Villanova Basketball drops a five-game win streak after a road loss to Creighton.
Takeaway # 1: Creighton’s Three-Point Berade
Creighton was unstoppable from deep. The Bluejays made a season-high 14 three-pointers on 25 attempts.
Not even Villanova’s best defense could have stopped the threes from falling.
Creighton was 28th in the country in total three-pointers made (119) entering the game.
Jamiya Neal made six of his seven three-point attempts, finishing with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Neal was just one point shy of his season-high of 21 points which was set in the 80-76 win over Notre Dame on Nov. 30.
Creighton shot 56% on three-pointers and 55.4% from the field. Nothing Villanova basketball did was enough to quiet the Bluejays’ offense.
Villanova’s opponents’ three-point gameplay has been a common theme throughout the season. Seton Hall is not a team known for shooting a high volume of three-pointers. In the game on Dec. 17, however, the Pirates shot nine three-point attempts quickly from the tip.
It seems teams have identified a weak point in Villanova’s game plan. When opponents exploit that weakness well, it wins them games.
Takeaway #2: Passing and Creating Shots
The outcome of a game can usually be determined by Villanova’s assist total.
The Wildcats had a total of eight assists in the loss, tying a season-low. Over the five-game win streak, Villanova had double-digit assists in every game, averaging 15.2 assists per game.
Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus is the team’s assist leader, averaging 5.8 assists per game. As the primary ball-handler, Brickus is the first true point guard Villanova has had in a few seasons. Brickus sees things before they occur on the court. Despite the loss, he accounted for four of the team’s eight assists and had the only Villanova turnover.
Creighton won the assist battle 22 to 8.
Villanova’s one turnover is impressive on a box score, but it is difficult to turn the ball over when the ball is being moved around the court.
Creighton forced Villanova into frequent one-on-one situations that made it hard for the Wildcats to pass the ball and find open teammates.
Takeaway #3: Rebounding
Villanova has improved its offensive and defensive rebounding since the beginning of the season, but not consistently.
The Wildcats lost the rebound battle to Creighton but only 30-28. Creighton averaged 41.8 rebounds per game before taking on the Wildcats. The 30-rebound performance marks the third-lowest performance of the season.
That means Villanova was matching the intensity of the glass. The low rebounding numbers also mean Creighton did not need too many second-chance opportunities on offense.
Senior forward Enoch Boakye is a true big man in the paint for Villanova. Boakye is third in rebounds on the team. Poplar and Dixon are first and second respectively. Boakye needs to become more reliable under the rim. He has massive agility despite having a six-foot-11 frame. The Wildcats currently average 35 rebounds per game while their opponents average 28.5.
Up next for Villanova Basketball (8-5 overall, 1-1 Big East): @ Butler – Jan. 1 at 6:30 p.m.
Up next for Creighton (8-5 overall, 1-1 Big East): vs. St. John’s (10-2 overall, 2-0 Big East) – Dec. 31 at 3 p.m.