Villanova vs. St. John’s Preview | 1-20-2023

Glance at the Teams

After holding on to beat Georgetown on Monday, the Villanova Wildcats are now 9-10 overall and 3-5 in Big East play heading into Friday’s matchup against St. John’s. The Wildcats have lost back-to-back road games and have not won a road contest since January 4^th against Georgetown. The St. John’s Red Storm have won two games in a row (against UConn and Butler,) which have also given them a 3-5 record in Big East play. The Red Storm, who are now 13-6 overall, played at the Finn on December 21^st, where the Wildcats gave them their second loss on the season.

Last Matchup: December 21^st

Villanova defeated St. John’s, 78-63.

During the last matchup between these two teams, Eric Dixon and Brandon Slater led the way for Villanova by combining for 34 points. The Wildcats also received 13 points from Jordan Longino off the bench. Cam Whitmore did not start in the December 21^st game, because he was still on a minutes restriction. Obviously, Whitmore will play more than 20 minutes in Friday’s game, but the Wildcats will still need to find other scoring with the injury to Longino.

The leading scorer for the Red Storm was Joel Soriano. Soriano scored 17 points and accumulated 13 rebounds; however, Dixon definitely had a great game against the Honor Roll center for St. John’s.

This December 21st win for Villanova was their first major statement victory of the season, and they will look to have another statement win on Friday.

Overall, Villanova will have to play one of their best games to defeat the Red Storm, who have played really good games against solid opponents. Madison Square Garden is always a tough environment to play in, and the Wildcats will have to keep their composure and control the game at their pace like at the Finn. This game is a huge one for Villanova, and a win would definitely keep the Wildcats afloat in the extremely talented Big East.