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Big East Basketball: Creighton, Villanova lead latest power rankings

By Salvador Lopez

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 01: The Big East logo on the floor before a college basketball game between the Xavier Musketeers and the Seton Hall Pirates at the Prudential Center on February 1, 2020 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Big East Basketball Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

2. Villanova Wildcats (3-1)

  • Wins: vs Boston College (76-67 Neutral), vs No. 18 Arizona State (83-74 Neutral), vs Hartford (87-53)
  • Losses: vs Virginia Tech (81-73 OT Neutral)
  • Next Game: Sunday 12/6 at 1 pm ET at No. 17 Texas

Villanova dropped nine spots from No. 3 to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 Poll on Monday. The Wildcats started off the season at 2-0 by winning the 2K Empire Classic with wins against Boston College 76-67 and Arizona State 83-74.

Last Sunday, Villanova was upset by Virginia Tech 81-73 in overtime, after agreeing to extend their stay at Mohegan Sun to play an extra game.

Currently, Villanova has four players on their roster averaging 13 or more points per game with sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (15.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg) leading the way in scoring and rebounding.

Senior point guard, Collin Gillespie (15.3 ppg, 4.5 apg), had a slow start to the season shooting only 2-for-10 from three-point range during his first two games. However, he bounced back nicely with a team-high 25 points against Virginia Tech, making four shots from the perimeter.

Junior guard, Caleb Daniels (14 ppg), has been the most efficient scorer for Villanova this season. Daniels currently has made 56.8 percent of his shots, while connecting on 47.4 percent of his shots from outside. Sophomore guard, Justin Moore (13 ppg, 4.8 rpg), posted a career-high 12 rebounds against Arizona State.

The Wildcats defense has been inconsistent early this season defensively when they had trouble stopping Boston College’s dribble drives for shots inside. Boston College controlled most of the game, until sophomore forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (15.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg) took control of the game late in the post and carried Villanova to victory.

Villanova had trouble stopping forward Keve Aluma and guard Nahiem Alleyne from Virginia Tech. Aluma went 9-for-14 from the floor, scoring 23 points, while Alleyne made four three-point shots, adding 20 points.

On Tuesday, Villanova stepped up offensively and defensively for a total team effort to win 87-53 over Hartford. Last season, the Wildcats finished 12th nationally averaging just under 10 three-pointers made per game. On Tuesday, Villanova was able to record their first game with more than 10 three-point makes this season, going 15-for-37 (40.5 percent) from the perimeter.

If Villanova can keep their three-point momentum from Tuesday’s game at Hartford, then they are going to be tough to beat when their shots are dropping.

The Wildcats were able to get positive contributions from the bench against Hartford by freshman forward, Eric Dixon (4 ppg, 3 rpg), who posted career highs in points and rebounds with 14 points and 10 rebounds versus Hartford.

Villanova will look to take in last game’s momentum to their big-time matchup on Sunday against the undefeated No. 17 Texas Longhorns.

Villanova will get a major test today against a challenging Longhorns defense, which is currently holding opponents to a low 36.1 percent.

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