Philadelphia, PA- March is finally here and madness has returned to the college basketball world.
Redshirt senior Caleb Daniels scored a game-high 20 points off No. 11 Villanova’s (22-7) bench as held off No. 9 Providence (24-4) 76-74. Villanova is now the only team to beat Providence twice this season.
This game came down to free throws as Villanova held a narrow lead down the stretch. Providence had a chance for a hail mary win, but their long heave of an inbound pass would be intercepted as time expired to secure the win for Nova.
The last play being a Providence turnover was fitting as that was a huge difference-maker in this one. The Friars turned the ball over an eye-catching 16 times while Villanova coughed the ball up just five times. If Providence had secured the ball a little better, the outcome on Tuesday in Philly might have been different.
Ed Cooley’s Providence squad got off to a great start in this one, as they opened the game on a 9-2 run. They started the game a perfect three of three from behind the arc, but would soon cool off on the road. They would make just two of their next 15 shots from deep in the first half as they became ice cold and Nova caught fire. Villanova would end the first half on a 16-2 run and hold a 40-26 lead at the break.
The biggest highlight from the game came in the first half, Villanova’s Brandon Slater put a Providence defender on a poster and energized the home crowd. Slater finished with just three points in the game.
Providence of course rallied in the second half and made this a tight game. Cooley’s team is simply too good to roll over and be blown out. After rallying to tie the game at 48-all with around 10 minutes left in the game, these teams traded buckets until the end. Neither team was willing to give in and it resulted in a very entertaining back and forth. Nova was able to make just enough free throws to hold off Providence.
‘Cats Top Friars, Again
Tuesday was just the fourth loss for Providence this season, half of those losses come from Jay Wright’s Villanova squad.
Despite already clinching the regular-season Big East Championship, Providence has not been able to conquer Villanova. The Wildcats went to their house a few weeks ago and beat them and then won again at home on Tuesday.
Eric Dixon, Collin Gillespie, and Justin Moore were all great for Nova. Dixon scored 14 points and grabbed four rebounds. Gillespie scored 14, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out five assists. Moore added 13 points and six rebounds. Moore made several big buckets in the clutch to help hold off Providence.
Junior point guard Jared Bynum led the way for the Friars. Bynum scored a team-high 19 points and recorded a career-high 10 assists. Bynum couldn’t have done much more for his team on Tuesday. Noah Horchler and AJ Reeves both had 15 points.
As a team Providence knocked down 15 shots from deep, that is a winning formula for most teams but it simply wasn’t meant to be on Tuesday in Philly.
What’s Next?
Villanova will play their regular-season finale on Saturday at Butler (13-17).
Tuesday was Providence’s regular-season finale, they will now shift their focus to the Big East Tournament. As sports fans, we can only hope these teams meet again in the conference tournament.
 bench as held off No. 9 Providence (24-4) 76-74.){kind=link}