I left yesterday more impressed by this team than ever. Villanova is a very good basketball team (they entered the day top-10 in KenPom’s efficiency ratings for both offense and defense) coached by one of the best in the biz, and we were just better. Aside from a dicy stretch that bridged the first and second halves, we cruised on offense (1.43 points per possession and 53% shooting), were good enough on defense, and were able to hold Villanova at arm’s length like an older sibling fending off their baby brother.
The offense carried the day, as its been wont to do. Villanova runs a slowed down press, picking up man at about three quarter court and trapping ball handlers in between the foul lines. We came out patient and found good shots (making three of our first four), but ran into some tough sledding when we couldn’t seem to internalize that Villanova was going to cheat in the passing lanes all game. We had eight first half turnovers, six by our guards, but once we settled down (and by “settled down,” I mean we passed the ball like we cared where it went) our deliberate and detailed approach led to a bunch of easy looks around the rim and a parade of rhythm threes.
It was the threes that broke the game open. After making just one (and taking only two) in the first half and missing our first two looks of the second, we made seven of eight tries over the last 12 minutes of the game. The onslaught began with a Malcolm Brogdon dagger from the elbow that gave us a lead we wouldn’t relinquish. London hit two to extend our lead when Villanova cut it within three and four in the final minutes, and Malcolm finally sealed the deal with a deep pull up three that put us up 10 with two minutes left.
Brogdon finished the game with 20 points thanks to a 12-12 performance from the line (he’s made 20 straight in our last four games after going 4-8 in the four before) and dished a team-high six assists. Perrantes added 19 (his fifth double digit scoring effort in our last six games) and Anthony Gill led the team with 22 points on just nine shot attempts, working his Antawn Jamison flips around the rim to perfection. Gill’s performance — which largely came at the expense of 6’11” Daniel Ochefu, who is a fine defender — continued a three game run that’s seen him score 19.3 points per game on 73.3% shooting and 14-18 (77.8%) from the line and grab 8.3 rebounds (2.7 per on offense) per game. He’s been fantastic.
Mike Curtis should get a game ball for yesterday. Our guys — even or especially the guards — seemed bigger, stronger, and better equipped to play through contact than their counterparts, and it showed in the box score: we took 30 free throws to Villanova’s 17 (making 26) and rebounded 13 of our 24 missed shots overall.
The defensive numbers don’t look great (Villanova shot 49% overall, made 10 of 26 threes, and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds), but I think we did a pretty good job. Villanova’s threes were contested ones for the most part, and some of them just went in. This was especially true for Kris Jenkins, who is a real chucker. We did a nice job getting a hand in his face, and he made five of 11 anyway. It happens. We did a great job as a team limiting the impact of Ryan Arcidiacono (he missed all four of his threes with Brogdon in his face) and Daniel Ochefu (he had just five rebounds).
Isaiah Wilkins got the start over Mike Tobey or Jack Salt to better match up with Villanova’s four wings, and stuffed the box score: five points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal in 30 minutes. I’m not sure that he’s our starter moving forward (I think the second big and the third wing will be in flux all year), but I think it’s hard to ignore that we’re better with him out there than we are with Tobey, who is being called incredibly tightly by the refs (he has seven fouls in his last 17 minutes).
This was the biggest showdown of the nonconference slate, and prevailing to win by 11 in a game where both teams played well felt like proving a point. We’re now four games through our five game stretch against top-75 competition, and the results of the first four are doing nothing to shake my opinion that this might be the most dynamic team we’ve seen under CTB. Cal’s up next. More soon.
