VILLANOVA, Pa. – A mid-week bye offered the Villanova Wildcats (15-5 overall, 6-3 BIG EAST) the opportunity to catch their breath with 11 regular season games remaining on tap. That gauntlet begins Friday night at Finneran Pavilion when Nova hosts Providence at 7 p.m.
A limited number of tickets remain available and can be purchased by clicking the link at the top of this page.
It's been six days since the Wildcats pushed No. 2 Connecticut to the limit before falling 75-67 in overtime in Hartford. Villanova took the lead with under two minutes to play in regulation on a
Matt Hodge 3-pointer, but the Huskies tied it at 61. Villanova scored the first three points of overtime on a
Tyler Perkins triple and were deadlocked at 67 later in the session. However, UConn notched the final eight points to grab the win.
Villanova head coach
Kevin Willard noted that there is a learning curve for all parties involved with a roster that features a dozen players who were not Wildcats a season ago. That includes how best to deploy lineups late in games.
"I've got to get better at that," Willard said in Hartford. "I've got to put the right lineups out there. I'm learning a lot about certain guys and what to do.
"At the end of the day, we don't do a free throw box out and we don't get a huge rebound when we're up four with about six minutes to go. Sometimes on the road to make sure you get there, you've got to finish possessions. I thought there were three or four times we didn't finish possessions."
On Friday night, the Wildcats welcome Providence. The two teams met on Jan. 13 at Amica Mutual Pavilion with Villanova claiming an 88-82 victory over the Friars (9-11 overall, 2-7 BIG EAST). Graduate transfer guard
Devin Askew scored 20 points and added seven points off the bench in that contest.
Villanova's coaching staff will take part in the "Suits and Sneakers" outreach as part of Friday evening's matchup. This is part of the National Association of Basketball Coaches annual outreach to raise awareness in the fight against cancer. When you see Coaches vs. Cancer, you're seeing the American Cancer Society in action. For more than 30 years, coaches, players and fans have turned their passion into progress, raising more than $179 million to raise awareness, offer free rides and lodging for patients and offer 24/7 support.
During the third media timeout of the game, Villanova will partner with ZOLL Medical to recognize VU staff members who helped save head volleyball coach Josh Steinbach's life after a sudden cardiac arrest this summer during a pickup basketball game. The responders will be presented with certificates of appreciation, and ZOLL will donate an AED to the Villanova campus in addition to providing an AED demonstration table for game attendees to learn more.
FS1 will carry the broadcast nationally with Alex Faust and Jim Spanarkel on hand. Ryan Fannon and
Whitey Rigsby will be live on the Villanova Sports Radio Network (Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia, iHeart App, SiriusXM channel 380 and the TuneIn App).
