VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova completed a practice Tuesday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion and then boarded its team bus for the ride north to New York City. The Wildcats (18-13 overall, 11-9 BIG EAST), the No. 6 seed at the BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep, are set to face No. 11 seed Seton Hall Wednesday night at approximately 9 p.m.
 
The opening round matchup is the third of the day and will be streamed by Peacock. Noah Eagle, Donny Marshall and sideline reporter John Fanta will be at Madison Square Garden for the call. Also on site will be Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby for the audio call on the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart (Fox Sports Philadelphia).
 
The Wildcats are 52-37 all-time (.584) at the BIG EAST Tournament since joining the conference ahead of the 1980-81 season. Villanova captured the event in 1995, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.
 
The winner of Wednesday night's clash meets No. 3 seed Connecticut at 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the fourth of four quarterfinal battles.
 
Entering Wednesday's action, the Wildcats are ranked second nationally in Free Throw Percentage (.811, which trails Wisconsin at .8358) and 3-Point Field Goal Percentage (.3984 behind Bradley at .4010).
 
Eric Dixon, named a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST First Team on Sunday afternoon, continues to lead the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game. The native of Willow Grove, Pa., begins the postseason in third place all-time at Villanova on its scoring list with 2,208 points. Only Kerry Kittles (2,243) and Scottie Reynolds (2,222) have scored more points in the 105 seasons of Villanova Men's Basketball.
 
Senior guard Wooga Poplar (Philadelphia, Pa.) was part of the BIG EAST Third Team announced on Sunday.
 
Villanova swept the season series from its first-round opponent, Seton Hall (7-24 overall, 2-18 BIG EAST). The Wildcats picked up a 79-67 triumph in the regular season league opener on Dec. 17 at Finneran Pavilion. Tyler Perkins stepped up to deliver a 17-point, five rebound effort in that contest to help fuel Nova.
 
On Feb. 26, the Wildcats rallied from a 17-point deficit early in the second half to outlast the Pirates 59-54 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Dixon led the charge, scoring 32 points and collecting 10 rebounds in that victory.

"It's going to be a tough and physical battle," Dixon said of Wednesday's matchup with Seton Hall. "That's what they try to bring, that's what we try to bring. We're going to prepare for that."
 
"Every game is a one-game season for us now," said head coach Kyle Neptune. "Seton Hall and Villanova have played a lot of tough, physical battles through the years and we expect that same kind of game Wednesday night."
 
Seton Hall and Villanova have met twice for the BIG EAST Tournament title in the last decade. The Pirates edged the 'Cats 69-67 in 2016 and Villanova reversed that outcome in 2019, earning a 72-71 win.

Note: The final episode of Inside Villanova Basketball with Kyle Neptune presented by Toyota will air this weekend on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Dates and show times are below:

Friday, March 14 – 12:30pm on NBCSP+

Friday, March 14 – 11:00pm on NBCSP

Saturday, March 15 – 12:00pm on NBCSP

Sunday, March 16 – 4:30pm on NBCSP

Monday, March 17 – 7:00pm on NBCSP+