March 5, 2009
Recap | Box Score
PAVILION WIN STREAK
Villanova won its record 28th straight game in the Pavilion tonight, extending a school record set in a 76-57 win over St. John's on January 18. The Wildcats began the current streak with a 102-87 win over Notre Dame on January 17, 2007 and the winning streak includes 15 wins over non-conference opponents and 11 over BIG EAST foes. Villanova has not lost in The Pavilion since a 73-65 setback to DePaul on January 6, 2007.
UNDEFEATED SEASON AT PAVILION
The Wildcats were a perfect 13-0 at The Pavilion this season, matching their highest single-season win total in the building. Villanova went 13-3 in the building during the 2001-02 campaign, Jay Wright's first as head coach. This season was the 24th in The Pavilion for the Wildcats, who went undefeated in their on-campus home for only the third time since it opened. Villanova was also undefeated in The Pavilion last season and in 1995-96.
Villanova's Undefeated Seasons at The Pavilion
1995-96: 10-0 Pavilion, 26-7 Overall, NCAA Second Round
2007-08: 11-0 Pavilion, 22-13 Overall, NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2008-09: 13-0 Pavilion, 25-6 Overall (through end of regular season)
REGULAR SEASON WINS
Villanova also tied a school record tonight with its 25th win of the regular season. The only previous times the Wildcats finished the regular season with 25 victories came in 1937-38, 1949-50 and 1950-51. The only season out of those three in which Villanova played in the postseason came in 1951, when the team played in the NCAA Tournament and the National Campus Tournament.
BIG EAST WINS
Tonight marked the final game of the regular season for Villanova, which went 13-5 in BIG EAST play. The 13 BIG EAST wins are the fourth-highest single-season total for the club and just one off the team's record. The Wildcats won 14 BIG EAST games in 1994-95, 1995-96 and 2005-06.
CHAMPIONSHIP SEED
With tonight's victory, Villanova clinched the No. 4 seed in next week's BIG EAST Championship. The seed comes with an automatic double bye into the quarterfinal round, which will be played next Thursday, March 12. The Wildcats can either finish in sole possession of fourth place in the league standings or in a tie with Marquette. Villanova and the Golden Eagles split a two-game season series but the Wildcats own a tiebreaker by virtue of their win over Pittsburgh on January 28.
This season will mark the 15th time in 29 years that Villanova has entered the BIG EAST Championship as one of the top four seeds. The last time the Wildcats had a top-four seed came in 2005-06, when it was the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament.
PROVIDENCE SERIES
Villanova now leads the all-time series against Providence by a 50-34 margin. Tonight marked the Wildcats seventh straight win in the series. Villanova has not lost to the Friars since a 100-74 setback in The Pavilion on February 11, 2004.
STEALS BY VILLANOVA
The 19 steals that Villanova had in tonight's game were the most in a game in Jay Wright's tenure as head coach. The single-game school record for steals is 24 in a game against Wagner on January 27, 1977.
