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It’s getting late very, very early on the Main Line. Despite All-First Team Big East Eric Dixon’s 33-point performance in his season debut, Villanova underperformed, disappointed, and, just like in 2012, fell to the Columbia Lions, 90-80.
Photo: Villanova Men's Basketball (@NovaMBB on Twitter)
Villanova ran into the same problems that plagued them last season, getting off to a slow start. They allowed Columbia to stay neck-and-neck throughout the first half, where Columbia led Villanova 39-37. Around the 13:20 mark of the second half, Columbia took the lead again and never looked back.
“We got to get more solid. Habits are not where they need to be right now. Then, it seems like just simple things: taking the ball inbounds, being strong with the ball, making entry passes. We just have to be way more solid and pay attention to detail,” the third-year Coach Neptune said of his team.
The devil is in the details of this game. Following a 17-turnover outing on Monday, the ‘Cats continued their sloppy play, turning the ball over 12 times and allowing 21 points off those turnovers. “A lot of credit goes to [Columbia]," Neptune said. "They came in and executed their game plan. They got into us, they were scrappy, they switched their defenses, and a lot of credit goes to them.”
Villanova shot 45% on 60 field goal attempts, and 34.4% on 32 3-point attempts. The 'Cats struggled against Columbia’s zone defense in the second half, shooting only 21.1% from beyond the arc. However, Villanova’s offense was not the biggest issue. Villanova’s defense, ranked 13th in efficiency last season, was pedestrian. They allowed 90 points to a Columbia team who in 2023-24 only broke 90 points once in a blowout win against SUNY Delhi.
Dixon’s performance ends up as the silver lining in this game, scoring his 1,500th point at Villanova. “It’s a great honor. All of my coaches, teammates, throughout my 6 years here, they all contribute to it,” Dixon said of the milestone.
The sixth-year Graduate Student Dixon was on fire in the first half, scoring the first 5 points for the team, and being used in over 30% of Villanova’s offensive possessions in the half. However, that number dropped to 20% by the end of the game. Dixon had 10 field goal attempts in the first half but took only 6 in the second half.
“We are just not where we need to be right now.”
These words rang through the media room from a downtrodden Coach Kyle Neptune. With NJIT on Friday, followed by a Saint Joseph’s squad with high expectations in the A10, the ‘Cats need to right the ship––and do so quickly. If not, the program with two National Championships and a Final Four appearance in the last decade may once again be on the outside looking in when it’s time to dance.
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