that they give you, and I thought they did a good job in the drop,” Villanova head coach Kevin Willard said. “It’s just you have got to make some of those shots.”
Fifth-year guard Duke Brennan led the team with 14 points. Junior guard Tyler Perkins followed with 13 points, going 2-of-7 on three-pointers. Sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay added 11 points.
Villanova opened up scoring, but Georgetown took a quick lead and went up, 6-4.
The Wildcats managed to take the lead back with a three-pointer from freshman guard Acaden Lewis with 13:42 remaining.
Georgetown committed five turnovers over a span of four minutes, giving up its lead.
Lindsay sank a three-pointer with 8:17 to go to put Villanova up, 24-18. He added another right after to add to the momentum.
Shortly after, Georgetown went on a 7-0 run to cut its deficit to two points. The Hoyas managed to tie the game with a three-pointer and an and-one foul off redshirt sophomore guard Malachi Palmer. From there, Georgetown would go on a 17-4 run over 6 minutes to close out the half, with a final score of 31-35. The Wildcats did not regain the lead after that.
At the half, Villanova was 13-of-36 (36.1%) from field goal range, 4-of-15 (26.7%) from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 (50%) from the free throw line. Lindsay led with 11 points.
Georgetown opened the half with a quick two points from a dunk. Perkins responded with a three-pointer to put the ‘Cats within three points. Villanova entered another scoring drought, allowing the Hoyas to take a seven-point lead. Things only got worse for the Wildcats from there.
Georgetown extended its lead to nine points with 8:20 remaining. The Hoyas continued their momentum, going up by 13 with five and a half minutes to go. Villanova was unable to get within reach for the remainder of the game.
“We struggled a little bit to run offense when Malachi [Palmer] wasn’t in there,” Willard said. “We kind of got stuck going a little bit one-on-one.”
The Hoyas were paced by sophomore center Julius Halaifonua, who recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The unexpected loss for the ‘Cats raises questions regarding their potential in the postseason. Villanova has proven in the regular season that they aren’t the most reliable team in high-stakes games, as seen in its blowout loss against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden, as well as the University of Connecticut at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
I think when you have a young basketball team that has played really well all year long, and has had some struggles in big games,” Willard said. “That’s part of the growing process and the learning process.”
Villanova is currently projected to be a No.7 seed that will face No 10 seeded NC State in Buffalo, according to ESPN’s Bracketology.
Selection Sunday will provide a better idea of just how far the Wildcats can go in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022.
The Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show will take place on Sunday, March 15, beginning at 6 p.m. (CBS). The First Four will follow, lasting from March 17-18.
