City of Basketball Love

Mitchell Northam (@primetimeMitch)
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The Hoyas nearly did it again, but could not pull off an upset of their Big East rival in the Verizon Center a year ago. Josh Hart scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for the Wildcats.

At First…
This game was a stalemate and looked like the Hoyas could hang around and perhaps upset the Wildcats at home like they did a season ago. It was 10-10 seven minutes into the games before the Wildcats went on a 10-4 run to create a gap between themselves and their rivals. The first half ended with Villanova leading by four points.

Turning Point…

The top ranked defense in the Big East made a statement in the second half and was key during a 7-1 Villanova run to give the Wildcats an 10-point lead. The Wildcats continued to block shots, cause misses and grab tough defensive boards throughout the quarter, but had to hold off a comeback from the Hoyas. A 3-pointer from Reggie Cameron would cut the deficit to three points with under a minute to play, but by hitting free throws and grabbing tough rebounds the Wildcats extended their lead and kept it.

Standout Stars…
Hart, the Wildcats’ 6-foot-5 junior guard, registered his fourth double-double of the season. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was big for the Hoyas, scoring 15 points, but also recorded seven of his team’s 13 turnovers.

Noteworthy Number…
Coming into this game, the Wildcats had the best defense in the Big East, holding their opponents to an average of around 60 points per-game. The Wildcats kept that defense up again and the Hoyas missed 35 shots.

Up Next…
No. 6 Villanova at Seton Hall, Jan. 20, 9 p.m.
Georgetown at No. 7 Xavier, Jan. 19, 8:30 p.m.