City of Basketball Love

By David Comer (@dhcomer-cobl)
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PHILADELPHIA - Villanova fans have a tradition of standing at the start of games and staying on their feet until the Wildcats make a basket. On Saturday against Temple in the third-place game of the Big 5 Classic tripleheader at the Wells Fargo Center, Wildcat fans did not have to stand long.

Villanova star forward Eric Dixon swished a jumper from the paint just 17 seconds into the game in a convincing 94-65 win that improved the Wildcats to 6-4 on the season and dropped the Owls to 4-4. 

On this day, Villanova, with an overhauled roster consisting of only two returning players in Dixon and senior Jordan Longino who saw significant minutes last season, showed what it is capable of doing. The Wildcats made a season-high 19 three-pointers and connected on 19-of-30 (63.3%) from long range, but it was his team’s defense that most impressed Villanova coach Kyle Neptune against a Temple team that he said presents a unique challenge.

“They have multiple players who can isolate and score on their own,” Neptune said. “It’s pretty impressive watching them on tape; it’s scary watching them on tape. I give our guys a lot of credit. I thought we came in and kind of took them out of what they wanted to do offensively, and we made shots as well.”

Seven different Wildcats made at least one three-pointer.

“Our guys can make shots,” Neptune added. “We have multiple guys who can make three, four or five threes in a game. We have multiple guys who have done it in college games up and down the roster, so we’re not surprised guys make open shots.”

One of those guys who made open shots was sophomore Tyler Perkins. The lefty with a smooth jumper made his first four shots from deep - including back-to-back treys in a 40-second span that extended the Villanova lead to 32-18 with 5:12 left in the first half. Perkins finished with 12 points and made 4-of-5 from long range.

Perkins is one of the nine new Wildcats this season. The 6-foot-4, 212-pounder from Lorton, Va., spent his freshman year at Penn before moving 12 miles west to Villanova. Last year, Perkins scored a team-high 22 points to lead the Quakers to a 76-72 win over the Wildcats.

He is one of the Villanvoa players who Neptune said can make shots.

“Unfortunately,” the coach said. “We saw that all too well last year.”

But Perkins provides more than offense.

“Tyler Perkins is a fiery competitor,” Neptune said. “I think that’s what he brings to our roster. He’s an animal in practice every single day. He always brings it. It’s great for a coach because you know you have a kid there who no matter what brings it. It’s infectious. The other guys know they have to bring it, or he’s going to be all over them. When he comes into a game, he always gives us a spark at minimum with his energy.”

Perkins, who averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game for Penn last season, doesn’t see much difference between his role last season and his role this season.

“It’s kind of the same thing,” said Perkins, who is averaging 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game this season. “Just playing hard. Do what I can do to help my team. They trust me and everything, so it’s all good.”

While Perkins helped VIllanova to a 45-29 halftime lead, it was another newcomer - senior guard Wooga Poplar - who put an exclamation point on the first 20 minutes.

The 6-foot-5 guard, a graduate of Math, Civics and Sciences Charter School and a transfer from the University of Miami, grabbed a rebound near the Villanova bench with about 10 seconds in the half. Neptune was signaling for a timeout.

“I saw him,” Poplar said. “Coach was saying, ‘Timeout. Timeout.’ I’m cool. … I’m going.”

And he did go - coast-to-coast for an emphatic dunk with four seconds left and a commanding 16-point halftime lead.

Villanova continued its hot shooting in the second half and extended its lead to 70-45 with 9:21 left in the game and was never threatened.

The Wildcats, who have now won three straight, including a 68-60 win over 14th-ranked Cincinnati on Tuesday, received 24 points from Dixon, 18 from Poplar, 14 from Longino and 12 from Perkins. Point guard Jhamir Brickus, a transfer from LaSalle and another newcomer, was terrific with 7 points and 7 assists in helping Villanova to a season-high 94 points.

Dixon, who is second in scoring in all of Division I at 25.7 points per game, was 7-of-12 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He reached 20 points for the eighth time in the nine games he’s played this season.

“It’s impressive for sure,” Neptune said. “When you sit back and look at the string of what he’s done, it’s impressive.”

Jamal Mashburn Jr. led Temple with 20 points. Steve Settle III and Zion Stanford, a West Catholic product, each added 11.

League play is just around the corner for both teams. The Owls open their American Athletic Conference schedule on January 3 at home against Wichita State. 

The Wildcats host Seton Hall on December 17 to start their Big East slate just as they are playing their best basketball of the season.

“Over the long haul, if we have guys who are playing as hard as they did tonight and pay attention to detail,” Neptune said, “we will be in a great spot.”