Villanova basketball heads on the road to complete the season series against Providence. Read more for a full Villanova vs Providence prediction and preview.
Villanova took down Providence earlier in the season at the Wells Fargo Center, 75-73. Senior guard Wooga Poplar had a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double for Villanova. For Providence, senior guard Bensley Joseph had a team-high 20 points and also had seven rebounds. Both teams need to win this game, but one of them will come out on top.
General Information:
Teams: Villanova (14-10, 8-6 Big East) and Providence (11-14, 5-9 Big East)
Tip-Off Time: 6 p.m. EST
Watch: CBSSN
Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
Latest on Providence basketball:
The Friars are on a four-game losing streak, the most recent being a 91-82 loss against Xavier on Feb. 12. Providence’s biggest issue this season has been injuries, especially over the last stretch of games.
The team missed Bryce Hopkins, Wesley Cardet, Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Christ Essandoko and Corey Floyd in their last game against Xavier. Providence players have missed a combined 43 games this season due to injury and illness.
Providence currently ranks 86th on KenPom’s advanced analytics. In offensive efficiency, the Friars are 70th. In defensive efficiency, the team is 123rd.
Senior guard Bensley Joseph has stepped up with injuries plaguing the team. Joseph is coming off a 26-point game in the team’s loss to Xavier. He is averaging 12.4 points, four rebounds and three assists this season.
A Friar to watch out for is sophomore forward Rich Baron. He recently put up a career-high 23 points in an 82-81 loss against Butler on Feb. 8. While Barron is only averaging 5.2 points per game, his last three games are the best he has looked all season. Villanova cannot underestimate his ability to score.
Latest on Villanova basketball:
Just when Villanova’s season began to lose hope, the Wildcats grabbed a huge win against No. 9 St. John’s. The Wildcats defeated the Red Storm, 73-71, at the Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12.
Sophomore guard Tyler Perkins is hitting from deep consistently again. He knocked in the game-winning three-pointer against St. John’s and finished 4-5 from deep.
After a long shooting slump, Perkins is playing his best three-point game. Over the last three games, he has shot 83.3% from the three-point arc. Perkins is comfortable again shooting out of the catch and release as well as off the dribble.
Another key piece to Villanova’s recent surge is senior guard Wooga Poplar. He has scored 20 or more points in three of his last four games.
Poplar is averaging 20.3 points, six rebounds and 3.8 steals over those four games. Villanova is 3-1 over that stretch.
Poplar is playing his best basketball of the season and needs to continue this output for the Wildcats to be successful with must win road games incoming.
Villanova tournament hopes have become a rollercoaster. At times, the Wildcats were on the bubble and then completely out of it. Now, the team is 12 spots out of the tournament, according to ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi.
For the Wildcats to make the tournament, they realistically need to win out the regular season by going 6-0 or go 5-1 and pick up two wins in the Big East Tournament.