Villanova men’s basketball fell to 1-1 on the season after being humiliated, 76-51, by Ohio State.  Last night in Columbus the Buckeyes jumped out to 9-0 lead in a blink of an eye and didn’t look back for the rest of the contest, leading by as many as 26 points in the first half.

Villanova couldn’t recover from its slow start, as it had to navigate an onslaught of Buckeye three pointers without junior point guard, Collin Gillespie, who had to sit out the majority of the first half after picking up two fouls in the opening minute. On the defensive side of the ball, the Wildcats had a difficult time stopping the Bucks, who shot 52% from the field in the opening frame. The ‘Cats offensive performance wasn’t much better, as they struggled to make shots from inside and behind the arc.

‘Nova fans were given a glimmer of hope, as Collin Gillespie spearheaded a 9-0 run to end the first half, and Sophomore Cole Swider hit a trio of three pointers to start the second period, but the game had been out of hand since the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-point lead only six minutes into the contest.

Junior forward Jermaine Samuels, Swider, and Gillespie paced Villanova with 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively. These three were the only Wildcats to score in double figures. For Ohio State, five players scored in double figures, led by sophomore guard Duane Washington Jr.’s 14 points.

This Saturday, the Wildcats will get a chance to get back to their winning ways, as they host the University of Ohio at the Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is set for noon.