Villanova’s Senior Night matchup against Creighton has several storylines, but all Jay Wright wants to see is better defense
The 10th-ranked Wildcats can clinch their eighth Big East regular-season title in nine seasons with a win, but Wright isn't thinking about anything but better defense against the Bluejays.
There’s a lot going on Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion surrounding the Big East game of the year, Part II, between 10th-ranked Villanova and No. 14 Creighton.
It’s Senior Night and parents of the players and family members are allowed in the facility for the first and only time this season. The Wildcats (15-4, 10-3 Big East) would like to even the season series after the Bluejays (17-6, 13-5) blasted them, 86-70, on Feb. 13 in Omaha.
And it’s a pivotal game in the conference standings. A Villanova victory will clinch the Wildcats’ eighth regular season championship in the nine seasons since the reorganization of the Big East. A Bluejays victory will move them past the Cats and into first place, and they can clinch the title Saturday with a win at home over Butler.
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Yes, it’s much to think about, but Jay Wright’s primary wish is that his team play significantly better on defense than it did 18 days earlier when Creighton shot 59% from the field, drilled 12 threes, and put up the most points scored on the Cats all season.
“It’s something that we don’t purposely talk about,” the Villanova coach said Tuesday of playing for a title. “It’s something we really try to stay away from until the end of the season. We always sit down at the end of the year and we look at, what were our accomplishments? What were our failures? What were the lessons learned, and then where do we all go from here?
“At the end of this year, everything that we’ve been through, the life lessons, are going to be unbelievable. If we’re fortunate enough to win a Big East championship, I think that’s something we’ll take great pride in.”
» READ MORE: Members of the Villanova bench have come around slowly to contribute in practice and games
Barring a decision by any of the four seniors to return for an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA, something else that Wright and his players have not discussed, this will be their final game on campus. Unlike in previous years, parents will not be permitted to accompany their sons to center court upon being introduced.
For point guard Collin Gillespie, it’s simply a matter of “going out there and taking care of business.
“It’s always special to put that jersey on and wear the Villanova on the front of your chest,” he said. “To play on that floor for possibly the last time, it’s going to special. But we know we have business to take care of and it’s our next game, and that’s why it’s our most important game.”
Forward Jermaine Samuels repeated what Villanova players have ingrained in them, staying focused on the 94 by 50-foot basketball court.
“It’s something I try not to think about,” he said when asked what his emotions would be like. “It’s been a long four years. I guess we’ll see when we get there. But my concern right now is trying to stay 94 by 50 and just focus in on my teammates and my coaches.”
Seniors Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Kevin Hoehn have missed the entire season. Cosby-Roundtree, a 6-foot-9 center, continues to recover from surgery for a tibial stress fracture in his left leg. Hoehn, a walk-on guard, suffered a torn Achilles tendon shortly after the team’s return from quarantine after a September pause in the program.
Creighton, which is coming off a 77-69 loss Saturday at Xavier, has won seven of their last nine. In their last meeting with the Wildcats, Marcus Zegarowski scored 25 points and Mitch Ballock added 20, 17 in a second half when he was raining in threes from all around downtown Omaha.
Wright was equally disappointed in his team’s transition defense and finding the three-point shooters, two areas where he anticipates better play.
“I hope we can defend the three-point line a little better,” he said. “They just shot lights-out. But it wasn’t just their threes. Their crisp and precise execution offensively was beyond our defense and I hope we’ve caught up. That’s what I hope is different, that our defense has caught up to their offense.”
Villanova also expects improvement in three-point shooting after twice setting season lows in its last three games – 22.7% (5 of 22) on Feb. 20 vs. Connecticut, and 7.4% (2 of 27) Sunday at Butler, their worst-ever distance shooting game in the 20-season Jay Wright era.