Eric Dixon’s 33 points were not enough as Villanova basketball fell to Columbia, 90-80.
It was Villanova’s game to lose as it entered its second game of the season. It was a game that was scheduled with the idea in mind that Dixon would still be serving a suspension (Dixon received one game instead of three).
A highlight for Villanova basketball was Dixon surpassing 1,500 points as a Wildcat. Dixon is just one of 12 Villanova players to have at least 1,400 points (1,532) and 700 rebounds (730).
As the game carried on, more things started to fall apart for the Wildcats. Villanova had 12 turnovers, giving up 21 points off turnovers.
Villanova’s bench remained silent until just five minutes remained in the game. The bench scored zero points in the first half and it was not until late in the second half that the bench finished with 11 points.
Columbia was ranked fifth in the Ivy League entering the season. The Lions shot 53.7% from the field to upset the Wildcats on the road. Four players collected double digits: Avery Brown (18), Kenny Noland (14), Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (22), and Noah Robledo (12).
Villanova lost to Columbia for the third time in program history, the last loss coming in 2012.
Takeaway #1: Turnovers
Villanova could not keep the ball in its court. Bad passes and poor ball handling contributed to 12 turnovers.
Inbounding the ball was a massive weak point. Throughout the game, the Wildcats’ inbounded passes resulted in a quick turnover and score under the net. It was as if the team was too comfortable on the court and autopilot kicked in.
“There’s got to be more in sync defensively, like we talked about earlier, transitions [from offense to defense], senior Jordan Longino said. “[Columbia] got a few quick and easy ones, especially in the second half, [Villanova] just not getting back, just not communicating.
Columbia played into it being the underdog well in this case – catch them off guard and take the ball. It was a common occurrence.
Takeaway #2: Bench scoring
Villanova’s bench remained silent until just five minutes remained in the game. The bench scored zero points in the first half and it was not until late in the second half that the bench finished with 11 points.
Sophomore Tyler Perkins moved to the bench with the return of Dixon to the starting lineup. Off the bench, Perkins played 26 minutes. Perkins did not score his first points until there were three minutes left in the game.
The only other two Wildcats off the bench were freshman Josiah Moseley and Kris Parker, playing 13 and nine minutes respectively. The duo combined for six points.
As noted before, Villanova’s bench did not score any points until exactly 5:30 left in the game. Senior Jhamir Brickus got into foul trouble early, finishing the game with five personal fouls. With starters in foul trouble, the rest of the rotation needs to step up.
Takeaway #3: Defensive assignments
Throughout the game, the defense looked lost frequently on the court. At times, double teams would leave a wide-open guy on the perimeter.
The Wildcats struggled to close down open-shot opportunities on the perimeter. Columbia finished 34.4% from three-point range. Fortunately, for Villanova basketball, the Lions missed some open shots they were given, or else the game would have been decided by a wider margin.
“You don’t want to come in and lose,” Neptune said. “Everybody wants to win. So we got a little bit to think about that and accept the fact that happened, and now we gotta move on from it. We gotta go get ready for the next game. We gotta get better.”
Next up for Villanova (1-1): vs. NJIT (0-1) – Nov. 8 at 8:30 p.m.
Next up for Columbia (2-0): vs. Delaware State (0-1) – Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.