Villanova Basketball: 3 keys to winning Big East duel with No. 19 Creighton

1. Villanova’s stellar offense and lackluster defense from beyond the arc will be put to the work against the Bluejays

In what has been an ongoing issue the past three seasons, the Wildcats have struggled in defending teams from beyond the arc.  After recording the 15th-best defensive mark in the nation during the 2017-18 season – coincidentally, Villanova’s championship season – the Wildcats have been sub-130 in each of the last three years.

This season has been, by far and away, their worst – despite maintaining the 14th-highest 3P% on the offensive end at 38.7%, the Wildcats rank just 298th on the defensive end, allowing teams to shoot 37.1% from beyond the arc.  Those marks are even greater in Big East play, where Villanova is the best three-point shooting team (40.5%) but is second from last in 3PT defense, allowing a 39.6% clip.

Creighton, meanwhile, maintains the third-best marks on the offensive and defensive end in Big East play.  The Bluejays’ offensive mark of 36.4% is not nearly as concerning for Villanova – but their defensive average of 32.9% could potentially be challenging for the Wildcats.

While Villanova’s shooting over 40% from beyond the arc, the Bluejays have allowed teams to shoot over 40% in just six of their 20 games – and holding teams below 30% in eight games.  Most recently, Creighton held Marquette to just 31.0% and Georgetown to 29.0%.

If the Wildcats hope to handle the Bluejays, they cannot afford to be rattled by their defense.  Luckily for them, their marks thus far indicate that they should be fine – they have shot under 30% just twice this year while hitting over 40% in six of their 15 games.  Most notably, they have drilled over 50% of their three-pointers in two games – which, coincidentally, were their most recent games against Georgetown (50%) and Marquette (59.1%), where they drained 13 three-pointers in each game.

Carving Creighton’s defense begins with the four-man tandem of Collin Gillespie, Jermaine Samuels, Caleb Daniels, and Cole Swider, all of whom are shooting over 38% from beyond the arc.  What makes Villanova exceptionally deadly – and what could provide a much-needed boost in the fight against the Bluejays – is their players’ ability to step up and knock down shots, even when unexpected.

For example, while Samuels was Villanova’s best 3PT shooter against Georgetown (6-7 3PT), none of those four were the best against Marquette – instead, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl went a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc.  That is without mentioning that five other Wildcats drilled a three-pointer in that game.

To put into context just how valuable three-pointers are for Villanova: in the meeting last year where Villanova escaped with a five-point win, the Wildcats were actually outscored on two-pointers and tied on free-throws – but ultimately won the game from beyond the arc, making six three-pointers to just three for Creighton.  This is an incredibly valuable area for Villanova, and they must take advantage – offensively and defensively – from long-range in order to win.