It apparently just doesn’t matter who is wearing the uniforms. If the jerseys say Villanova and Seton Hall on the front, the game is usually up for grabs to the last possession. Saturday was no different, a one-possession, nothing-pretty-about-it special into the last minute at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
Some big hustle plays by Brandon Slater and a last-minute blocked shot by Justin Moore helped seal a 73-67 victory for 22nd-ranked Villanova (9-4, 2-1 Big East), which won its second straight over a ranked Big East opponent. Seton Hall, ranked 15th, but playing shorthanded, dropped to 9-3, including 0-2 in the Big East. Villanova needed late free throws to really seal it.
Collin Gillespie led Villanova with 21 points before fouling out for the first time in almost two years. Slater added 17 points. Bryce Aiken led Seton Hall with 22 points.
Not a shock
When Gillespie picked up his fourth foul, Villanova had a 60-54 lead. With Gillespie on the bench, Seton Hall scored the next seven to take a brief lead. Gillespie came back out, missed a couple of shots, but Villanova hit the boards on both misses and converted the possessions.
Uncommon errors
The combination of not having a game since Dec. 21, facing a top defensive outfit, and missing a key guard, all added up to 11 turnovers in the first 15 minutes for Villanova, which lost an early 18-12 run to a 13-2 Pirates run. At that point, Seton Hall had a 12-3 advantage in points off turnovers, converting a couple into quick 3-pointers. A big surprise for a Villanova team that is sixth in Division I with just 8.7 turnovers a game going in.
The missing Wildcats guard was Caleb Daniels, who contracted COVID-19 while home for Christmas, according to Jay Wright.
“He never got in any contact with anybody here,” Wright had noted the day before, saying there would be more caution with Daniels, who showed no real symptoms, but was out for almost five months in the offseason after being diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart, after an earlier COVID-19 diagnosis.
With Daniels out
Bryan Antoine, back from a patella tendon injury, got into the mix quickly, taking Daniels’ sixth-starter role.
"I think he’s probably as healthy as he’s ever been,” Wright had said of Antoine, who should be a key defensive contributor. “Now it’s just a matter of getting him incorporated.”
So how was Villanova ahead at halftime?
Seton Hall missed two of six free throws, including the front-ends of some one-and-ones. Also, the Pirates were hardly a full strength, missing a couple of key big men, 7-foot-2 Ike Obiagu and top rebounder Tyrese Samuel.
Did Villanova tighten up?
Yep. Only one turnover in 10 minutes after committing their 11th got the Wildcats looking a little more normal, although they finished with 17.
