Villanova Reaction: Another Win That Shouldn’t Have Been Close

Villanova Men’s Basketball advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday, March 12, bringing Seton Hall’s season to a merciful end with a 67-55 win. At times, the Wildcats led by as much as 21 points — and they took a 25-6 lead barely 10 minutes into the game — but Seton Hall still managed to keep the final score respectable, causing plenty of anxiety among Villanova fans used to seeing the other side cobble together a massive comeback.

Nevertheless, the Wildcats are moving on… but they’ll need to play much better basketball if they want their season to continue with a win over No. 3 seed UConn in the quarterfinals, set for 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 13.

In happier news for Villanova fans, forward Eric Dixon climbed into sole possession of the No. 2 spot on the Wildcats’ all-time scoring leaderboard, dropping 19 points in the second half to climb past Scottie Reynolds. Now at 2,227 points in his career, Dixon needs just 16 to tie Kerry Kittles for the top spot, and one more point to cement himself as the all-time leading scorer.

Fans and media watching the Wildcats’ win over Seton Hall captured the mix of emotions well: relief at moving on and earning at least one more game in their season, nail-biting anxiety as Villanova’s shots ceased to fall and the Pirates inched closer, humor at the rollercoaster of a season they’ve experienced. Here’s a look at what they had to say.

Villanova improves to 19-13 with a win over Seton Hall to advance in the Big East Tournament.

Cats and UConn will play a rubber match on Thursday night at MSG.

The World's Most Famous Arena will be on FIRE!

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 13, 2025

Seton Hall Villanova gets a bit chippy👀👀👀 (@cheite06 with the video) pic.twitter.com/MBW8EF69lH

— John Makuch (@johnmakuch) March 13, 2025

I mean this genuinely. This is one of the best 5 dunks in Villanova history. https://t.co/KSNtD21T3f

— audrey trapburn (@willylaw) March 13, 2025

Let's see if Villanova can quit just one more time on Kyle Neptune. Just for old time's sake.

— Mister Hot Balls ☄️☄️ (@MisterHotBalls) March 13, 2025

MSG at what appears to be 80% capacity for Seton Hall vs Villanova on a Wednesday night.

No one does it like the Big East. https://t.co/iCJQxHpJJv

— Wrongfully Suspended Dailyn Swain Fan Club (@DailynFanClubb) March 13, 2025

Me after Villanova beats Seton Hall by 1 after leading by 20 with 5 minutes left. pic.twitter.com/cE8I0pTtYb

— Villanova Enthusiast 😿 (@NovaKnowsBall) March 12, 2025

Most Disappointing Big East MBB seasons from most to least:

1. Seton Hall
2. Providence
3. Villanova
4. Butler
5. UConn
6. Georgetown
7. DePaul
8. Marquette
9. Xavier
10. Creighton
11. St. John's

— Bryan DeNovellis (@bryandeno) March 12, 2025

2024-2025 villanova seton hall part 3 pic.twitter.com/0vhL2QFw0h

— Trevor (@krwr17) March 12, 2025

Who else was waiting for the patented "Kyle Neptune Late Game Collapse"? If you're a Villanova fan and have been watching the games, I know you were. Luckily, it didn't happen and @NovaMBB / @VUhoops held on for a 67-55 win over Seton Hall for the right to play UConn tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/jp5TmIQ84v

— Ron Costa (@RonCosta23) March 13, 2025

Seton Hall has cut its deficit to 12 points.#Villanova has not scored a field goal in five minutes.

Just 2:36 left to go. Are the ‘Cats safe from another second-half collapse?

— David Szczepanski (@WXVUDavidS) March 13, 2025

13-0 run for Villanova as Eric Dixon comes alive, scoring 11 of those points. It's 50-29 with 12:30 to play.

— Griffin Floyd (@GriffinFloyd62) March 13, 2025

Eric Dixon’s free throw with 3:19 to play brings him into a tie with Scottie Reynolds (2,222 points) for second place all time on Villanova’s scoring leaderboard.

— Griffin Floyd (@GriffinFloyd62) March 13, 2025