VILLANOVA, Pa. – As he perused the box score of Villanova's 71-60 loss at Marquette Saturday, Jay Wright kept coming back to one theme.
 
"Our defense was inconsistent in the first half," he noted of a period where the Wildcats fell behind 46-29, "but a lot of that had to do with how we struggled offensively with decisions and turnovers."
 
Indeed, the Wildcats (10-3 overall, 1-1 BIG EAST) never did find their offensive footing in Milwaukee, converting 24-of-66 field goal attempts (.363), including 9-of-38 from beyond the 3-point arc (.237). That spelled trouble even on a day when the Wildcats held Marquette to 37 percent accuracy from the field.
 
The next challenge comes quickly as the Wildcats head to Omaha Monday for a Tuesday night clash with Creighton (12-3 overall, 1-1 BIG EAST). The Bluejays were held to 57 points in a loss Saturday at Butler but flashed their firepower in a BIG EAST victory earlier in the week at home over the Golden Eagles (92-75).
 
FS1 will carry the game nationally beginning at 9 p.m. eastern while the Villanova radio broadcast featuring Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby can be found at 610 ESPN Radio in the Delaware Valley and the TuneIn radio app everywhere.
 
The Wildcats will be in another hostile environment Tuesday at CHI Health Center Omaha, where capacity is better than 17,000. For a playing rotation that features six underclassmen – three freshmen and three sophomores – that remains a relatively novel experience. Wright hopes some of the lessons absorbed in Milwaukee will help the Wildcats in the weeks ahead.
 
"I think one thing our young guys saw is that when you get down, you've got to continue to make the right play," noted Wright. "You don't want guys feeling like they have to go make a play themselves. It's important to stick to the game plan and make the right decisions offensively."
 
One freshman who saw his most extensive action of 2019-20 at Marquette was Bryan Antoine. The 2019 McDonald's All-American underwent surgery on his right shoulder on May 31 and didn't resume full basketball activities until Nov. 6. Antoine's previous high in minutes had come in his debut in the opening game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Nov. 21 against Middle Tennessee State (19).
 
In the weeks since Antoine has been playing catch up as he absorbs the Wildcats' system.
 
The product of the Ranney School saw 20:42 of action against the Golden Eagles and was a plus seven in his time on the court. He was 0-of-6 from the field, converting two free throws for his only points yet Wright liked what he saw from the 6-5 rookie guard.
 
"He's learning," stated Wright. "Bryan brings us great energy. I think as he continues to learn what we do he'll be able to do more for us. He gave us really good energy on Saturday."
 
Although the 2019-20 BIG EAST campaign is only two games old, Wright believes there is one essential internal ingredient moving forward.

"This league is going to be incredible," Wright said. "You're going to need to be mentally tough this season. You can't let one game affect your performance in the next. We didn't play well at Marquette. But I think teams are going to go on the road this year, play well, and still lose. You've got to keep a positive vibe on your team. I think that's going to be more important than ever."
 
The 2019-20 season – Villanova's 100^th college basketball campaign – is presented by Hartford Funds and Coca-Cola.