Feb. 15, 2015 Seton Hall at No. 6 Villanova
When: Monday, 7 p.m.
Where: The Pavilion (Villanova, Pa.)
Television: Fox Sports 1 (Tim Brando & Bill Raftery)
Radio: Villanova IMG Network: 610 WTEL AM /Sirius 84/villanova.com and TuneIn Radio (Ryan Fannon & Whitey Rigsby)
Series: Villanova leads 65-39
Game Notes
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VILLANOVA, Pa. - Fresh from a pulsating 68-65 victory at Butler on Saturday night, the Villanova Wildcats have moved quickly to shift their focus to Monday evening's home date with the Seton Hall Pirates (15-10 overall, 5-8 BIG EAST).
Darrun Hilliard's dramatic game-winning 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds to play in regulation completed a memorable day for the senior from Bethlehem, Pa. in Indianapolis. His 31 points were a career high and his eight 3-point field goals tied a single game program record established by Allan Ray against Lehigh in 2005.
The win improved Villanova's mark to 23-2 overall, the best 25-game start in program history.
"We came into (Butler) looking at it as a great opportunity," stated Hilliard. "We spend a lot of time going over key situations in practice. Coach talks to us about the little things and now we know what it's all about. It's for key moments like this one against a great team."
In addition to Hilliard, Villanova got a lift from senior forward JayVaughn Pinkston, who added 12 points from the interior. The Wildcats' crisp shooting from beyond - they connected on 12-of-26 from long range on the day - helped get Pinkston the space he needed to go to work.
"Darrun making threes and Arch (Ryan Arcidiacono) making great passes meant they left me 1-on-1 inside," stated Pinkston. "I had the confidence to go to my go-to move and I was successful."
Now, though, Villanova alter its gaze to another challenge.
The Pirates already own a victory over Villanova this season, having outlasted the Wildcats 66-61 in overtime on Jan. 3 at the Prudential Center. Seton Hall also eliminated the `Cats from the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament when Sterling Gibbs sank a game-winner just moments after a Hilliard bucket had put Villanova in front. The final at Madison Square Garden that afternoon was 64-63.
"Seton Hall is always a difficult match-up for us," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They really get out and guard the three really well. The four perimeter guys they play are really dynamic, they can all shoot it and drive it. They really seem to play at a high level against us and always have. We know it's going to be a really tough match-up."
Villanova did not return to campus from Indianapolis until after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning. So there was mostly time for some rest, film work and light practice.
"The later these quick turnarounds happen in a season, the better," said Wright. "You know what you're doing. You can prepare more quickly, especially when you are facing a team for the second time. Seton Hall has to do the same thing, so I don't think it will be a factor either way."
The Wildcats bring a 10-2 mark in BIG EAST action into this contest. That gives them a two game lead over Butler (8-4) atop the conference with six games to play (three home, three on the road.)
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