Villanova wins sloppy Big East tournament opener vs. Seton Hall. Up next? UConn.
Eric Dixon scored all 19 of his points in the second half after being held scoreless in the first. Wooga Poplar scored 13, two of them coming on a highlight reel dunk.
NEW YORK — Pick a sequence, any sequence. There were enough micro moments in the first half that contributed to the final result to fill this entire space, so let’s stick to one stretch.
Villanova had a 15-point lead inside of five minutes to go in the opening frame. Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, was scoreless and on the bench with two fouls. Villanova hadn’t made a basket in four minutes. If there was any time for Seton Hall to make at least a minor push, it was then. Isaiah Coleman air balled from 12 feet. A Villanova offensive foul gave the Pirates the ball, only for Godswill Erheriene to have his dunk attempt blocked by the rim.
It was that kind of opening half for Seton Hall, the worst team in the Big East. The Pirate mascot once held both hands on its head. Another time it covered its mouth with one hand.
» READ MORE: La Salle keeps its season alive with 78-71 win over UMass in A-10 tournament first round
Villanova, which advanced to Thursday’s quarterfinal vs. Connecticut with a 67-55 win, went nearly eight minutes without a made basket near the end of the first half. The Wildcats led by 18 before the drought started. They led by 18 at halftime despite turning the ball over eight times and getting zero points from the best scorer in the sport.
You can’t win four games in a row without winning one. It wasn’t pretty. Villanova-Seton Hall games rarely are. The Wildcats would have taken the first one any way it came. You don’t get extra points for style. Survive and advance is the motto this time of year for a reason.
Dixon comes alive
That early lead Villanova built? It needed every ounce of it. Sloppy Big East games, even the kind involving an offensively inept Seton Hall team, tend to get a little tight.
The Pirates cut Villanova’s 18-point lead to eight, 37-29, just over four minutes into the second half, forcing Kyle Neptune to call a timeout.
“They’ve done that to everybody,” Neptune said. “They just keep coming after you.”
Villanova quickly responded with a 13-0 run that quashed the comeback plans.
» READ MORE: A salute to La Salle’s Fran Dunphy after a win that keeps his coaching career alive for another day
Dixon started the run with his first points, a three-pointer that bumped the lead back to double digits before a post move put Villanova ahead by 13. Then came the game’s highlight.
After another Seton Hall turnover, Wooga Poplar skied over Dylan Addae-Wusu for a two-handed slam. The lead grew to 15.
Dixon then converted a three-point play and hit another three. The lead was 50-29. Shaheen Holloway called timeout, but there was not much more he could do.
“I thought our guys did a good job staying calm under pressure,” Neptune said. “We had some key baskets. We were solid with the ball at some key times.”
Dixon scored all 19 of his points in the second half. He will need 17 points on Thursday to pass Kerry Kittles to become Villanova’s all-time leading scorer. Poplar scored 13, and Tyler Perkins joined them in double figures with 11. The Wildcats won easily despite having 16 turnovers and two elongated scoring slumps.
» READ MORE: Eric Dixon, Jordan Longino, and the end of an era for Villanova basketball: Can they go out with a bang?
Up next
Thursday night won’t be as kind to the Wildcats if they play in a similar fashion. The Wildcats meet third-seeded UConn in a game scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Thursday (FS1). The good part about Dixon’s early foul trouble and struggles? He only played 28 minutes Wednesday night.
The Wildcats split the season series with the Huskies, with each home team winning. Villanova had a 14-point lead in the second half in the road game before UConn stormed back.
Villanova tried to blow another lead Wednesday. Seton Hall wasn’t up to the task.