City of Basketball Love

Daniel Hughes (@dan1el_sun)
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In college basketball these days, there’s not many tasks more difficult than stopping the Villanova Wildcats’ offense.

On Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (3-3, 0-1 Big 5) will have to try to stop that offense, as they get their shot at the reigning NCAA champion Villanova squad in the annual Holy War.

“They have a swagger about them that comes with winning the national championship,” Hawks head coach Phil Martelli said. “I’m very impressed by them and looking forward to the opportunity.”

The Wildcats’ (7-0, 1-0 Big 5) offensive attack is led by senior guard Josh Hart, averaging 17.3 points per game and 3-point specialist senior forward Kris Jenkins, averaging 13.7 points per game.

That combo is helping Jay Wright’s Villanova team get out in front of opponents early so far this season. They have carried a lead of at least 10 points into halftime of every single game this season except for one, a November 14 contest against then No.-15 Purdue.

Villanova won that game 79-76 after a pair of clutch free throws from sophomore guard Jalen Brunson. Even in that matchup, the Wildcats jumped out to a 10-point lead early on in the first half.

It’s a formidable task, indeed, for a young Hawks squad that has yet to see anybody quite of the Wildcats’ caliber.

“We have to keep them in front of us and slow them down,” senior Hawks forward and one of the team’s three captains, Javon Baumann, said. “We just can't be impacted by their atmosphere, their stadium, just focus on our game and do the things we do.”

In addition to Hart and Jenkins, Villanova also boasts weapons in sophomore point guard Jalen Brunson (11.7 ppg), sophomore wing Mikal Bridges (10.9 ppg) and more, including the 2014-15 Atlantic 10 freshman of the year, Eric Paschall (7.7 ppg) and redshirt freshman Donte DiVincenzo (8.3 ppg) off the bench.

To slow down an offense that is outscoring its opponents 293-195 in the first half, Martelli is going to take his chances with the ‘3’ ball and try to stop the Wildcats in every other aspect of the game.

It won't be easy -- Villanova comes into the game shooting 49.6 percent from beyond the arc, good for 31st nationally.

“On the defensive end of the floor we have to make sure that the ball goes over us not through us,” Martelli said. “They’re much more aggressive going to the basket (this year).”

Jenkins, famous for hitting the game-winning 3--point buzzer-beater in the national championship game against North Carolina on April 4, will cause trouble if he is given a chance to shoot from long-range. He is currently tied for third in the Big East with 20 3-pointers and is converting 45 percent of all attempts behind the arc.

“Right now we want them to shoot the ball over us and not take the ball by us,” Martelli said. “If they’re making threes over the top of us, we have to adjust the plan.”

The Hawks will counter with their point-guard combination of junior Shavar Newkirk and sophomore captain Lamarr Kimble, who are both starting and averaging 21.8 and 14.3 points per game respectively.

Those two will attack the rim and try to move the ball against a strong Wildcats defense. Kimble averages 4.5 assists per game while Newkirk adds 4.0 assists per game.

“We have to be able to make not just the first pass but also the second pass,” Martelli said. “When you have the ball they’re very aggressive guarding you.”

St. Joe's has lost three in a row, including a 78-72 loss to another Big 5 opponent Temple on November 30.

The Hawks kept it close in that game against Temple, but ultimately were plagued by shooting woes, converting on only 13 of 37 2-point attempts. Martelli stressed this would need to improve.

Martelli also lamented St. Joe’s defensive breakdowns, saying that the team needed “to become better defensive listeners.” The Hawks allowed Owls junior forward Obi Enechionyia to score 26 points on Wednesday.

Although the Wildcats do not have a player like Enechionyia who can score from the forward position and the outside on their team, they have a different matchup for St. Joe’s in 6-foot-9 senior center Darryl Reynolds, who puts up 5.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game for Villanova.

Reynolds will likely be guarded by the 6-8 Baumann, 6-7 redshirt sophomore forward Markell Lodge and 6-9 forward Jai Williams.

Lodge has been looking stronger in an increased role this year, averaging 4.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

“We’ve really got to rebound a lot,” Lodge said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing and continue to get better at everything.”

Overall however, the game will not come down to one player. Despite the odds, the Hawks will be satisfied with nothing less than an upset.

“We’re not going there to play a game, we’re not going there to compete in a game, we’re going there to win a game,” Martelli said. “(On Saturday) we want to exhaust all our efforts to win a game.”