VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova is set to return to BIG EAST action Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion when it hosts Creighton (10-3 overall, 2-0 BIG EAST) at 8:30 p.m. The Wildcats edged No. 15 Seton Hall 73-67 on Saturday and rose three spots in this week's Associated Press poll to No. 19.
 
Villanova is ranked at No. 15 in this week's USA Today Coaches poll.
 
Also, on Monday the Philadelphia Big Five named senior forward Brandon Slater as its Player of the Week. The Virginia native contributed 17 points and seven rebounds to the win over the Pirates, including a series of key free throws in the final minute that helped secure the BIG EAST road triumph.
 
All of that came on the heels of a tough offensive stretch for the Paul VI High School graduate. Over Villanova's first eight games, the 6-7 forward averaged 14.0 points per contest. However, over the previous five games, Slater scored just 12 total points as he endured a difficult shooting stretch.
 
"I was really proud of him Saturday," noted Wright. "He's had some tough shooting nights lately. It a player only defines himself by whether the shots are going in, he's not much of a player. Brandon has got so much more to his game and found so many ways defensively, passing and screening, to affect the game. He's a big part of our team and I think he's really starting for feel confident about that."
 
In his first season as a starter, Slater averages 31.1 minutes and 10.8 points per game, third on the Wildcats (9-4 overall, 2-1 BIG EAST). What's more, Villanova is 5-1 in games when Slater collects five or more rebounds in a game.
 
Villanova, which played without Caleb Daniels (COVID-19 protocols) Saturday, also received a boost from junior guard Bryan Antoine. The product of the Ranney School contributed seven points and four rebounds in 15:58 of action. It was just Antoine's second game appearance of the season after working his way back from a patella tendon injury in his knee.
 
"You see situations late in games where he fouled the shooter and it's (because) he hasn't played," stated Wright. "He hasn't been able to play in games. He's at the point right now where he's just happy to be out there.
 
"Getting Bryan in there is big. He's really quick defensively, makes threes, is a really smart player. But you've got to be in game situations at this level to understand. He's coming along and he really helped us at Seton Hall."
 
Antoine's appearance was just his 28^th in three injury-plagued seasons as a Wildcat.
 
On Wednesday night, Villanova hosts Creighton, which handed it a 79-59 loss on Dec. 17 in Omaha. The Wildcats trailed 56-54 with just over eight minutes to play in that one before a 23-5 run by the Bluejays proved decisive.
 
Kevin Kugler and Bill Raftery will be courtside at Finneran Pavilion for the national television broadcast on FS1. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will describe the action on the Villanova IHeart Radio Network.
 
A mask requirement remains in place for fans attending games at Finneran Pavilion except when eating and drinking.