When Xavier meets Villanova on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia, the winner will move to the sole possession of fifth place in Big East and get some stability for a declining path after the season.
Instead of playing on campus, the team will have Wells Fargo Center – home for NBA’s 76ers and NHL’s flyers – for themselves, while most of the city are getting ready for Eagles appearance against Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl Lix on Sunday evening.
The basketball game can be overshadowed by football, but it is crucial for Villanova (13-10, 6-6 Big East), who cannot afford more bad losses in the last eight matches in the regular season. Wildcats had lost five of six games before winning 59-49 at Depaul on Wednesday.
While 59 points marked a seasonal flame for the Villanova crime, the team’s defense allowed its second lowest field target rate (30.8) and its lowest 3-point percentage (19.4) of the season. Depaul, a team that is emphasized the three this year, made only 7 out of 36 attempts.
“Our guys put a lot of energy in defense,” said Villanova coach Kyle Neptune. “… at the end of the day you will have games where your crime does not click, or you do not make pictures. That’s why we really prioritize defense and recovery.”
Eric Dixon, who tops the entire Division I, with an average of 23.8 points per match, had a season-low 14 points on 4-AV-14 shooting from the field against Depaul. He also succeeded only 18 points on January 14 when Villanova lost to Xavier in their first meeting this season, 69-63 in Cincinnati.
Xavier (14-9, 6-6) enjoyed a strong excursion from Ryan Conwell that day: 34 points (6-of-10 shooting beyond the arch, 12 of 14 from Foul Line), four assists and two steals.
Both Xavier and Villanova have net trials in the 50s that come into the weekend when they strive for places in the 68-team NCAA tournament.
Musteers has won five of its last seven games, most recently a 74-69 home victory over Georgetown on Tuesday. They lean on Zach Freemantle (16.5 points, 7.2 Returns per match) and Conwell (16 ppg), but coach Sean Miller also praised No. 3-points Daily Swain (10.3) after setting up a team-high 18 points , six returns and four assists against Hoyas.
“We have to put him in a position more often to be a player and have the ball in his hands. He makes too many good decisions and too many good games,” Miller said after the game.
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