Villanova Preview: Wildcats Host Shaky Temple Defense in Pod Play

Villanova Men’s Basketball will host the Temple Owls at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1 in the conclusion of Big 5 pod play. A win will mean the Wildcats’ first trip to the championship game of the Big 5 Classic, which began in 2023: in that case, Penn awaits. If they lose, the Wildcats will fall to second place in Pod 1, setting up a date with Saint Joseph’s in the third place game.

Winners of five in a row, the Wildcats looked shaky their last time out, giving up 75 points to Old Dominion with starting forward Duke Brennan out due to injury. Brennan hurt his ankle on Nov. 19 against La Salle, so with nearly two weeks to recover, there’s a chance he could return to action against the Owls.

Villanova enters this game as a heavy favorite, predicted to win in 90.9 percent of ESPN Analytics simulations. ESPN Bet lists them as an 18-to-1 favorite at -1800 on the money line, with the point spread set at -14.5 and the over/under at 149.5. 

The Wildcats held the No. 42 spot in the KenPom Ratings as of Sunday, Nov. 30, their offensive efficiency ranked No. 42 and their defensive efficiency ranked No. 65. Temple holds the No. 151 spot, making this a fringe Quad 3/Quad 4 matchup. Their main strength is their 82nd-ranked offense, while their defense checks in at a miserable No. 296.

Scouting the Owls

Opposing teams are taking 40.9 percent of their shots from three against the Owls, converting 38.8 percent of the time, while shots from inside the arc fall 54.6 percent of the time. If Villanova can continue their hot shooting, they’ll be well on the way to victory.

Four of Temple’s five starters score in double digits: 6-foot-3 guard Derrian Ford, who leads the team in points (16.6) and rebounds (4.6) per game, along with guards Aiden Tobiason (15.3 PPG), Jordan Mason (10.3 PPG) and Gavin Griffiths (10.1 PPG). Griffiths, at 6-foot-7, leads the team in steals (1.1 per game) and blocks (1.6 per game), providing key length in the Owls’ small-ball lineup.

Six of Temple’s top seven players in terms of minutes played are guards, and 6-foot-8 forward Babatunde Durodola is the only one other than Griffiths who stands taller than 6-foot-5. The Owls are still outrebounding their opponents 241 to 222 on the season, but that could turn into an area of strength for Villanova. 

Offensively, Temple converts on 46.8 percent of their shots, taking 36.8 percent of their total from beyond the arc. They excel at drawing fouls, attempting an average of 27.7 free throws, which accounts for roughly 20 points per game.

Scouting the Wildcats

Including Brennan (10.2 PPG), each of Villanova’s five starters average in double digits. Sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay leads the category with 19 PPG: freshman point guard Acaden Lewis (13.5 PPG), forward Matt Hodge (12.5 PPG) and defensive specialist Tyler Perkins (11.0 PPG) are the other three. 

When healthy, Brennan averages a double-double, leading the nation with 14.4 boards per game. If Brennan remains unavailable, Perkins, who also leads the team in steals (1.4 per game) is the No. 2 rebounder (5.0 per game). Against Old Dominion, 6-foot-9 forward Tafara Gapare and seven foot tall center Braden Pierce took on a larger role to account for Brennan’s absence. Devin Askew (8.5 PPG, 1.8 assists per game) serves as the Wildcats’ sixth man.

This will also mark the first chance for Temple transfer Zion Stanford, who came to the Wildcats after two seasons in North Philly, to play against his former team.

Lewis leads the team with 5.2 assists per game, committing an average of two turnovers as he runs the offense, while Gapare sets a team high in blocks (0.5 per game) but hasn’t played enough minutes to qualify. Villanova takes 45.4 percent of their shots from three, making 36.7 percent of them. They’ve run hot and cold from beyond the arc, with more than one-third of their made threes to date coming in one game this season, but convert at a much better 57.6 percent of the time from two-point range.