Brendan Hausen is on a shooting roll for Villanova as Big East schedule heats up

Every shooter needs a spark, especially when things aren’t going well. For Brendan Hausen, a tide-turning three-pointer that helped Villanova get by UCLA has served as a watershed moment for the sharpshooting sophomore guard.

Even during this recent shooting roll, Hausen said he and Villanova coach Kyle Neptune talked Thursday at practice about finding more three-point opportunities. It sure looked like that was the plan Friday. Hausen made five of six from beyond the arc — all in the first half — as Villanova cruised to a 94-69 victory over DePaul at Finneran Pavilion.

The threes came in a variety of forms. There was an inbounds play off a timeout that freed Hausen in the corner. There was a deep straightaway triple late in a possession. There was a catch-and-shoot from the wing in the half court. The ball found Hausen’s hands in transition for another make from the wing.

“We all know what type of shooter he is,” Neptune said. “If he gets an open look … really, if he gets a look, and he feels like he can get it off, it has a really good chance of going in.”

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Villanova (11-5, 4-1 Big East) needed all of Hausen’s offense during the first half Friday night as other Wildcats not named Eric Dixon, who finished with a game-high 24 points, struggled to score. In the second half, Hausen didn’t attempt a three. He didn’t need to. He had done his damage in the first 20 minutes, and his hot shooting grabbed DePaul’s attention, freeing up space for Hausen’s teammates.

Hausen’s only attempt in the second half was a dunk in the waning moments. It was just his second two-point basket of the season, and first dunk in college.

One of the biggest year-over-year differences for Hausen — who everyone around the Villanova program swears is the best shooter they’ve ever seen — is the roster itself. Hausen is getting better looks because Villanova is deeper and more talented than it was during his freshman season.

“Last year, we had certain strengths, this year we’ve got new strengths,” Hausen said. “It’s kind of cool to see. It’s unique. It’s a fun group when everyone is sharing the ball and everyone is playing well. It definitely helps, having some high-powered offensive guys on the court. It makes it a little easier to free up some space for me.”

Still, like all shooters, the shots fall in waves for Hausen.

In the eight games preceding that UCLA win on Dec. 9, Hausen was 8-for-37 (21.6%) from three-point range. Since the ball tipped that night, he’s 15-for-28 (53.5%). Hausen’s confidence, he said, never wavered.

“Shooters shoot, man. All my life,” Hausen said. “There’s going to be bad days, there’s going to be good days. There’s going to be stretches where it’s just not going in. But percentages, man, the next one is going in. That’s how I’ll always look at it. You can’t be scared to go out there and shoot.

“Lots and lots of reps. I feel like it’s going in every single time.”

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A video of Hausen making 48 consecutive three-pointers during a workout went viral over the summer. He actually made 70 during that session, he said, but he didn’t want to pay for the premium version of X, formerly known as Twitter, in order to post the full-length video.

That session, Hausen said, represented the most consecutive threes he’s made from either NBA or college range. But there was another session back home in Texas with his father that he says he hit more, though from the shorter, high school arc. The goal one shooting session during the offseason between his junior and senior high school seasons was to see how many shots Hausen could hit in five minutes. The five minutes passed and he hadn’t missed. Finally, after 105 or 108 consecutive makes — Hausen couldn’t remember specifically — the streak ended.

“We just kept going,” Hausen said. “It was unbelievable. I honestly don’t know if I could do it again, but it was pretty cool.”

Villanova has gotten through the first quarter of its Big East schedule with one loss, and a tougher stretch awaits. DePaul, the worst team in the conference, isn’t on the schedule again. The Wildcats travel to No. 11 Marquette on Monday and then host No. 4 Connecticut on Saturday. The Huskies could be ranked No. 1 by then after the teams above them lost this week. After that, it’s road games at St. John’s and Butler before Marquette comes to campus to close the month of January.

The going in this conference always seems to get tougher.

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But fifth-year guard Justin Moore made his return to the lineup Friday after missing five games, and despite Jordan Longino missing time with a sprained ankle, Friday night proved to be a get-right night for Villanova’s offense. The 94 points were a season-high. Hausen’s shooting had a big role in that.

Asked about the year-over-year change, however, Neptune pointed to the other side of the court in helping Hausen take the leap.

“Defensively, he’s taken a huge jump,” Neptune said. “He’s in there, guarding guys, chesting guys, keeping them out of the paint. He knows the scout. He’s out there more now just because he’s taken a huge jump defensively. When you’re on the floor, you get shots. When he gets shots, he has a good chance of making them.”

Friday night, it looked pretty simple. Get No. 1 the ball, and watch him let it fly.