Villanova basketball defeated Seton Hall, 59-54, on Wednesday night at the Prudential Center. The Wildcats must win out if they even want a chance at an at-large bid.
Villanova basketball used a 22-2 run to close out the game and storm back for a win after being down by 16 points. The deficit was the largest Villanova has had this season in a win. Also, last night’s 12-point deficit at the half was the Wildcats’ largest halftime deficit in a win this season.
The Wildcats were led by double-doubles from graduate forward Eric Dixon (32 points, 10 rebounds) and senior guard Wooga Poplar (12 points, 12 rebounds).
Takeaway #1: Villanova basketball had a game of droughts and runs
Coming off the biggest win of the season against Marquette, Villanova basketball quite possibly played its worst half of basketball this season.
With a 12-0 Seton Hall run in the first half, Villanova could not find anything going on with its offense. The Wildcats have consistently been solid on the offensive side of the ball, ranking 19th in the country, according to KenPom’s advanced metrics.
Villanova basketball went the final 11 minutes of the first half without scoring a field goal. Also, during those 12 minutes, the Wildcats went on a scoring drought of 8:19.
Seton Hall is ranked 310th in offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Despite a poor offense, the Pirates had a 12-point lead at the half, which is the largest halftime lead they have had in conference play this season.
It was not until a few minutes into the second half, Villanova started to pick apart Seton Hall’s defense.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon poured on 25 points in the second half. Dixon scored 18 consecutive points for Villanova to give them the lead with eight minutes left in the game.
On Villanova’s defensive side, it was able to limit Seton Hall to eight points through the first 12:40 of the second half. It turned the game on its head and Villanova was on a run of its own. The large 22-2 Villanova run completely erased the 16-point Seton Hall lead.
Takeaway #2: Villanova basketball forward Eric Dixon wants to play in March
Even though Villanova basketball has a very small chance at playing in the NCAA Tournament. However, graduate forward Eric Dixon proved that if he had the chance, he is fully capable of playing in it.
The Wildcats had a horrible, silent first half with the team only scoring 21 points.
Dixon finished the game with 32 points and 10 rebounds, which was his first double-double of the season. He now has the longest active streak of scoring double digits at 44 games. Marquette graduate Kam Jones also has a streak of 44 games with double-digit scoring.
It was not until the second half that Dixon caught fire, though. He scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half of the game.
Eric Dixon wants to play in March.
He has 29 points on 15 shot attempts.
Wildcats on a 22-2 run with 3:37 left.
— Dylan Johnson (@bydylanjohnson) February 27, 2025
Dixon attempted 17 shots and shot 10-13 from the free throw line. He accounted for 54% of Villanova’s scoring.
He is still the nation’s leading scorer, averaging 23.3 points per game.
Takeaway #3: Seton Hall’s Dylan Addae-Wusu’s first half
Early it looked like graduate guard Dylan Addae-Wusu was going to go for a new career-high. Right out of the tip, Addae-Wusu nailed a three-pointer to put up the first points in the game.
Addae-Wusu’s season-high in three-pointers is five against DePaul on Jan. 8.Â
He made four three-pointers in just the first half against Villanova.
Seton Hall’s 12-point lead at the half was mainly due to Addae-Wusu who also had four first half assists.
The second half was when Addae-Wusu fell silent. He was limited to only two points which came in the game’s final 24 seconds.
Seton Hall needed Addae-Wusu but he was not able to carry over his performance from the first half. He was on pace for a career-high in points.
Up next for Villanova basketball (17-12, 10-8): vs Butler (13-15, 6-11) – Mar. 1 at Noon EST
Up next for Seton Hall basketball (7-21, 2-11): at No. 7 St. John’s (25-4, 16-2) – Mar. 1 at 2:15 p.m. EST