Villanova Basketball Cruises Past Rider, 72-48: 3 Takeaways

On Wednesday, Nov. 27, Villanova handled business, beating Rider, 72-48.

Villanova basketball has had its ups and downs throughout an early non-conference season. It is games like this against Rider where the Wildcats need to clean up their play.

Villanova came out struggling on offense which allowed Rider to keep it close. Within the last 10 minutes of the first half, the Wildcats started clicking. The team went on a 13-0 run to close out the half with graduate forward Eric Dixon leading the team with 11 points.

Villanova entered the second half with a 16-point lead. Rider could not find any way to cut down its deficit and it was all Villanova the rest of the game.

Takeaway #1: Forcing turnovers

The Wildcats found success early by getting the ball out of Rider’s hands frequently. In the first half alone, Villanova forced 12 turnovers. That allowed Villanova to enter the half with 17 points off turnovers.

At one point late in the first half, Rider had three straight possessions with a turnover. The turnovers added up and were a huge part of Villanova’s 17-point lead at the half.

Rider ended the game with 17 turnovers, tying its season-high. Villanova shut down Rider offensively through turnovers rather than forcing bad shots. Dixon and senior guard Jordan Longino each had three turnovers to their names.

On the other side of the ball, Villanova basketball limited its turnovers to eight. Turnovers have been a weak spot for the Wildcats. Against Rider, however, Villanova won the turnover battle, 8-17. The Wildcats finished with 26 points off turnovers.

Villanova has lost the turnover battle four out of the eight times this season.

Takeaway #2: Ball movement

With nine new players on the roster, Villanova needed to use the early season to become cohesive. It has taken longer than many expected, but the team is finding a connection.

Against low-ranked teams like Penn and Rider, Villanova moved the ball well. The pace of play flowed and every possession had a sense of purpose. At times the Wildcats made the extra pass to give up their shot for a better shot opportunity. It is the simple things that make a team good offensively.

The ball movement even translated over to the Maryland game on Sunday, Nov. 24, despite the 76-75 loss. In that game, Villanova only had eight turnovers.

Villanova’s roster is starting to get on the same page, now that has to be executed against top-ranked teams.

Takeaway #3: Eric Dixon 

Villanova is blessed to have Dixon return for his final year of eligibility.

Despite his worst scoring performance of the season, he scored 16 points. When your worst game is still a double-digit performance, things are going great. 

With the Wildcats up by 20 points or more toward the end of the game, head coach Kyle Neptune sent in the bench.

Up until today, Dixon scored at least 20 points in all of his appearances. He is on pace to be the first player since Randy Foye in 2005-06 to average 20 points over a season. Currently, Dixon averages 25.1 points per game.

Dixon paired his scoring performance with a season-high five assists. He was a big part of the offensive ball movement. 

Everyone in the entire NCAA knows what Dixon is capable of. As the season progresses, people will try and attempt to shut Dixon down. That will not be an easy task.

Next up for Villanova (4-4): vs. (16) Cincinnati (6-0) – Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Next up for Rider (4-3): vs. Delaware (3-3) – Nov. 30 at 2 p.m.