Villanova Basketball: 3 keys to success at home against Xavier in 2018-19

Villanova basketball will look to stay undefeated in the Big East when they host the Xavier. Here are some keys to Villanova staying unblemished.

Usually, when a team wins a national championship and loses four major pieces to the NBA (three being drafted in the first round), it would be reasonable to expect at least a little bit of a regression. But, Villanova basketball was still a preseason top-10 team, so, when they were throttled by Michigan in the rematch of the national title game, then upset by Furman at home, as well as falling to Penn, people started to wonder…what’s wrong with Villanova? Who is the best team in the Big East?

As it turns out, nothing may be wrong with Jay Wright’s team and the best team in the conference may still be the team we thought it was all along. The 13-4 Wildcats have won five straight since falling to Kansas and have jumped back into the top-25 at No. 22. They are also the only team still undefeated in the Big East at 4-0.

They face another stiff test on Friday night, though, when the Xavier Musketeers (11-7, 3-2) come to the Wells Fargo Center. Travis Steele’s team enters the game with a modest two-game winning streak of their own, winning close ones against Georgetown and Butler. Both teams will be looking to keep their momentum rolling, but Villanova is also looking to send a message to the rest of the Big East that they are still the king, and the road to a Big East title will still have to go through Philadelphia. Here are three keys to ensuring that Villanova moves to 5-0 in conference play.