Villanova loses starting forward Matt Hodge to devastating injury

Villanova loses starting forward Matt Hodge to devastating injury originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Villanova’s postseason hopes took a devastating turn just weeks before March Madness.

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Wildcats starting forward Matt Hodge suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during Saturday night’s 89-57 loss to the St. John’s Red Storm at Madison Square Garden, ending his season and delivering a crushing blow.

Hodge went down early in the second half with Villanova trailing by 24. The 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman lost the ball on a drive near the basket and collapsed in a heap, clutching his right knee. Play was halted at the next whistle as trainers attended to him. Hodge did not put weight on the leg as he was helped off the floor.

Further testing confirmed a torn ACL, ruling him out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

For Villanova, the timing could not be worse. The Wildcats entered the weekend 22-6 and sitting third in the Big East standings in their first season under coach Kevin Willard. They appeared to be in a good place for their first NCAA Tournament run in four years.

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Hodge had become a steady presence, starting all 29 regular-season games. The Belgium native averaged 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in nearly 28 minutes per game while shooting 45.2% from the field and 36.8% from 3-point range.

Beyond the numbers, Hodge provided size, versatility and floor spacing. That will be difficult to replace in the short term.

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Publish date : 2026-03-02 20:00:00

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