Villanova suffers its first loss since November 24th in Omaha | Villanova vs. Creighton Recap
Written by David Szczepanski on December 22, 2024
OMAHA, NE—Villanova’s quest for a perfect December fell short against Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska. The Wildcats had their five-game winning streak snapped by Ryan Kalkbrenner and the Bluejays.
Creighton defeated Villanova, 86-79, on Saturday afternoon at the CHI Health Center. Ryan Kalkbrenner, Steven Ashworth, and Jamiya Neal combined for 63 of Creighton’s 86 points. Kalkbrenner, a senior from Florissant, MO, led the Bluejays with 23 points while converting 10 of his 15 field goal attempts. Ashworth finished the game with a double-double. He had 20 points and 11 assists.
Eric Dixon continued his hot start to the 2024-25 season with 27 points. Dixon, who leads the country in scoring with 25.8 points per game, knocked down four of his seven three-point attempts.
Wooga Poplar contributed 19 points, including 15 in the second half. Poplar also earned a double-double with those 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Villanova converted 50% of its field goal attempts. The Wildcats were eight-for-20 from behind the arc (40%) in Omaha. Despite Villanova’s offensive success against the Bluejays, the Wildcats’ defense struggled to get stops on Saturday, especially from behind the arc.
Creighton made 14-of-25 three-point attempts against the Wildcats for a 56% success rate. The Bluejays entered the game, shooting about 33% from behind the arc. Creighton converted 69.2% (nine-for-13) of its three-point attempts in the first half.
Key Takeaways: Concerns about Villanova’s Three-Point Defense
The Bluejays also knocked down 55% of their field goal attempts against the Wildcats. Creighton’s 86 points were its most in a game since November 10th against Fairleigh Dickinson. Villanova had no answers for Creighton’s three-point offense on Saturday.
Villanova’s head coach, Kyle Neptune, discussed Creighton’s high-powered offense in his postgame press conference.
“They’re a team that can score a lot of different ways,” Neptune said. “They can obviously hurt you inside, and they have great shooting from outside. There’s really nothing they don’t have in their offensive package. I give them a lot of credit. They came and made a lot of shots, especially early.”
Transition Defense Struggles + Fast-Paced Tempo
Creighton finished the game with five players making at least one three-point attempt. Jamiya Neal, an Arizona State transfer, was six-for-seven from behind the arc. Steven Ashworth and Jackson McAndrew both made three threes. Villanova also struggled in its transition defense, a key theme from earlier in the season against Virginia and Saint Joseph’s.
Coach Neptune admitted that this type of shootout game was not the ideal way for the Wildcats to play.
“I thought we got a lot of good stuff offensively,” Neptune said. “I don’t know if that’s the best recipe, trying to outscore teams and not getting stops. They shoot for the game 55% and 56% from three. That’s not a good recipe if you want to be a winning team.”
Villanova’s defense really cost the Wildcats in this game because many other stats were close or favored the Wildcats. Villanova only committed one turnover, which came with less than 12 minutes left in the contest. Creighton finished the game with seven turnovers.
Villanova accumulated 28 rebounds compared to Creighton’s 30 rebounds. However, the Wildcats won the offensive rebounding battle, 8-7. Villanova also forced four steals compared to Creighton’s one steal. Villanova did struggle with its ball movement and assists. The Wildcats had just eight assists. Creighton finished the contest with 22 assists, which really established its three-point attack.
Positives from the Wildcats’ Loss
Although its three-point defense is definitely cause for concern, Villanova can take some positives from this seven-point loss. The Wildcats battled back in the first half and the late stages of the game. Creighton had a 14-point advantage with about 11 minutes left in the game, but Villanova did not surrender. The Wildcats cut the deficit to just seven points at the final buzzer.
Dixon and Poplar’s Success in Omaha
Eric Dixon continued to show why he is the leading scorer in college basketball, scoring 27 points against Creighton. Wooga Poplar also played one of his best games of the season, scoring 19 points. Poplar has scored at least 18 points in three of his last four games. In addition to the scoring, Poplar has accumulated at least seven rebounds in four of his last five contests.
The Road Ahead + Villanova vs. Butler
Villanova fell to 8-5 after its loss to Creighton on Saturday. The Wildcats are 1-1 in conference play in 2024-25. Villanova will have more than a week off for the holidays. The Wildcats’ next conference showdown is on January 1st at 6:30 pm against Butler in Indianapolis, Indiana.
