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Villanova/Penn Post Game Press Conference

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Villanova vs. Mount St. Mary's Post Game Press Conference

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Men's Basketball: March 22, 2021 - Post-Game Press Conference vs. North Texas

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the seventh time in the last 20 seasons, Villanova is headed to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Wildcats (18-6 overall, 11-4 BIG EAST) fell behind by eight points but then used a 24-4 spurt late in the first half to take control of the game played Sunday night here at Bankers Life Fieldhouse against North Texas. The Wildcats ultimately posted an 84-61 victory over the No. 13 seed Mean Green (18-10 overall), who knocked off Purdue in Friday's First Round. Eight different Wildcats sank at least one 3-pointer, a first in NCAA Tournament history, on their way to a 15-of-30 effort from beyond the arc. Villanova also committed just six turnovers. "Our goal is to play Villanova Basketball for 40 minutes," stated senior forward Jermaine Samuels, who finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. "We rely on playing defense. Tonight we made shots. "We talk a lot about being the best team we can be at the end of the season. We want to prove to each other we're all in this together, that we want to make plays for each other. I think everybody was going out there to prove that to each other." This will be Samuels' second trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. He was a freshman in 2018 when the Wildcats downed Radford and Alabama to advance to the East Region semifinal. "It's actually surreal," said the native of Franklin, Mass. "I haven't really thought about it. It is pretty cool. I'm not going to lie." "Since we got here," noted Jay Wright, who improved to 30-12 in lifetime NCAA Tournament action as Villanova head coach, "Jermaine and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl have done an outstanding job of leading our guys, focusing on attention to detail. I think those two have been really important to the two games we have played here." The Wildcats withstood an early barrage from the Mean Green and got a lift from reserves Cole Swider, Bryan Antoine, and Eric Dixon. North Texas jumped out to a 17-11 lead on the strength of 6-of-9 shooting from the floor and by controlling the glass to the tune of a 7-1 edge through the first 6:27 of the contest here. Villanova stayed within striking distance, though, on the strength of four 3-pointers by four different players. Bryan Antoine's just before the midway point of the first half cut the deficit to 21-18. "We had a plan going in defensively," stated Wright. "Going in we knew that Hamlet is such a dynamic offensive player that we might have to adjust. We didn't think we would have to adjust that early. Cole Swider came into the game and we changed our ball screen coverage. We put Cole in there and Cole did a great job doubling Hamlet and getting back to his man. "We got a couple of stops and hit some 3's in transition. I think that made a big difference." Antoine's 3-pointer was part of a 13-0 surge by the Wildcats that transformed a 21-13 deficit into a 26-21 lead with 7:31 to play. Arcidiacono and Caleb Daniels both added their second 3-pointers of the night as part of that burst. Sparked by a 3/4 court trap, the Wildcats were able to build on that spurt. It ultimately became a 24-4 run highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from Swider and another from Eric Dixon – his first as a collegian. By the time the halftime horn sounded, the Wildcats held a 47-27 lead over the Mean Green. Nova was 9-of-15 from beyond the arc while holding the Mean Green to 2-of-11 accuracy from deep. After North Texas sank 8-of-12 from the field to begin the game, they sank just 3-of-15 over the rest of the period. Robinson-Earl joined the 3-point party early in the second half, becoming the seventh Wildcat to sink one on this night. But the Mean Green heated up from deep, sinking 3-of-5 from deep in the first six minutes of the second half to narrow the Villanova advantage to 55-40. The Wildcats stretched their lead to 75-49 with just under seven minutes to play in the second half before North Texas reeled off an 8-0 spurt to close the gap to 75-57 at the 4:19 mark of the period. A Jermaine Samuels baseline jumper pushed the lead back to 77-57 and that led to a finishing kick that resulted in the 84-61 final score. Villanova advances to a South Region semifinal matchup Saturday against No. 1 seed Baylor. That game will be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse with a 5:15 p.m. tipoff time. "We played them last year in Myrtle Beach," said Wright of a November 2019 meeting. "They have all the same guys and we don't. One of our guys is in the NBA and a couple of others, Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, are hurt. And they beat us with them. They're a great team but we're looking forward to getting a few more days of practice in to try to get better."

Men's Basketball: March 11, 2021 - BIG EAST Post-Game Press Conference

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Georgetown got a pair of free throws from Dante Harris with 4.7 seconds left to upend No. 1 seed Villanova 72-71 in a BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal played Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Villanova received a combined 46 points from forwards Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (26) and Jermaine Samuels (20) but it wasn't enough to hold off the Hoyas. Georgetown rallied from an 11-point second half deficit to advance to Friday night's semifinal. Harris scored 18 points for Georgetown. The Wildcats held a 70-65 lead with just less than 90 seconds left but the Hoyas outscored Nova 7-1 in the final seconds to secure the win. "Down the stretch it got to be a one possession game," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "They executed those last two possessions a little bit better than us. I thought their guards were great. We had a tough time controlling Harris. They're a good team and they're playing good basketball." "(Georgetown) did a good job of isolating people they wanted to on our team and making great individual plays. Harris isolated a couple of times and made great plays. They got a couple of offensive rebounds and got to the foul line." Indeed, the Hoyas were perfect at the line, converting all 23 of their attempts on the afternoon. After working with Villanova strength coach John Shackleton and Head Athletic Trainer Dan Erickson prior to the game, sophomore guard Justin Moore was able to participate in the rest of pregame warmups. Although he did not start, Moore entered the game after 2:53 of action. "It was a shock," stated Wright of Moore's availability. "We truly prepared not to have him. Our trainer told us that maybe he could play Saturday if we made it. He hadn't practiced at all. They just told us in warmups he felt good, and thought he could give it a shot. He did and did a great job." Moore finished with 10 points before fouling out. Spurred by six points from Samuels, the Wildcats grabbed an early 9-0 lead only to have the Hoyas bounce right back with eight straight points of their own. At the 15:33 mark, Nova's lead was 9-8. A Quddus Wahab post-up score drew a foul and extend the Hoyas run to 11-0 after five minutes of game action. Villanova was unable to find the range from deep, connecting on 1-of-11 from beyond the arc over the game's first nine minutes. Yet it's gritty work at the defensive end helped it retake the lead at 15-13 on an Eric Dixon put-back basket. With Samuels and Robinson-Earl fueling the offense, Villanova built a 35-30 advantage with just more than three minutes to play. But with Samuels, Moore and Caleb Daniels all on the bench with two fouls, Georgetown went on a 7-0 run to close the half and take a 37-35 lead at halftime. Over the first 20 minutes, Nova was 10-of-16 from inside the arc but just 3-of-19 from beyond it. The Hoyas were 6-of-16 from distance, which helped account for their advantage. Samuels led Villanova with 14 points in the period while Robinson-Earl added 10 points and five caroms. A 10-0 spurt early in the second half allowed the Wildcats to retake the lead and push it to 47-39. The Wildcats converted four of five field goal attempts in that stretch with four points from Robinson-Earl and three free throws from sophomore Chris Arcidiacono, making his first career start in the absence of injured BIG EAST Player of the Year Collin Gillespie. The Wildcats stretched the lead to 11 at one point but Georgetown made its way back, regain the lead at the 5:01 mark after a 3-pointer put the Hoyas up 63-62. Villanova struggled to gain the offensive flow it had earlier in the period Georgetown picked up two key 3-pointers and continued its perfect work at the line, converting its first 16 at the charity stripe. A clutch 3-pointer from Robinson-Earl gave the Wildcats (16-6 overall, 11-4 BIG EAST) a 70-65 cushion with 1:29 left but it would be Nova's final field goal of the day. Georgetown (11-12 overall, 7-9 BIG EAST) scored five straight points to tie it at 70 before a Robinson-Earl free throw gave the 'Cats the one point edge with 19 seconds left. After a timeout, Harris drove the ball into the key and the Wildcats were whistled for the foul. He sank both free throws with 4.7 seconds left. A final 3-point attempt by Caleb Daniels was off the mark. The loss ends a nine-game winning streak in the BIG EAST Tournament that began in the 2017 quarterfinals. The Wildcats won an unprecedented three straight BIG EAST Tournament crowns from 2017-19. The 2020 event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Men's Basketball: March 3, 2021 - Creighton Post-Game Interviews

VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova built a 19-point first half lead and then persevered when its lead shrank to five points in the second half to post a 72-60 victory over No. 14 Creighton Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion. The victory boosts the Wildcats record to 16-4 overall, 11-3 BIG EAST and secured them their seventh BIG EAST regular season title in the past eight seasons. All of that, however was overshadowed by a first half knee injury suffered by Bob Cousy Award finalist Collin Gillespie. Gillespie was injured on a play under the Creighton basket and came up favoring his left knee. He did not return to the game and Villanova head coach Jay Wright offered a less than encouraging update in his postgame Zoom news conference. "Our trainer (Dan Erickson) said it looks pretty serious," said Wright. "He's going to get an MRI (Thursday). We're not going to speculate but he's not saying he'll be fine. So this is all very bittersweet." Villanova prevailed in large part by stifling the same Bluejays offense which connected on 59 percent of its field goal attempts and 86 points in the first meeting between these two teams in Omaha last month. This time, Creighton connected on just .387 of its field goal attempts and was 10-of-33 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Justin Moore dropped in 9-of-12 field goal attempts and finished with 24 points to go with five assists, five rebounds and zero turnovers. He carried much of the ballhandling load in the second half as Gillespie watched from a seat near the team bench on the baseline. "We just assumed Justin would be our point guard next year if he doesn't leave early," said Wright. "You never know but we were very comfortable with that. When Collin's out – which isn't very often – we're still pretty good with Justin at the point. We just don't like to have Collin out of the game." Creighton reeled off the first five points of the night before the Wildcats had attempted a field goal. But Gillespie got the 'Cats going with a corner 3-ball and that ignited a 15-2 spurt that gave VU a 17-7 lead with 11:14 of the period. Central to that effort was a defense that held the Bluejays without a field goal for 5:35. The Wildcats extended that lead to 31-15, with Moore's scoring fueling much of the surge. When Moore picked up his second foul with 6:23 in the period, Gillespie returned to the floor. But in a collision under the Creighton basket, Gillespie went to the ground. After being helped to his feet, he limped off the floor. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl took the reins at point guard and helped the Wildcats finish the half strong without their two primary ballhandlers. Villanova closed the period with a 42-23 lead over the Bluejays. They connected on .545 of their field goal attempts and limited the Blue Jays to 9-of-31 shooting for the period. "We were going to try Jeremiah at the point to steal some minutes with Justin in foul trouble," Wright said. "But we actually increased our lead because Jeremiah did such a good job. The smooth offense carried Villanova to a 57-35 lead early in the period as Moore scored nine points in that stretch. But Creighton bounced right back with a 12-0 spurt to close the gap to 57-47 with 10:25 to play in the period. Without its on-court leader, the Wildcats' offense struggled to find a flow against the Bluejays, who pressed out on the perimeter. Villanova missed 1-of-9 field goal attempts over a seven-minute stretch midway through the period. When Mitch Ballock drained a 3-pointer with 7:25 left the lead was down to 57-50. Another bucket extended the run to 17-0. Yet the Wildcats got a stop and a basket from Robinson-Earl – who had his fifth double-double of the season and second straight with 14 points and 14 rebounds – to halt the run. Later, Brandon Slater sank a dagger of a 3-pointer from the right corner to give the Wildcats some breathing room at 62-54. The final was 72-60. Further adding to the tinge of sadness was the fact that prior to the game Gillespie and classmates Kevin Hoehn, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels were honored in Senior Night ceremonies. "There's probably not been one player who has had the impact on one team here that Collin has had for us," said Wright. "He's our spiritual leader, work ethic leader, character-wise he's our leader. He's tough to replace. We're going to have to grow up real quick, guys are going to have to step up and I think they will." Villanova will close out the regular season Saturday at Providence (2:30 p.m. on Fox and 95.7 Ben FM).

Men's Basketball: Feb. 20, 2021 - UConn Post-Game Interviews

VILLANOVA, Pa. – An outstanding effort at the defensive end of the floor helped No. 10/7 Villanova to a 68-60 victory over Connecticut Saturday afternoon at Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats (14-3 overall, 9-2 BIG EAST) limited the Huskies (10-6 overall, 7-6 BIG EAST) to .364 shooting on the day. That helped Nova overcome a subpar 5-of-22 effort from long range (.227). Senior Collin Gillespie scored 20 points, including a pair of 3-point daggers in the final minutes, for the Wildcats. Sophomore Jeremiah Robinson-Earl delivered a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds while junior Brandon Slater provided a critical defensive spark, helping to slow the offensive fireworks of Huskies' standout guard James Bouknight, who finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. "That's a really good team," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright of the Huskies, who faced Villanova in a BIG EAST game for the first time since 2013. The 60 points were the fewest allowed by Nova since a 71-56 victory here on Jan. 23 against Providence. "We've still got some work to make up," said Wright. "A lot of the reason why we are not as good defensively is what we chose as a staff about how to allocate our time at practice. It really wasn't the guys fault. What we ask them to do, they do. We've been trying to get other things organized and we just got away from defense. "The guys really stepped up today after the week of practice. It shows that what we emphasize they're going to be good at." A pair of baskets from Justin Moore on drives helped the Wildcats score the game's first six points. But James Bouknight scored five consecutive points over the next two minutes to draw UConn within 6-5. When Bouknight hit his second fadeaway 3-pointer Connecticut grabbed its first lead at 10-9. Bouknight would convert six of his first seven field goal attempts on the day. Two gritty drives for scores by Gillespie and a 3-pointer from above the key helped the Wildcats regain the lead and stretch it to 19-14 at the 11:16 mark of the first half. The Huskies came right back with points in a row to deadlock matters at 19. UConn entered the day's action as the leader in BIG EAST scoring defense and the Wildcats confronted that later in the half. The game settled into a half-court battle with the Huskies taking a 27-26 lead as the contest dipped below the four-minute mark in the first half. The Wildcats were 1-of-7 from the field in the span leading up to that point. Villanova closed the period with a mini-burst of 8-5 to pull ahead of Connecticut 34-32 at halftime. Gillespie's 10 points led Nova while Bouknight tallied 12 points for the Huskies. The Wildcats, who committed just two first-half turnovers, found the sledding tougher in the early stages of the second half. Connecticut forced four miscues in the first four minutes of the period, allowing the Huskies to grab a 42-41 advantage seven minutes into the half. Slater, however, helped the Wildcats grab hold of the contest with his defense, especially on Bouknight, who made just 1-of-10 after that hot start to the day. "Slater was great," stated Wright. "He's a really good defensive player. I thought he did a great job on (Bouknight). Even in the first half, I thought some of the shots he hit were pretty good defensive possessions. He hits tough shots. That's what makes him a great player. "We just did a really good job in the second half, especially with Slater getting up in him and contested his 3's." Despite misfiring on its first six points from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half, Villanova's grit allowed it to craft a 51-45 lead with 8:09 to play. Robinson-Earl capped that small burst with a driving layup. The Huskies narrowed their deficit to 57-50 but Gillespie drained a clutch triple that barely beat the expiring shot clock at 3:18. When the Huskies got to within 60-55, Gillespie dropped in another big 3-pointer with 1:29 left to give Villanova the breathing room it would need to finish off the win. The final was 68-60. This matchup was the first of two in a row on home court for the Wildcats. Villanova is scheduled to host St. John's Tuesday night at 8 p.m. (CBS Sports Network and 95.7 Ben FM Radio). The Red Storm handed the Wildcats their first BIG EAST defeat of 2020-21 on Feb. 3, 70-59, at Carnesecca Arena.