Villanova Basketball: Josh Hart has career day in win over Notre Dame

Josh Hart dropped 37 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as Villanova basketball remained unbeaten.

Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats are typically known for their balance and depth. It’s one of the reasons why the Wildcats have won three Big East Conference regular season titles in a row and captured their first National Title since 1985 in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

But on Saturday afternoon in the Never Forget Tribute Classic, Josh Hart had the hot hand and the Wildcats opted to feed their National Player of the Year candidate on their way to a 74-66 win over a previously unbeaten Notre Dame team.

Hart scored a career-high 37 points (10-of-14 shooting), grabbed 11 boards, dished out four assists and turned the ball over just one time all afternoon. It was as impressive of a performance as you will see in college basketball all season.

“I honestly didn’t know how many points I had,” Hart said postgame. “I was just trying to make the right play. Some of those times they stepped out on one of our guys and I was just trying to make the right play by getting to the rim. I give credit to my teammates finding me.”

The 6’6″ senior grabbed critical offensive and defensive rebounds, made numerous key baskets to give the Wildcats momentum and played excellent defensive, especially in the second half. Add in the fact that Hart went 14-of-14 from the free throw line and made the right plays at the right time, and it was a performance that enhances his candidacy for National Player of the Year.

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Despite Hart’s dominance, Notre Dame actually opened this game in full command. They jumped out to an early 15-6 lead and had the upper hand on the number one team in the country for the majority of the first 20 minutes.

The Irish used their superb ball movement, impressive three point shooting and excellent ball security to take a 41-36 lead into halftime. But with more than 90 percent of the Prudential Center wearing Wildcat blue and the Wildcats tightening up on the defensive end, the tide started to turn in the second half.

The ball movement that was evident in the opening 20 minutes for the Irish turned into more 1 v 1 play and contested shots. Notre Dame also turned the ball over seven times in the second frame to just twice in the first half.

And then there was Villanova’s ability to make the key plays down the stretch of the game. Kris Jenkins struggled to find a rhythm throughout the afternoon, but he finished a clutch And-1 with 2:27 left that put the Wildcats up four. Wright opted to play Jalen Brunson and Darryl Reynolds in an offense/defense substitution pattern in order to place Mikal Bridges on Matt Farrell (18 points). Eric Paschall also was able to tap out a missed jump shot, giving Brunson the chance to grab a key offensive rebound with 1:07 remaining.

But ultimately, it was Hart that saved the day. With no other Wildcat scoring in double figures, Wright’s unit could’ve easily lost to the 23rd ranked Irish. Instead, even when Hart wasn’t scoring, he attracted attention or made the proper play in attempt to get his teammates involved.

“He’s as good as any player in the country,” Wright said post game. “He’s so complete. He will do whatever it takes to win a game.”

Villanova knows that they cannot afford to have this lack of balance moving forward. But on a day where they only had 10 assists and missed 12 three pointers, they needed every ounce of energy that Hart provided.

That’s what the best teams do. They find ways to win games.

And that’s what National Player of the Year candidates do, they step up when necessary and put together marvelous performances that will be remembered for the rest of the college basketball season.

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Notre Dame proved that they are going to be a force in the ACC and deserve to be ranked in the top-25 (the scoring is misleading). However, Villanova continues to show that they have the potential to repeat, even if Duke is a cut above the rest.