clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Big East Tournament game recap: Three things we learned from Villanova's 35 point victory over Marquette

Led by Josh Hart, Villanova found a groove early on and cruised by the Golden Eagles of Marquette by a score of 84 to 49.

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

1. Villanova found a groove early on

That may have been the most sound and comfortable look a team has ever had over the span of 20 minutes of play.  As Jay Wright stated in his presser, "good start for us and good start to the game."

Villanova found a seam early on, and rode it through the course of the game, exposing the various faults of Marquette and taking the lead early on.  At the end of the second half, the Wildcats finished with a percentage line of 53% from all areas of the floor, 59% from 3 point range, and 70% from the foul line.  They only committed 15 personal fouls the entire game, and played a compacting style that forced Marquette into an awkward position early on, exposing their zone to an onslaught of three's and interior screens.  Coach Wright's goal was the expose the zone early on and his players achieved just that.

2. Josh Hart was hot today

As Villanova exploded for 84 points, Josh Hart was the centerpiece of their play, finishing the day with 20 points. Hart was a solid sixth man for Villanova, and today he looked by far the most comfortable on the court as he has all season.  At one point in the game, he made 11 consecutive shots all good for points, and contributed five of Villanova's record-tying 17 three pointers against the Golden Eagles today.  When asked about his performance, Hart responded that he felt confidence after each shot.  His coach responded that he does get tired some times too, joking after hearing his streak stopped at 11. The importance of Hart's game was that it was an added level of depth that Villanova can look to going forward.

3. Marquette got handled

Although Coach Woj does walk away with one Tournament win in the early rounds, his Golden Eagles were soundly outmatched by Villanova.  It could have been the result of a night game last night and then early game today, but they looked exposed early on against Villanova.  Matt Carlino, the Golden Eagles' offensive source for most of the season was contained early on.  The good news for Marquette is that the future does look bright going forward with the incoming recruiting class.