VILLANOVA, Pa. – For the second time in as many seasons, Villanova will open its BIG EAST Conference regular season schedule against Seton Hall. But much has changed since Dec. 17, 2024, when the Wildcats knocked off the Pirates at Finneran Pavilion.
 
Seton Hall has been an early season revelation, winning 11 of 12 to open the season, including its BIG EAST opener on the road at Providence Friday night. It will host the Wildcats (9-2 overall) Tuesday night at what is expected to be a sold-out Prudential Center at 7 p.m. (NBC Sports Network and Peacock).
 
The other twist in this one is the return of new Wildcats' head coach Kevin Willard to meet the program he directed for 12 seasons (2010-22) before moving on to Maryland.
 
"There's a little bit more to this one," said Willard on Monday. "I love Seton Hall. I raised my kids in Jersey – they grew up there. My wife and I spent 12 great years at Seton Hall. It's a great fan base, it's a great alumni base.
 
"I hadn't really started thinking about it until last night when my wife and I started talking about it – all the pictures we have with our kids around the court. (The kids) coming on road trips to Butler. It's a little bit more for me. Obviously, it's a league game so I don't want to make it sound like I'll be crying at half-court. It's a place I hold dear."
 
The larger issue is the Pirates, who have been on a roll over the season's first six weeks under a former Willard assistant, Shaheen Holloway.
 
"When I look at them, I think there are two things that stand out," Willard said. "They did a great job in the portal of getting guys who play the way he wants them to play. He also scheduled great. The first five games were smart in the fact that he stayed home. He was able to play games at home, build some confidence and then really played well out in Maui."
 
The Wildcats completed their non-league schedule with an impressive 76-66 overtime victory over Wisconsin before a pro-Badgers crowd at the Milwaukee Hoops Showdown. That victory pushed Villanova's NCAA NET ranking to No. 29.
 
"We talk about where we are and where we stand," said Willard. "We talk about our NET numbers. I let (the players) know about everything."
 
Willard noted that sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay had the NET on his mind when he added an uncontested layup in the final seconds that drew a negative reaction from the Badgers.
 
"Bryce told me, 'I was just protecting our net number'," Willard noted. "We do have a constant conversation of where we are. This is the first opportunity in the Big East Conference. It's a big one."
 
John Fanta and Tarik Turner will handle the television broadcast duties. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby will be at the Prudential Center for the audio call on the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart (Fox Sports Philadelphia and Sirius XM channel 380).
 
Also, on Monday Matt Hodge was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week after delivering a 15-point, six rebound effort in the win over Wisconsin. Center Duke Brennan (13 points, 11 rebounds against the Badgers) was tabbed to the BIG EAST weekly Honor Roll.