Can Villanova get back in NCAA picture? Hmm.

Villanova took control early against Creighton and kept it inside the Wells Fargo Center.

Published Feb. 26, 2023, 5:00 a.m. ET

As Villanova finished off Creighton, an NBA scout wondered out loud, “Could they win the Big East Tournament?”

The question of the moment, not just for 17,114 want-to-believers inside the Wells Fargo Center Saturday, but for the rest of the Big East, maybe hearing some footsteps, and for the greater college hoops world. Could they?

“Nobody wants to see that team in the Garden — nobody,” said Creighton coach Greg McDermott right after his team went down, 79-67.

It’s easy for the outside world, even an opposing coach, to say that. McDermott talked about how Villanova has “too many guys” who have experienced postseason success. But that muscle memory had been supplanted by opposite memories this season.

The relevant fact, beyond Villanova rounding into form at the right time, is whether ‘Nova players themselves believe it. These late-season games are beyond crucial for ‘Nova, after so many close losses all season. Until a week ago, the muscle memory just wasn’t there.

Tuesday, Villanova went to Xavier and gave the Musketeers their first Big East home loss. If Wildcats players are to believe in themselves in New York City next month, a road win like that against an NCAA-bound team was a necessity.

To believe they could string together some wins against the top teams … this game Saturday was just as big. Xavier couldn’t be a one-off. Forget that stuff about the next game being the most important one. This one was the most important one. Could ‘Nova look like it belonged among the Big East teams headed for March Madness?

Well, yes.

Now, Villanova is capable of beating the upper-echelon teams. Two in a row suggests, add them to the list of teams capable of winning the whole thing in New York.

Maybe short of winning the Big East, the NCAA selection committee should look at how this is an entirely different team with Justin Moore back on the court and now in the flow of things. But that’s putting their fate in the hands of outsiders who will have varying opinions. In New York, Villanova controls its own fate.

It’s easy to say that, yes, when Eric Dixon makes six three-pointers and scores a career-high 31 points, Villanova is tough to beat. The Big East tournament will be a wild survival test for everyone. But this game went beyond one shining Dixon performance. Consider that Moore, who scored 25 at Xavier on Wednesday, was the perfect floor leader this time, from the start, working with Dixon on a two-man game that had Creighton’s defense guessing wrong.

Moore only had eight points, but the rest of his stat sheet told the story … eight assists, zero turnovers. His dribble drives inside, keeping that dribble alive as he surveyed options – seemed like old times, since that’s what ‘Nova guards have done for a decade now. As Villanova built up a 38-24 halftime lead, Moore had six of his assists.

Afterward, Wildcats coach Kyle Neptune harped on his defense getting the job done, and the D is much improved from early in the season. But the stat that stands out … three turnovers for the game. None in the second half. This group believes in itself again.

You see up and down the lineup. Defenses can’t load up on Cam Whitmore, so the freshman found lanes to get 17 of his own. Fellow top rookie Mark Armstrong was huge off ‘Nova’s bench, scoring 11 points, using his quickness in the service of other details, such as getting on the floor for a second-half steal, grabbing a weak-side rebound, finding his own lanes to the hoop.

Dixon’s performance went beyond getting hot from the outside. He never forced any shots. About a dozen of his points came in immediate response to Creighton scoring. The Bluejays did not play a bad game of basketball. Yes, they missed 12 straight threes, from the first half into the second. But even as their shots didn’t fall they didn’t play panicky ball. They only committed six turnovers of their own.

“You know, we’ve got one of the elite defensive players at the rim,” McDermott said of 7-foot-1 Ryan Kalkbrenner. “Villanova was able to turn our defense inside-out with Dixon’s ability to stretch the floor. Then, once he hit some, we’re caught in between some, should we go, should we stay? Now we’re giving threes and we’re giving up layups. They did a great job of attacking us … whenever we tried to switch something up, they had an answer for that as well.”

Whether it’s too late or not for this season … we’ll soon find out. But nobody is dismissive of Villanova right now. They’ve flipped that script.

“You could see it coming as you watch them on film since Justin has returned,” McDermott said afterward. “Frankly, I was afraid of this.”