Villanova Men's Basketball
Villanova Reaction: Promising Trends From a Shaky Win
Villanova Men’s Basketball led 42-28 at the break during their Wednesday, Feb. 25 win over Butler, but the Bulldogs managed to cut the lead to one point in the second half, putting the Wildcats (22-6, 13-4 Big East) on high alert.
Head coach Kevin Willard often talks about the round robin nature of the Big East Conference, how difficult it is to win two games against one team in the same season, the way that players and coaches can adjust after learning their opponents’ tendencies in the first game they play. Villanova flirted with disaster in both their games against the Bulldogs, trailing at the half in Indianapolis before letting Butler whittle their lead down in the return game, but they managed to come away victorious on both occasions.
The win marked milestones for Willard as well as guards Acaden Lewis (20 points) and Tyler Perkins. Willard’s 22 wins this season mark the most from a head coach during their first season at Villanova, while Lewis broke the program record for assists from a freshman; Perkins cleared the 1,000 point barrier for his career.
Snapping Slumps
Struggling to get a home win against a team that’s 15-14 (and 6-12 in conference play) might not inspire much confidence in the Wildcats, but they also made an encouraging step. Sophomore guard Bryce Lindsay scored 19 points, his most since the New Year, the best evidence yet that he’s made his way through a six week shooting slump. Having another scoring option at their disposal could prove critical as the Big East and NCAA Tournaments begin. Sixth man Devin Askew, another victim of a mini slump, put up 16 points in the second half, carrying the Wildcats to the finish line as they started to waver.
Here’s the reaction from fans and media after the Wildcats’ win.
