Villanova basketball suffered a 69-63 loss to Xavier. It marks the first time the Wildcats have lost consecutive games since Nov. 15.
Takeaway #1: Offensive efficiency + bench scoring
There were a multitude of possessions where Villanova’s offense was just not efficient. Senior guard Jordan Longino at times was the only Wildcat in the paint.
Longino finished the night with the second-best scoring performance of his career, scoring 18 points. He now has double digits in four of the last five games.
Opponents have begun to find ways to shut down graduate guard Eric Dixon.
Dixon entered the game averaging 25.3 points per game. He now has back-to-back games with 18 points. Besides his 16-point game in a 72-48 blowout win over Rider, they are his worst scoring performances of the season.
The nation’s leading scorer is doubled team frequently. Dixon has struggled to pass out of those double teams. Villanova needs to find a way to score without Dixon dropping a minimum of 25 points a game.
Villanova’s bench has been unable to contribute much offensively in losses. The bench’s leading scorer, sophomore guard Tyler Perkins, opened Big East play with a 17-point game against Seton Hall. Since then, Perkins has averaged 2.2 points a game.
When Perkins scores at least 10 points, Villanova is 6-0. Bench scoring allows starters to rest to be ready for late-game pushes. Dixon has only sat for five minutes over the last three games. Even the best players in the country get fatigued.
Villanova coach Kyle Neptune views Perkins as a sixth starter.
Takeaway #2: Tyler Perkins
Sophomore guard Tyler Perkins opened Big East play with a huge 17-point game in Villanova’s 79-67 win over Seton Hall on Dec. 17.
Since that performance, Perkins has struggled to find his shot, averaging just 2.2 points per game.
When Perkins scores 10 or more points, Villanova is 6-0. Benching scoring is a main issue Villanova needs to address.
Perkins is capable of playing at a high level, there is a reason Neptune recruited him this offseason.
As for the rest of the bench, it has been a stretch of inconsistency. Redshirt freshman Kris Parker is the bench’s second-leading scorer with just 3.6 points per game.
The Wildcats need depth to beat NCAA tournament teams on a consistent basis and that has yet to be displayed consistently.
Takeaway #3: Closing games
Villanova now has back-to-back games where it was unable to retain a lead and close out a game. The Wildcats led Xavier at halftime, 32-24. All looked well for the Villanova defense and offense.
It all fell apart in the middle of the second half. Villanova’s defense collapsed. Ryan Conwell scored a season-high 34 points with 28 of those points coming in the second half. The Wildcats had no answer for Xavier’s offense. Conwell collected 13 of Xavier’s final 14 points.
The closing minutes for Villanova looked similar to its 80-68 loss against St. John’s on Jan. 11.
Until Xavier’s 69-point performance, Villanova was 10-0 when holding opponents to under 70 points. Now the team is 10-1.
Despite winning the rebound battle, 34-28, Villanova still could not stop Xavier from putting together runs in the second half. Conwell was able to score at will.
KenPom currently ranks Villanova’s defensive efficiency 169th in the country. The Wildcats need to find consistency on defense if they want to contest tournament-level teams.
Up next for Villanova (11-7, 4-3): vs. Providence (9-9, 3-4) – Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.
Up next for Xavier (11-7, 3-4): at No. 7 Marquette (15-2, 6-0) – Jan. 18 at 2 p.m.
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