Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ loss to Villanova Wildcats

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PHILADELPHIA − An all-important Quadrant 1 victory was not in the cards for Xavier Sunday as another opportunity slipped through the Musketeers’ grasp in an 80-68 loss to Villanova at Wells Fargo Center.

With a front-loaded Big East schedule, Xavier’s chances to break off the NCAA Tournament bubble are few and far between down the stretch.

That’s why Sunday’s matchup was so critical to the Musketeers’ odds of dancing next month. Xavier falls to 1-9 in Quadrant 1 contests with the only win coming at Marquette Jan. 18. As the NCAA NET Rankings go, Sunday was Xavier’s last Quadrant 1 chance, although its home game vs. Creighton March 1 could become a Q1.

Xavier also came to Philadelphia tied with Villanova for fifth place in the Big East. The top five teams in the league get a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.

Observations from Xavier Musketeers’ loss to Villanova Wildcats

Villanova’s Eric Dixon dominates late as Wildcats pull away

The defensive gameplan for any team facing Villanova is centered around containing veteran forward Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer at 23.8 points per game.

Xavier held Dixon scoreless for nearly 13 minutes before he made his only bucket of the first half. Dixon was just 1-of-4 from the field over the opening 20 minutes but the Wildcats went 5-of-12 from distance with big afternoons from guards Wooga Poplar and Tyler Perkins.

Moments after Xavier had taken a 52-46 lead in the second half, Dixon woke up and scored 15 consecutive points for Villanova. He had back-to-back and-1s down low to give the Wildcats a 62-58 lead at the under-8 media timeout. The left-hander connected on a wing 3-pointer to push Villanova’s lead to double figures (73-62) with just over four minutes to go.

Villanova’s Wooga Poplar (5) shoots over Xavier’s Zach Freemantle (32) at Wells-Fargo Center on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025.

Dixon scored 22 of his 24 in the second half and was one of three Wildcats over the 20-point mark. Poplar (23) and Perkins (20) combined…

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Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer

Publish date : 2025-02-09 19:06:00

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