Villanova’s defense is clicking at the right time with No. 11 UConn next on the schedule

If this Villanova men’s basketball season ultimately leads to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats can point to Wednesday’s game at Butler when they pulled a win out of their hat by erasing a 13-point deficit with a 22-1 run over the final six minutes.

Every season has an inflection point or two. That was one. But Villanova coach Kyle Neptune broadened the scope when asked about the idea after the Wildcats’ 100-56 victory over DePaul on Saturday at Finneran Pavilion.

Villanova’s offense, led by the nation’s leading scorer, Eric Dixon, is one of the most efficient in the country. Its defense, meanwhile, is in the middle of the pack among the 364 Division I basketball teams. Scoring has rarely been a problem. Stopping the opponent consistently has been. The Wildcats had played 13 games before Wednesday’s game in Indianapolis, and all of those previous 520 minutes played a part in that comeback, Neptune said.

“That was a great moment for us,” Neptune said. “We strung together some stops. But it took the entire time that we’ve gone thus far this season to get to that point where we were ready to do that. I’m definitely proud of our guys. I think we are getting better. I think we’ve still got a long way to go.”

He was saying this Saturday after the Wildcats improved to 10-5 overall, 3-1 in the Big East with their lopsided win over DePaul (9-6, 0-4). It was about as perfect a victory as Villanova could have hoped for with what’s ahead on the schedule. The Wildcats started the first four minutes of the game on a 13-0 run, meaning that over 10 minutes of play vs. Butler and DePaul, Villanova had outscored its opponent, 35-1. DePaul never got closer than 13 again, and Villanova rolled.

The Wildcats, against a Blue Demons team dealing with a few key injuries, got pretty much every look they wanted. They made 16 of their 27 three-point attempts. They had 24 assists on 37 total makes; Jhamir Brickus led the way with 11 helpers to go with 11 points. Jordan Longino scored a career-high 19 points and made all five of his triples. Dixon continued his 25-point pace. Wooga Poplar’s recent run continued with 17 points, including a highlight-reel dunk after he stole the ball from a DePaul player. Kris Parker added 11 in 19 solid minutes off the bench.

But for a team that has struggled so much defensively, it was the other end of the floor that was more impressive. DePaul made just 20 of its 60 attempts and turned the ball over a dozen times. The Blue Demons shot just 7-for-27 from three-point range. They totaled just eight assists. Villanova made them labor for almost everything.

“We went a while where we were flying around,” Neptune said. “I thought we followed the game plan to a T — really impressed and proud of the way we defended.”

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Villanova had 10 days off after allowing Creighton too many easy points in an 86-79 loss on Dec. 21 in Omaha, Neb. In the two outings that followed, the Wildcats have allowed an average of 60.5 points. No, Butler and DePaul aren’t Creighton, and they surely aren’t Wednesday’s opponent, two-time defending national champion Connecticut. But there are real signs of growth.

After hosting the 11th-ranked Huskies at Finneran Pavilion comes a road game vs. a St. John’s team that was three spots outside the Top 25 in the latest Associated Press poll. The Wildcats are 2-1 so far during a six-game stretch that was always going to define where this season goes.

They entered Saturday’s game rated 51st overall by KenPom metrics. They climbed to No. 42 after the horn sounded early Saturday afternoon, and their defensive efficiency rating, 191st at the start of the day, was up to 174th. Things objectively are trending in a positive direction for Villanova over the last eight games, helping right a ship that hit a few icebergs during a bumpy 3-4 start.

UConn — which may be without top freshman Liam McNeeley (high ankle sprain) — and next Saturday’s game at St. John’s are the measuring sticks to see if the trajectory is real.

“I don’t even know if we’re halfway through the season technically yet,” Neptune said. “There’s still a long, long season to go. Teams are going to get better. Most of the other coaches are talking about the same things we’re talking about. Everybody wants to be their best at the end of the season. Right now, we haven’t really done much. We’ve gotten to the point where I think our guys are confident in what we’re looking to do. I think they’re connected. And now we just got to keep going.”