After a rough start to the season, Villanova (5-4) finally had something to feel good about on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats took down No. 14 Cincinnati, 68-60, handing the Bearcats (6-1) their first loss of the season.
Villanova was led by senior forward and the nation’s second-leading scorer Eric Dixon, who posted 31 points and seven rebounds. Tuesday marked the third time this season Dixon has surpassed 30 points. He scored 33 points in a 90-80 loss to Columbia (8-0) on Nov. 6 and put up 38 points in Villanova’s fourth loss of the season to Maryland (7-1), 76-75, on Nov. 24.
In addition to those defeats, the Wildcats also fell to Saint Joseph’s, 83-76, and Virginia, 70-60. Tuesday night’s victory gives Villanova back-to-back wins and three wins in a four-game span.
With a combined record of 39-37 at Villanova coming into the night, per Sports-Reference, this was a big win for head coach Kyle Neptune.
For Cincinnati, the loss was its first setback of the season. While the Bearcats had not played a noteworthy opponent, they had taken care of business in every game, winning by at least 16 points in each one.
Coming into the night, Cincinnati had been shooting 53.6 percent from the floor, which led the country, according to NCAA.com. After being held to 23-of-60 (38.3 percent) from the floor, it is safe to say Villanova slowed the Bearcats down in a big way.
Villanova’s win kicked off the Big 12-Big East Battle, which pits the two conferences against one another. The games continue through Sunday.
