Make some room in the fire next to the Michigan film.
Kevin Willard and the Wildcats have another game tape to burn after an embarrassing loss to No. 15 St. John’s on Saturday night.
After a Bryce Lindsay layup gave Villanova a 2-0 lead, there was very little that went right. From there, St. John’s scored the next 11 points and continued to dominate over 40 minutes during an 89-57 bludgeoning at Madison Square Garden.
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It was clear from the start that the defensive pressure of St. John’s (23-6, 16-2) was getting to the Wildcats (22-7, 13-5). Villanova turned the ball over in waves early on and this allowed the Johnnies to build a double-digit lead by the 11-minute mark in the first half. Villanova finished with 16 turnovers on the night.
St. John’s put together a 13-0 run to go up 18 in the first half and it eventually ballooned to 25 by halftime.
In the second half, a Tyler Perkins’ three got Villanova to within 17, but that would be all. St. John’s score nine quick points to get the lead back to 26.
St. John’s scored 29 points off turnovers while outrebounding Villanova, 40-26. It logged 26 assists compared to 11 from the Wildcats while coming away with 11 steals.
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If St. John’s needed anymore good to come out of this game, Zuby Ejiofor put up a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists.
For the Wildcats, Duke Brennan scored 12 points while Lindsay and Devin Askew finished with 10. Acaden Lewis played what might have been his worst game of the season, turning the ball over five times.
Villanova will be back in action on Wednesday with a road contest against DePaul before ending the season against Xavier at the Pavilion.
The Wildcats have a chance to end the season with 24 wins and 15 in Big East play. Would this be a success in year one for Willard? Absolutely.
