Villanova Preview: Regular Season Wraps Up Versus Xavier

Villanova Men’s Basketball will conclude their 2025-26 regular season at home against Xavier starting at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. The Wildcats (23-7, 14-5 Big East) dodged an upset when they faced the Musketeers in Cincinnati, winning 92-89 in overtime behind 21 points from true freshman point guard Acaden Lewis. Bryce Lindsay broke out of a six week long shooting slump, carrying the ‘Cats in overtime and scoring 15 points, while Duke Brennan added a 10 points, 13 rebound double-double despite Villanova losing 42-36 on the glass.

Xavier senior forward Tre Carroll dropped 28 points on the Wildcats and sank 11 of 14 shots, but he went down with a hip injury against Seton Hall on March 3, playing just four minutes.

The Musketeers expect him as a game-time decision against Villanova, and his ability to participate will play a major role in how this game goes. The Wildcats are also dealing with rough injury luck, as freshman forward Matt Hodge suffered a season-ending ACL tear at St. John’s on Saturday, Feb. 28. He contributed 10 points and six rebounds the first time these teams played.

Villanova wins in 87.3 percent of ESPN Analytics simulations. The point spread sits at -11.5 in the Wildcats’ favor (DraftKings), the money line at an overwhelming -700. With an over/under of 153.5, expect another high scoring matchup… although Carroll’s involvement could impact that significantly.

TNT and truTV hold the telecast rights to this matchup, a Quadrant 3 opportunity for the Wildcats.

Scouting the Musketeers

Seven foot tall forward Pape N’Diaye and 6-foot-5 senior guard Isaiah Walker both saw their minutes tick up against Seton Hall after Carroll went down; N’Diaye contributed 10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench, and he could provide the Musketeers with a major advantage down low.

6-foot-10 forward Anthony Robinson has made spot starts for Xavier this season but can’t stretch the floor like Carroll does; sixth man Roddie Anderson III (10.9 PPG), another occasional starter, might fill in best if Carroll is limited. 

After Carroll, three of Xavier’s starters average in double figures. 6-foot-9 forward Filip Borovicanin puts up 10.4 points, 7.8  and 4.3 assists per game, doing a little of everything, while 6-foot-10 Jovan Milicevic adds 12.0 points and makes 43.4 percent of his three-point shots as a mismatch on the perimeter. Malik Messina-Moore averages 10.8 points and 3.9 assists, running the Musketeers’ offense. Despite the Musketeers’ size advantage, Villanova outscored them 40-32 in the paint during the first game.

Scouting Villanova

Head coach Kevin Willard went with a lineup of guards Lewis, Lindsay and Tyler Perkins, wing Malachi Palmer and five-man Brennan against DePaul, their first game without Hodge. Palmer took some time to get going as he filled in for Hodge but scored ten points in the second half and played 29 minutes.

Seven foot tall center Braden Pierce, another candidate to eat up minutes without Hodge, played just five minutes. Per the Big East’s pregame injury report, junior wing Zion Stanford won’t play against Xavier. He’s played just ten games this season, last appearing against Seton Hall on Feb. 4, but at 6-foot-6 seemed like a natural replacement for Hodge on the perimeter. 

Villanova didn’t disclose why Stanford missed the DePaul game.

Perkins (13.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 steals per game) and sixth man Devin Askew (9.9 PPG, 1.1 SPG) both make consistent contributions on both ends of the court, their experience and physicality providing an important change of pace option for this young Wildcats’ squad.

With the No. 3 seed in the Big East wrapped up and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament almost guaranteed, this game’s importance centers more around how they’ll learn to accommodate Hodge’s absence. They passed their first test against DePaul with flying colors: now, Xavier (and perhaps Tre Carroll) await.