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Villanova Preview: Wildcats Take on Red Storm at the Garden

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Villanova Basketball

A historical rivalry hangs in the balance as Villanova takes on St. John’s at Madison Square Garden at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11. The all time series between the Wildcats and the Red Storm currently sits at 66-65 in the Wildcats’ favor… and St. John’s holds a 69.9 percent chance of defending their home court and drawing even in the series, per ESPN Analytics.

Villanova (11-5) lost both games they played against the Red Storm (13-3) last season, including a 70-50 walloping at the Garden at the hands of a St. John’s team that just missed the NCAA Tournament, finishing as one of the ‘Last Four Out’. This year, the Red Storm are even better, occupying the No. 33 spot in the NET Rankings and the No. 22 slot per the KenPom Ratings: Villanova holds the No. 49 and No. 42 rankings, respectively. Either way, the Wildcats have a Quadrant 1 matchup on their hands with history on the line.

Both teams hold matching 4-1 records in the Big East, and the winner of this matchup could finish the day with the No. 2 spot in the conference. With Villanova currently on the NCAA Tournament bubble, they’ll need to put up a good showing, win or lose, in order to maintain their fragile standing. ESPN Bet lists the point spread at -6.5 in St. John’s favor, with the over/under set at 146.5 in light of Villanova’s slow tempo and the Red Storm’s excellent defense. The moneyline (+230) has the Wildcats as a heavy underdog.

Where to Watch; Who to Watch

CBSSN holds the broadcasting rights for this crucial Big East matchup. Guard RJ Luis Jr. leads the Red Storm in scoring, putting up 16.6 points per game, while forward Zuby Ejoifor (14.9) and guards Kadary Richmond (10.9) and Deivon Smith (10.9) also clear double digits in points per game. The 6-foot-9 Ejiofor paces St. John’s in rebounds and blocks, with 8.1 and 2.2 per game, respectively, while Smith runs the point and holds team highs in assists (4.7) and steals (1.9).

Forward Eric Dixon leads the Wildcats (and the nation) with 25.7 points per game, guard Wooga Poplar pulls down a team-high 6.8 boards in Villanova’s small-ball heavy system, Jhamir Brickus leads the offense with an average of 5.8 assists, while Jordan Longino (1.6) and Enoch Boakye (0.9) set the pace with team highs in steals and blocks, respectively.

Whether the Red Storm can limit Dixon’s effectiveness — his combination of size and three-point shooting makes him a nightmare to match up against — will probably go a long way to determining this matchup. Similarly, the rest of the Wildcats’ offense will need to be at their best in order to keep the Red Storm honest.

St. John’s has played Big East foes like Providence, Butler and Xavier close in recent weeks, as well as losing a one-point heartbreaker to Creighton. Villanova is fresh off the biggest win of head coach Kyle Neptune’s tenure after closing out a 68-66 win over No. 9 UConn on Wednesday, Jan. 8. After going blow for blow with the Huskies’ high-powered offense, the Wildcats will need to switch tactics in order to negotiate St. John’s No. 6-ranked defense.

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