The Villanova men's basketball team has a quick turnaround after their loss to the Pittsburgh Panthers on Super Bowl Sunday. The Wildcats are back in action at home against Providence on Tuesday, February 7. If there is ever a time for Villanova to break their losing skid this is it. Villanova has lost three straight games but they have played better basketball. The only thing missing is the ability to put things together for a full 40 minutes. They should be able to do that against Providence.
The Friars are tied for last place in the Big East. They have lost five of their last six games and look destined to finish at the bottom of the conference. However, Providence has looked impressive at times during the season. They had a blowout win over Louisville and have also beaten Boston College and South Carolina. Villanova can't afford to take this team lightly at all. But this is the kind of game that leans toward the Wildcats. They are much more comfortable in the Pavilion and that should work to their advantage. They have more talent and depth than Providence and really have no excuse to lose. That said Villanova has a tendency to beat themselves. This is the time to turn things around.
Villanova got off to a terrible start in their loss to Pittsburgh. A theme of the season has been the team starting or finishing weak. That is the mark of a young group that is still trying to find rhythm. It is going to be critical for the Wildcats to start strong and keep the momentum going. Maalik Wayns will have to set the tone by scoring early and involving his teammates. With Dominic Cheek, Mouphtaou Yarou, and JayVaughn Pinkston running with him Wayns has the resources to keep Villanova going. As long as the Wildcats do the basic things well they should win this game.
This opens up a potentially favorable stretch for Villanova. They visit South Florida after this game before coming home to face Connecticut and Notre Dame. Those are two tournament teams that can be exposed. Jay Wright is a great coach and he should be able to get things to click at this point in the season. Hopefully the Wildcats can get started with a win in this game.
* - Mark Paul is a Villanova fan.
The Friars are tied for last place in the Big East. They have lost five of their last six games and look destined to finish at the bottom of the conference. However, Providence has looked impressive at times during the season. They had a blowout win over Louisville and have also beaten Boston College and South Carolina. Villanova can't afford to take this team lightly at all. But this is the kind of game that leans toward the Wildcats. They are much more comfortable in the Pavilion and that should work to their advantage. They have more talent and depth than Providence and really have no excuse to lose. That said Villanova has a tendency to beat themselves. This is the time to turn things around.
Villanova got off to a terrible start in their loss to Pittsburgh. A theme of the season has been the team starting or finishing weak. That is the mark of a young group that is still trying to find rhythm. It is going to be critical for the Wildcats to start strong and keep the momentum going. Maalik Wayns will have to set the tone by scoring early and involving his teammates. With Dominic Cheek, Mouphtaou Yarou, and JayVaughn Pinkston running with him Wayns has the resources to keep Villanova going. As long as the Wildcats do the basic things well they should win this game.
This opens up a potentially favorable stretch for Villanova. They visit South Florida after this game before coming home to face Connecticut and Notre Dame. Those are two tournament teams that can be exposed. Jay Wright is a great coach and he should be able to get things to click at this point in the season. Hopefully the Wildcats can get started with a win in this game.
* - Mark Paul is a Villanova fan.
