Villanova vs Holy Cross: Game Preview

Villanova Wildcats (0-1) vs Holy Cross Crusaders (0-1)

Where: Finneran Pavilion (Villanova, PA)

When: Friday, November 6 at 7 PM EST

Betting Line: TBD

How to Watch: ESPN+

How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network

Advertisement

KenPom: Villanova 38, Holy Cross 362 (there are 365 teams in Division 1 college basketball)

Torvik: Villanova 29, Holy Cross 347

Evan Miya: Villanova 36, Holy Cross 354

About Holy Cross: The college is located in Worcester MA. The Crusaders are led by head coach Dave Paulsen, who enters his fourth year at the helm. Holy Cross was picked to finish sixth out of eight teams in the Patriot League. The Crusaders lost 103-59 at Rhode Island on Tuesday night, so both teams head into this one looking for their first win of the season. In the contest against the Rams, Holy Cross was led by juniors Chuck Hare and Kole Hanson with 10 and 11 points respectively. Hare is a 6’11” big man who is in his third season with the Crusaders, having averaged 2.2 points per game a year ago. Hanson is a Division II transfer from Minnesota Duluth and was named All-Conference First Team as a sophomore. The 6’2″ guard is a threat from deep, having gone 3/6 in the game against Rhode Island.

Advertisement

Like Villanova, Holy Cross will be without a player recovering from a serious injury. Returning senior Joe Nugent tore his Achilles last year and is still in recovery. Nugent was the third leading scorer on last year’s team, averaging 11.8 points per game. The Crusaders will also likely be without fellow senior Declan Ryan, who missed the game against Rhode Island with a knee injury. The 6’8″ forward averaged 4.9 points per game as a junior. Both players have spent their whole careers with Holy Cross.

Notes on Nova:

The Wildcats’ season didn’t get off to a good start, in large part due to 20 turnovers. Hopefully, that’s mostly the cause of lack of familiarity with the roster. The goal in this one should be to get more experience with Evans Jr. in the lineup, both in big and “small”…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/villanova-vs-holy-cross-game-220000249.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-11-05 22:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.