Villanova Takeaways: Slow Heartbeat, Altered Approach Spark Upset Win

Villanova Men’s Basketball picked up the biggest win of head coach Kyle Neptune’s tenure on Wednesday, Jan. 8, knocking off No. 9 UConn 68-66 at the Finneran Pavilion.

While the Wildcats took a 32-25 lead into the half and led by as much as 12 after the break, the Huskies came roaring back in the last ten minutes, temporarily taking the lead. Villanova managed to withstand the onslaught, however, hanging on for the upset win.

How did the Wildcats pull it off? A combination of their ability to successfully change tactics under heavy pressure, preventing the moment from becoming too big for them, and contributions from the top of the roster on down: Jordan Longino and Wooga Poplar, in particular, came up clutch.

Altered Approach

Although Villanova held a seven point lead at the half, superstar forward Eric Dixon — who recently appeared on the midseason watchlist for the prestigious Wooden Award and is starting to pop up in NBA mock drafts — went to the locker room with just five points. UConn led by as much as four points in the early going as Dixon tried to get started, so the Wildcats rode the hot hand in order to go blow for blow with the Huskies.

Poplar contributed a team-high nine points in the first half and finished with 18, including a three-pointer with 2:26 to go until the half that capped a 7-0 run, giving Villanova a five point advantage, and set a raucous home crowd alight. Rather than taking shots from the perimeter and mid-range, Dixon began to drive inside in the second half, drawing five fouls and putting several Huskies’ forwards in danger of fouling out.

Dixon’s ability to recognize what wasn’t working and alter his strategy accordingly helped him rebound for an 18 point second half, and with four Huskies ringed up for at least three fouls, the rest of Villanova’s offense had more room to operate.

Slow Heartbeat

The Huskies worked back into the game with a 14-2 run that slashed Villanova’s lead to one point, later taking a 57-55 lead with just under nine minutes to play thanks to a triple from sophomore guard Solo Ball. In a move that seemed surprising at the time, Kyle Neptune didn’t call a timeout at any point in that sequence in an attempt to quash the Huskies’ momentum.

Instead, he trusted his team to go blow for blow with UConn, keeping his timeouts in his back pocket for the final minutes of the game. The gamble paid off as Dixon tied things up, then Longino put the Wildcats back in front. Another bucket from Ball brought them back to square one, before a Poplar three-pointer gave Villanova the lead for good.

In the final minute, Villanova blanked the Huskies’ offense on four consecutive shots. Offensive rebounds, jump balls and turnovers kept the possession arrow with UConn and gave them repeated chances to take the lead… and with the shot clock off, perhaps no time for the Wildcats to mount an answer. Longino came up with a crucial block and finished with 12 points, three rebounds, an assist and two steals, continuing to come into his own in his senior season with Villanova.

The Wildcats’ ability to remain cool in the face of the Huskies’ onslaught helped them stay one step ahead… and later close out the win.