VILLANOVA, Pa. – After securing a 20-victory season for the seventh consecutive season and 14^th time in the last 15 years, Villanova is set to tackle one of the more challenging stretches of its BIG EAST regular season Sunday. That's when the No. 13 ranked Wildcats face St. John's (18-7 overall, 6-6 BIG EAST) at 5 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.
 
Sunday's clash with the Red Storm is the first of three straight to be played on the road for the Wildcats, who used a late 15-2 burst to pull away from Providence in an 85-67 triumph on Wednesday at Finneran Pavilion. That win bumped their overall record to 20-5 and 11-1 in BIG EAST action. They enter the weekend in first place in the BIG EAST, one game ahead of second place Marquette (10-2 in league play).
 
But if the road stretch – which also includes stops at Georgetown (Wednesday) and Xavier (Feb. 24) – seems daunting from afar, it's business as usual within the confines of the Wildcats locker room.
 
"We don't care where we play," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "We talk about 94 by 50 feet, the basketball court. We enjoy being on the road or at home.
 
"I know we've got to talk about this, but being on the road doesn't bother us."
 
The Red Storm earned a 77-73 overtime victory Tuesday night against Butler at Carnesecca Arena. Prior to that, they fell to Providence 70-56 at Madison Square Garden last weekend.
 
"Rebounding is one of the things we have to work on," stated Wright in the aftermath of Wednesday night's win over the Friars. Providence owned a 36-29 edge over the Wildcats on the glass. "We've got to be tough on the boards.
 
"When Providence played St. John's, it was so physical the refs couldn't call everything. We've got to be ready for that going into their place."
 
The Wildcats have already posted a victory this season at Madison Square Garden, having pulled away from Connecticut in the second half on Dec. 22 for an 81-58 win. Since that date prior to Christmas, Villanova has won 12 of 13.
 
In addition to the work of Eric Paschall (25 points) and Phil Booth (22 points), the Wildcats were greatly aided by the efforts of sophomore forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. The Philadelphia native added 12 points and seven rebounds to the effort, leading a 19 point contribution from VU's reserves. (The 'Cats are 13-1 this season when receiving 15 or more points from its bench brigade).
 
"I'm really happy with Dhamir," noted Wright. "We're hard on him but he's only a sophomore. We expect so much out of him because he is one of the few guys who was even here last year, even though he didn't get significant minutes.
 
"He's really starting to come on. Against (Providence's) size, he was really valuable."
 
The Wildcats used a late rally to gain a 76-71 victory in the first meeting between these squads on Jan. 8 at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Sunday's game airs on FS1 with Joe Davis and Jim Spanarkel on the call. The Villanova broadcast featuring Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby can be heard in Philadelphia on 610 ESPN Radio and Sirius XM 81.