Villanova shocked in embarrassing 10-point loss to Columbia + NJIT Preview

VILLANOVA, PA—Villanova may make March Madness, but for the second season in a row, the Wildcats’ preseason enthusiasm was quickly deflated by an early-season loss to an Ivy League opponent.

Columbia defeated Villanova, 90-80, at the Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday evening. The Wildcats scored 80 points, but their defense could not stop Columbia, especially in transition. The Lions converted 53.7% of their field goal attempts. Columbia also made 24 of 26 free throws against Villanova.

Villanova suffered their first loss of the season to the Ivy League’s Columbia at the Finneran Pavilion.

The Lions finished the game with four players in double-digits: Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, and Noah Robledo. Rubio De La Rosa exploded for 22 points in 33 minutes. It was his second consecutive game with at least 20 points. Brown converted 5 of 7 field goal attempts for 18 points. Noland and Robledo combined for 26 points.

Villanova’s offense was carried by Eric Dixon’s 33-point performance. Wooga Poplar also contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Jordan Longino played better against Columbia than Lafayette, with 14 points in almost 35 minutes.

Dixon Achieves 1,500 Points

In a tremendous accomplishment, Dixon also surpassed 1,500 points with his 33 points on Wednesday. Dixon called it a “great honor.” He also placed some blame on himself for the Wildcats’ ten-point loss.

“Honestly, I think I could have done a better job defending and rebounding,” Dixon said. “Setting a tone in that matter.”

Transfer Struggles

Some of Villanova’s transfers struggled against Columbia and its full-court press. Jhamir Brickus made just two of his six shots for four points and eight assists. Enoch Boakye also struggled with two points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. Tyler Perkins, a transfer from the University of Pennsylvania, contributed five points in over 25 minutes. Perkins came off the bench to begin the game, with Dixon returning to the starting lineup against Columbia.

More Turnovers

Villanova committed 12 turnovers on Wednesday. They have 29 total turnovers in their first two games. The Wildcats were also outscored in the paint, 36-24. They scored just 11 bench points compared to the Lions’ 25 bench points. Villanova did not record a bench point until about five minutes left in the game.

In his postgame press conference, Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune expressed his thoughts on the tough loss and what went wrong.

“Even if we won that game, we would still have to get a lot better,” Neptune said. “We’re just not where we need to be right now. We got a lot of things that we have to get better at.”

Neptune later added that Villanova “couldn’t get enough stops.”

Villanova’s Coach Neptune speaking at his press conference after Villanova’s ten-point loss to Columbia on Wednesday.

The Wildcats fell to 1-1 in their 2024-25 campaign. A good amount of the crowd left the Finn early, and boos rained down as Columbia secured the ten-point win. Villanova was favored to win the game by about 15 points. This was one of those losses that could really haunt Villanova later in the season.

NJIT Preview

However, Villanova has an opportunity to rebound tonight at 8:30 p.m. against the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The Wildcats will play their third game of the season, ending their hectic first week of action.

NJIT finished their 2023-24 season with a 7-21 overall record. They were just 2-13 in away games last season. The Highlanders ended their season with three conference wins in 16 games.

NJIT averaged 68 points per game last season and converted 39.4% of their shots from the field. The Highlanders also struggled from behind the arc, with a 30% success rate.

The Highlanders opened their 2024-25 schedule on Monday against Penn. NJIT suffered their first loss of the season, 58-57, to the Quakers. They scored just 23 points in the final twenty minutes.

Tariq Francis, a sophomore guard from Pittsburgh, PA, was NJIT’s leading scorer in 2023-24 with 14.8 points per game. He scored 20 points against Penn in their season-opening loss. He also allowed five turnovers. Sebastian Robinson, a sophomore guard, played well with 20 points on Monday night. He played 28 games last season while averaging 5.6 points per contest.

WXVU’s Live Coverage

Villanova is favored by about 22 points in tonight’s non-conference battle. WXVU’s live coverage begins at 8 pm with the pregame show. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm.