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Villanova Men's Basketball

Villanova Survives Comeback, Knocks Off No. 14 Cincinnati 68-60

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Villanova Wildcats forward Eric Dixon (43) March 20, 2022 David Hague/PSN

Villanova picked up their best win of the young season on Tuesday, December 3, surviving the No. 14 Cincinnati Bearcats’ comeback bid and handing them their first loss of the season, 68-60.

The win marks Villanova’s first against a ranked team since December 20, 2023, when they upset the Creighton Blue Jays—also ranked No. 14—with a 68-66 overtime win in Omaha.

Cincinnati entered Tuesday night averaging more than 85 points per game. The Wildcats held them to a 38.3  shooting percentage (30.8 on their 26 three-point attempts). In a puzzling trend for Villanova’s opponents this season—due credit to Nova Nation—the Bearcats also struggled mightily from the charity stripe, making just 6 of 11 shots.

Eric Dixon broke the thirty point plateau for the third time in eight games this season with 31. Wooga Poplar authored a 12 point double-double, while Jhamir Brickus dished out nine assists without a single turnover.

Cincinnati grabbed a 2-0 lead out of the gate on a layup from sophomore guard Jizzle James, who ended up leading the Bearcats with 19 points. A Dixon layup tied it, then Brickus gave Villanova the lead. While Cincinnati tied things up three times in the next five minutes, the Wildcats never trailed again.

Dixon nailed a three-point shot to spark a 13-2 run, putting Villanova firmly in the drivers seat on the way to a nine point halftime lead.

Cincinnati closed the deficit to 43-41 after halftime, evoking an unpleasant reminder of the Wildcats’ November 24 meltdown against Maryland. Dixon made sure history didn’t repeat itself, putting up 21 points in the second half, including two threes in 39 seconds to put Villanova up 61-49 with less than three minutes to go.

The Wildcats managed to stay one step ahead of Cincinnati, closing out the win without any further drama.

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