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Villanova looking to make late run to reach NCAA Tournament and possibly save Kyle Neptune’s job

Since losing five of six games from mid-January to early February, Villanova has rattled off three straight wins to keep its nearly dead bubble hopes still alive. After two lackluster, near .500 years for Kyle Neptune, time is ticking to make something happen, and Villanova may be on its final life. When the season started and the ‘Cats lost to Columbia, St. Joseph’s, and Virginia in November, they looked done for, but this recent three-game stretch has kept the Wildcats pushing.

Without a doubt, the biggest win of the season came last night, as #9 St. John’s came into town and left with a 73-71 loss. Villanova was the team that got out to a fast start, taking a 32-22 lead with 5:47 to go in the first half. Then, the Red Storm’s defense stood strong for the first half going on a 10-2 run to make the Villanova lead just a pair.

St. John’s continued its run coming out of halftime, scoring seven of the first nine points to lead 39-36, powered by two buckets and an assist from RJ Luis Jr. Villanova would then crawl back in front with Wooga Poplar taking center stage in the run. After back-to-back buckets from St. John’s to cut the Villanova lead to three, Jhamir Brickus and Tyler Perkins each hit a three and a pair of Eric Dixon free throws in between put the Wildcats in front 59-48 with under ten minutes to play.

In the Big East, it was never going to be that straightforward to pull off an upset win though. St. John’s went on a 14-0 run spanning just under four minutes, once again led by Luis and Kadary Richmond. The game continued to tighten over the final minutes, as Villanova took a four-point lead after back-to-back threes from Dixon. In front by four with 2:27 to go, Villanova once again struggled to get anything offensively as the Red Storm defense put on the clamps. Simeon Wilcher would pull St. John’s in front with a three-pointer with under 30 seconds to play.

11 days after losing on a late three-pointer to Steve Ashworth and Creighton, Villanova wouldn’t be denied a signature win this time around. Brickus found Perkins on the final possession with nine seconds to play, and the Penn transfer knocked down the three that gave Villanova a 73-71 over a top ten team.

In a night where Eric Dixon couldn’t find much consistency against a stellar St. John’s defense, Wooga Poplar led the way with 22 points and four steals, shooting 9-of-14 from the field. As really the only guy off the bench with minutes, Tyler Perkins finished with 12 points, knocking down four of his five three-point attempts, including the game-winner.

Compounded with wins last week over DePaul and Xavier, Villanova has found itself riding a win streak as the regular season comes to a close with the upset win over St. John’s. Over the final six games, Villanova will see UConn and Marquette, and a split in that pair of games combined with a 4-0 mark against Providence, Butler, Seton Hall, and Georgetown would make the Big East Tournament of high interest for Villanova and other bubble teams.

There’s plenty of work to do until Selection Sunday in just over a month, but a win like last night’s sparks the conversation of “what if” over the final few weeks of the season for Villanova.

Other Things to Note:

• 41 points, 15 rebounds for JT Toppin in a career night and a 111-106 double overtime victory for #12 Texas Tech over Arizona State
• #19 Ole Miss survives 72-68 in stern road test at South Carolina
• Cooper Flagg scores 27 points as #3 Duke handles Cal 78-57
• #21 Missouri blows out Oklahoma 82-58 in SEC matchup
• #25 Maryland, Nebraska meet in Pinnacle Bank Arena fighting for tournament position (8:30 ET, BTN)