What did the first two weeks look like for Villanova Basketball?
Villanova’s season opener was not smooth sailing. One of Villanova’s Preseason All-American’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, spent most of the first half on the bench because of foul trouble. He was the difference in the second half, which is where he scored 14 of his 18 points. The Wildcats overcame a nine-point deficit to beat Boston College 76-67. Collin Gillespie provided 15 points and leadership. Justin Moore and Caleb Daniels both had 14 points apiece for Villanova. The Wildcats and Eagles were tied at halftime, but BC went on an 8-0 that gave them a 49-41 lead, which was extended to 57-48 with 13 minutes left. Villanova responded with an 11-1 run themselves, and a jumper by Collin Gillespie gave the Wildcats a 59-58 lead. Villanova took the lead for good at 63-61 thanks to a hook shot by Justin Moore with six minutes left. There was some rust for Jay Wright’s Wildcats, but a win is a win, and you will take them any way you can.
Villanova’s next game was against Arizona State. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl followed up his season-opening performance with a better one when he dropped a career-high 28 points in a win over the Sun Devils. Justin Moore added 16 points and 12 boards for the Wildcats while Caleb Daniels chipped in with 14 points, 10 of which came in the second half. Villanova led by nine at halftime and took their first double-digit lead at 49-38 with a three from Robinson-Earl that capped off an 8-0 run to start the second half. The Wildcats lead got stretched to 66-49 with a three by Daniels before Arizona State went on a run themselves. The Sun Devils went on an 11-1 run closing the cap to 70-60 but could not manage to come all the way back. Villanova starts the season off 2-0.
This game was not originally on the schedule but because of COVID within Temple’s Basketball program, which was Virginia Tech’s next opponent, but they ended up playing Villanova. Temple was supposed to play the Wildcats on Dec. 3, but that got postponed. UPSET!!! The Hokies overcame some late-game adversity that sent this game into overtime. In overtime, Virginia Tech dominated, outsourcing the Wildcats 17-9 to upset #3 Wildcats just after finding out they were going to play the day before. Collin Gillespie scored 25 points, but 18 of those came in the first half. Caleb Daniels scored 17 points, and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl added 14 points for the Wildcats. Villanova and Virginia Tech were tied at halftime and deadlocked at 38 with five minutes left in the second half. The Wildcats went on an 11-0 run taking control of the game and holding the Hokies scoreless for five minutes. Virginia Tech chipped away and took the lead at 64-62 with 1.3 seconds remaining. Justin Moore drew a charge on an inbounds play and shot two free throws, and forced overtime tied at 64. In the end, the Wildcats suffer an early loss season to a team that was not originally on their schedule.
The bounce back game for Villanova basketball came against Hartford. Justin Moore led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points. Eric Dixon had 14 points, and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who had six players score in double figures. Villanova shot 52% from the floor and made 15 3-point shots. The Wildcats went into halftime up 43-24, and a dunk by Jermaine Samuels gave Villanova a 30-point lead at 64-34 with 12 minutes left. The Wildcats ended up beating the Hartford Hawks with a final score of 87-53. A game that was needed for Villanova after coming off of a loss to Virginia Tech so early in the season.
Villanova went to Austin and came out with a big win over Texas. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and Justin Moore scored 19 points apiece to help the Wildcats hold onto a 68-64 win over the Longhorns. Collin Gillespie made four free throws in the final fifteen seconds to secure a win for Nova. Jermaine Samuels, who sat out practice all week due to a sprained pinky on his right hand, had a game-high 12 rebounds. Courtney Ramey for Texas fouled out, which sent Gillespie to the line, and he hit both free throws to put the Wildcats up by four. Collin went back and shot two more free throws, which iced the game. Gillespie finished with 12 points. This game was all about leadership and which stars were going to shine. Luckily for Villanova, their starts shined, and their leaders came through in the clutch. This Wildcats team is going to be a tough out all season long and be a threat to cut down the nets in April.
A tale of two halves for Villanova. The first half of the Wildcats Big East opener against the Georgetown Hoyas was a roller coaster ride, to say the least. Villanova trailed by 18 early in the first half, which was a surprise because the Wildcats entered as 11.5 point road favorites. Villanova struggled in the first half and ended up trailing 46-33 at halftime. The second half was a completely different story. Collin Gillespie and Caleb Daniels each hit five 3-pointers and scored 18 points apiece to lead the Wildcats past Georgetown 76-63. The 6-foot-3 hard-nosed Gillespie got off to a slow start, but he was the spark to a 15-0 run that gave Villanova control of the ballgame. Collin hit consecutive 3s early in the second that pulled Villanova basketball within seven and another three that tied the game at 50. Daniels, who is a transfer from Tulane, hit a three that capped off the 15-0 run I mentioned early and gave the Wildcats the lead.
The Villanova offense came to life in the second half but what really changed the game was the defense. The Wildcats improved on the defensive side. The Hoyas shot 56% in the first half and beat Nova on the boards by five to put them in prime position to hand the Wildcats their second early-season loss. Georgetown ended up shooting 42.6% from the field for the entire game, so Nova’s defense caused problems in the second half. Villanova is the best team in the Big East. Their next game is on Wednesday against Butler. This will be the Wildcats first home game of the season, with an empty gym, but for Jay Wright and his team, it will be nice to be home.
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