Villanova Preview: ‘Cats Host Sacred Heart, Philly Native Anquan Hill

Villanova Men’s Basketball will continue their run in the Villanova Challenge Multiple-Team Event (MTE) when they host Sacred Heart at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The Wildcats (1-1, 1-0 home) picked up their first win of the season at home on Nov. 8, and will try to build on that momentum despite dealing with a rash of injuries to key players.

Freshman guard Chris Jeffrey went down with an ankle injury in practice the day before the Wildcats’ win over Queens, and head coach Kevin Willard said after the game he has “no idea” how much time Jeffrey will miss: whether that’s a good or bad thing remains unclear. Veteran point guard Devin Askew continues to recover from an offseason knee injury but has managed to play in each of the Wildcats’ first two games, while wing Zion Stanford might miss the entire first month of the season.

Despite those injuries and despite the fact that Willard says Villanova isn’t good on offense or defense right now, they’re a heavy favorite against Sacred Heart (1-1, 0-1 away). ESPN Analytics simulations see the Wildcats winning 95.4 percent of the time, and they’re an overwhelming -6000 favorite on the money line per ESPN Bet. The point spread sits at -20.5 in the Wildcats’ favor, with an over/under of 159.5.

ESPN+ holds the telecasting rights to this matchup, which will have Phil Martelli Sr. on the call.

Scouting the Wildcats

Guard Bryce Lindsay leads the Wildcats in scoring with 23.5 points per game. He came off the bench against BYU, then made it into the starting lineup for the following game after leading the team in scoring. 

Senior Duke Brennan leads Villanova and the nation in rebounds with an average of 17.5, picking up 20 on the way to a double-double against Queens. The 6-foot-10 forward is also averaging 12.5 points as one of five Wildcats scoring in double figures. Also making the list are freshman point guard Acaden Lewis (13.0), forward Matt Hodge (12.5) and the injured Jeffrey (11.0).

Lewis leads the team in assists with three per game, defensive specialist Tyler Perkins comes first in steals (2.0), while forward Tafara Gapare averages just 12.5 minutes per night but paces the Wildcats with 0.5 blocks per game.

Villanova is playing much slower than head coach Kevin Willard would like, a byproduct of Askew’s continuing to acclimate to game speed. Their offense (No. 56) and defense (No. 46) both rank in the top 60 according to the KenPom Ratings, checking them in at No. 48 overall. Sacred Heart, meanwhile, holds the No. 249 spot, making them a likely Quad 4 matchup when the NET rankings first come out.

Scouting the Pioneers

The Pioneers’ lone win came against the Merchant Marine Academy (D-III); they followed that up with a 92-80 road loss to Duquesne in the Villanova Challenge. 6-foot-9 forward Anquan Hill, a Philadelphia native who attended Archbishop Carroll, leads the team in both points (17.0) and rebounds (8.5) per game.

Guards Dashon Gittens (17.0) and Nyle Ralph-Beyer (14.5) also score in double figures; Gittens leads the Pioneers in steals (3.0) and blocks (1.5) despite standing only 6-foot-3. Mekhi Conner averages five assists per game, although nine of those came against the Merchant Marines.

More than half the Pioneers minutes so far have gone to players 6-foot-6 or under: while they have lanky talents who can rotate in like 6-foot-8 Alex Woodring, they haven’t played a whole lot. 

Watch for how Brennan and Gapare can cancel out Anquan Hill’s presence down low. Otherwise, expect plenty of small ball, which will give this young Villanova team an excellent opportunity to continue learning how to play together and defend in those situations.