PHILADELPHIA—Count me as one 0of the skeptics who felt Villanova coach Jay Wright may have overscheduled when Villanova penciled in road and neutral site games against UCLA, Tennessee, Purdue, Syracuse and Baylor in the non-league. The Cats were 2-3 in those games, losing consecutive 20- point road games to Baylor in Waco and Creighton in the Big East league opener at Omaha.
But it is obvious Villanova has learned from its mistakes.
The Cats are on fire these days, winning six straight league games, including three on the road, and blowing away Butler, 82-42, in a 12 pm noon game played before a healthy crowd of 17,000 on a same day the Eagles were playing a 1 p.m. playoff game at Tampa Bay.
“It’s basketball. They came out hot, they came out torching,’’ Butler forward Bryce Nze said.
This may be the best I’ve seen a Jay Wright coached team play since the 2018 Final Four when they blistered Kansas and Michigan to win a second national title in three years.
The Cats shot 71 percent in the first half and close to 60 for the game. They made 12 of 19 three- point attempts. Defensively, they held Butler, a team that has traditionally caused them problems, to just four points in the first eight minutes of the first half and just three points in the first eight minutes of the second half. The Cats limited Butler, which had just defeated Georgetown, 72-58, in D.C., to just 30.8 percent shooting.
“We’ve been playing good defense,’’ Wright said. “But early in the year, we would have lapses. We’re starting to be able to do this for 40 minutes.’’
Super senior guard Collin Gillespie, the leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year and one of the great decision makers to play on the Main Line, led the Cats (13-4) with 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, making 5 of 6 threes he attempted in just 30 minutes. Junor guard Justin Moore had 15 with 5 assists and no turnovers
But the player who is making the biggest impact these days is 6-8 255- pound redshirt sophomore center Eric Dixon who followed up his 15- point, 10- rebound performance in a road win over Xavier with 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting, five rebounds and four assists.
Dixon got Villanova rolling when Butler tried to away Gillespie and Justin away, creating balance in the offense with his low post scoring against a team with no rim protector or shot blocker. “I was just taking what the defense was giving,’’ he said. “I try to be physical every play and be solid.’’
Dixon, who came to the Main line from Abington High in suburbs he was the best senior prospect in the state of Pennsylvania his senior year, is typical of the players who come through this program and become a star in as redshirts their third and fourth year.
There are nine players from Villanova currently in the NBA. Only two of them—guard Jalen Brunson and forward Jeremiah Robinson Earl—were McDonald’s All Americas Others like Kyle Lowry, Josh Hart Ryan Arcidiacono, Dante Dovincenzo, Mikal Bridges, Earl Paschall and Saddiq Bey—developed in the program.
Player development has been a cornerstone of Wright’s program.
“We have a lot of growth left in us as a team’’ Wright said. “There is a lot of improvement still to make. Part of it is getting balance offensively. I think Eric is a big part of that Getting Eric going early was huge. They were taking Collin and Justin away, blitzing ball screens. They were finding Eric and he was delivering.’’
