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Defense, 3-point shooting and Ochefu shine as 'Nova moves to 3-0

11/20/2015, 10:45pm EST
By Eugene Rapay

Daniel Ochefu has posted a double-double in all three of Villanova's games so far this season.

Eugene Rapay (@ERapay5)
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Villanova notched its third straight win in a row, beating East Tennessee State 86-51 on Friday night.

Both teams played each other as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off, which features a total of eight different teams. ETSU kept it close with Villanova very early in the game, beating the Wildcats on the offensive board to take a 9-4 lead to start.

The Wildcats eventually came back to tie it at 11, before going on a 24-0 run to take the lead. From there the Wildcats never looked back, as their lead continued to grow.

Five different Wildcats scored in double figures: Kris Jenkins (17), Phil Booth (16), Daniel Ochefu (12), Ryan Arcidiacono (11), and Josh Hart (10)

T.J. Cromer led the Buccaneers with a team-high 12 points.

Here are some storylines and observations from the game:

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Wildcats improving defensively
Before the start of the season, head coach Jay Wright expressed concern for Villanova’s defense.

With the graduation of Darrun Hilliard, JayVaughn Pinkston, and Dylan Ennis transferring to Oregon, the Wildcats lost three of its top scorers and defenders.

Although still very early in the season, the Wildcats’ defense had its best showing so far, guiding Villanova to victory.

“Once we got it going, I thought we were pretty good defensively,” Wright said.

East Tennessee State entered the Pavilion on Friday night after scoring 100+ points in back-to-back games. The Buccaneers faltered at the presence of the Wildcats’ high-pressure defense.

Villanova’s players were swarming across the floor, with double teams and getting hands to disrupt the passing lanes. The Wildcats restricted the Buccaneers to just 19-of-59 (32.0 percent) shooting, and it didn’t help ETSU that it turned the ball over 17 times.

“We turned it over, that was the one thing I knew we could not do,” ETSU head coach Steve Forbes said. “We started turning it over and they got easy baskets, that’s a bad recipe on the road."

The Wildcats scored 29 of their points of turnovers, capitalizing on the Buccaneers’ mistakes.

They were beaten on the glass and burned by ETSU in the opening minutes of the game, but were able to settle in to take control for the rest of the game. By the end of the game, Villanova outrebounded ETSU 44-32.

Moving forward, Wright’s concern is maintaining that consistency.

“They hurt us a couple of times then we got it going,” he said. “We need to get to the point where we start games that way.”

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Green light from beyond the arc
It’s no secret that 3-pointers are a large part of Villanova’s game plan on offense.

Entering Friday night, half of the Wildcats’ shot attempts (66-of-132) came from long range.

“We don’t really look at the numbers, but we definitely give them the green light,” Wright said. “If these guys are open from three, we want them to shoot it.”

Through the first two games, Villanova converted a low percentage of its 3-point shots. The Wildcats combined for a sub-par 19-of-66 (28.7 percent) shooting from long range during this stretch.

Once again, Villanova was not afraid to pull up from deep on Friday. The Wildcats actually took more three-point shots than anywhere else on Friday night -- 34 of Villanova’s 63 shots came from long range.

However, this time around, the Wildcats were able to knock them down. Villanova made an impressive 41.2 percent (14-of-34) of its 3-pointers, and four different Wildcats made two or more baskets from long range.

“It’s an offensive depth this year, where last year we had a defensive depth,” Wright said.

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Another double-double for Ochefu
While Villanova has always been known for its guard play, its frontcourt may be its most interesting feature.

The Wildcats’ are thin on the depth chart at the forward-center positions. Villanova has only two big men who boast a traditional style of play in the post – Darryl Reynolds and Daniel Ochefu.

With the lack of depth, the burden has been placed on Ochefu’s shoulders to produce. So far, the senior center has risen to the occasion, posting three straight double-doubles.

“I am happy with him,” Wright said. “He is doing a great job a rebounding and also has played great defense.”

Ochefu posted 12 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against ETSU, nine of which came on the offensive glass. He also added a pair of blocks.

He adds a gritty, physical threat in the post that complements the perimeter shooting that Villanova leans on. His presence alone changes the way teams have to defend, even when he doesn’t have the ball.

“The big fella causes problems,” Forbes said. “You have to really think about squeezing the court on the ball screen and you have to close out on the shooters.”

Despite his performance so far, he remains steadfast, knowing that he and his team still has some work to do collectively on the glass and on defense.

“I am happy with the win, but like coach said we have to get better every day with defense and rebounds,” Ochefu said. “It is a challenge that we will have all season and we look forward to taking on that challenge.”


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