ROSEMONT, Ill. _ Villanova coach Jay Wright uses the words "comfortable" and "confident" to describe Jalen Brunson, and it was clear to see the Wildcats' point guard exhibit both qualities on the team's 2-0 road trip.
Brunson was a steady force in both games. He quieted the loud sellout crowd Saturday at Xavier with 17 points and seven assists in the second-ranked Cats' 73-56 victory over the Musketeers. Two days later, he set the tempo at both ends of the floor, delivering 18 points, four assists and three steals in a 75-62 win at DePaul.
A native of Lincolnshire, Ill., Brunson performed in his home Chicago area at the Allstate Arena with family and friends in the crowd of 6,963 helping lead his team to its 25th victory, the fourth consecutive year it has reached that mark.
He scored 12 first-half points as the Wildcats built a 21-point lead at the break. They expanded it to 27 points midway through the second half.
"Every goal for me is to be a leader on the court every time I step on the court," he said. "I just think that I had to set a tone defensively and get a couple of dives, get a couple of steals, some deflections, and set the tone. The offense just came to me. It was a real team effort. I just had to step up as a leader."
Wright loves the way he's doing it, calling him a "really smart, mature, unselfish leader." Against the DePaul press, he said Brunson "did a great job mixing up, driving, finding people. When you're driving the ball physically and you get fouled, that can take off some of the pressure."
The 6-foot-2 sophomore learned his lessons well at the college level last year from Ryan Arcidiacono. He impressed Wright, who liked the fact that someone "that confident and that capable would take that secondary role and actually be enthusiastic about it."
"He's never lacked confidence and he's just very comfortable in his role," Wright said last week. "He's the leader out there on the floor and that's what he's comfortable with. Last year he had to take a backseat to Ryan, who's a very strong personality and really was the leader on the floor. Jalen knew it. I don't think Jalen ever lacked confidence. He was just in a secondary role."
Brunson has put up solid numbers, especially in the Wildcats' 14 Big East games. In conference play, he averages 15.6 points (eighth in the league), 4.6 assists (second) and a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio (third) while shooting 55 percent from the field (fourth) and 85.5 percent on free throws (fifth).
Brunson came to Villanova with an impressive resume. His last two teams have won championships _ Stevenson High School in Illinois Class 4A (2015) and the 2016 national championship with the Cats.
"Every game's a big game," he said. "I think every time I step on the court, I'm just preparing myself to be the best player I can be, be the best teammate I can be as well. I think every step of the way in my career somehow prepared me for moments like these and moments going forward."
The Wildcats played for the second straight game without senior forward Darryl Reynolds, who is nursing a rib injury. They have off until Saturday when they travel to Seton Hall.
