Villanova’s season is done as Wildcats lose to Liberty in NIT

After Villanova’s loss to Creighton in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, the locker room was subdued. Dreams of March Madness were dashed, yet it likely wasn’t the end — there’d be a trip home, another practice, another chance to “play with my brothers,” as so many Villanova players have said over the years.

After the Wildcats lost to Liberty in the first round of the NIT, 62-57, that silver lining was gone. Villanova finished the season with a 17-17 record, heading into an uncertain offseason far earlier than it would have liked.

Here are three observations from the loss.

The Wildcats played without guard Justin Moore (right leg soreness) and forward Cam Whitmore (eye/wrist). In seven games without the pair early in the season, the Wildcats went 2-5.

Without its top two options, Villanova reverted to its November form. The Wildcats often settled for threes and fadeaways against a strong Liberty defense, as Villanova had far less space without Moore and Whitmore on the floor. Both teams attempted 26 threes, but Villanova made just four (15.4%) while Liberty sank 10 of its attempts (38.5%).

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The Wildcats played almost the entirety of the game from behind. Tied at 23 with 4 minutes, 22 seconds before halftime, Liberty’s Darius McGhee hit a layup to spark a 7-0 run. Although Villanova kept it close and got to within three with three minutes left, the Flames never trailed again.

McGhee caused chaos for Villanova’s defense. The 5-9 graduate student scored 26 points against the Wildcats, shooting 9-20 from the field. McGhee made five threes, including several from far beyond the arc.

“He’s dynamic,” coach Kyle Neptune said. “What he does to your defense [is] he makes you play so far outside the scoring area. He can make some difficult, difficult shots even if you play good defense.”

The main benefits of the NIT are that the tournament allows veterans to play a few more times and it provides valuable minutes for underclassmen. Villanova did its best to take advantage.

In his final game as a Wildcat, graduate forward Brandon Slater had his second best scoring performance of the season, scoring 18 on 8-13 shooting. He added nine rebounds and two steals.

Freshman guard Mark Armstrong stepped up in Moore’s absence, playing 34 minutes. He scored 12 points and matched a career-high with four steals.

“He’s gonna be a special player moving forward,” Neptune said.

Sophomore Jordan Longino and freshman Brendan Hausen also got significant playing time, playing 30 and 15 minutes, respectively.

“I think our young guys got a lot of good experience,” Neptune said. “Those guys will take that experience; we’ll go onto next year and we’ll get better.”

While Slater’s Villanova career ended with success, fellow graduate Caleb Daniels will want this game back. Daniels scored just four points, shooting 2-15 from the field. He missed all nine threes he attempted.

Villanova went into the season ranked 16th in the nation with significant NCAA Tournament aspirations. Instead, it heads into the offseason two days before the Tournament’s Round of 64 begins. The Wildcats have significant questions to answer over the coming weeks.

Daniels and Slater have exhausted their eligibility and will begin their post-Villanova plans. Whitmore is expected to declare for the NBA draft in the coming days, where he will likely be a lottery pick. The Wildcats have just one recruit in the Class of 2023, as forward Jordann Dumont will head to campus after graduating high school.

Everything else is murkier. Moore faces the biggest decision, as he can turn pro or choose to use his final year of eligibility at Villanova or elsewhere. Should he transfer, Moore would have his pick of many schools in the nation.

Sophomores Trey Patterson and Nnanna Njoku could also be candidates to transfer. Njoku has been injured all year, but Patterson has played just twice in Villanova’s last seven games. He was in uniform against Liberty, but did not play.

Regardless of decisions made by current players, Neptune and the Wildcats will need to turn to the transfer portal to fill several holes. Villanova has at least two open spots, with likely more to come.

The Wildcats begin their trip home with a few regrets and many questions. They went into the season with tournament dreams, yet limp out of the NIT before a run could even materialize. The next practice, road trip, chance to play again, are all now months away — but for the 2024 season to have a different ending, the work begins on Wednesday.

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