Leadership and Experience Lead Villanova Past Boston College in Season Opener

Villanova's Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (left) slaps hands with Caleb Daniels during the second half against Boston College Wednesday night. (Jessica Hill/AP Photo).

One way to beat a 3-2 zone is to create one-on-one isolation matchups in the paint. With Boston College focused more on stopping Villanova on the perimeter, it created open space to dump the ball inside for Robinson-Earl, and he took advantage of the Eagles defense, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half.

Article by Dave Nguyen, AKSM Sports

MONTVILLE, CT - Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's 18 point-10 rebound performance and 15 points from Collin Gillespie helped the Villanova Wildcats to a 76-67 win over the Boston College Eagles in the season opener. The third ranked Wildcats were able to overcome a nine-point second half deficit, earning their 1,800th win in program history.

"That was a good basketball game," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "It was just so much fun to be out there playing a basketball game. Boston College was really tough."

Villanova jumped out to an 18-11 lead with 11:16 to go in the first half, with seven early points from sophomore guard Justin Moore. Yet, Boston College kept attacking the Wildcats defense, slashing and driving into the paint due to foul trouble by Robinson-Earl. The reigning Big East Freshman of the year picked up two quick fouls, sitting out roughly 13 minutes of the first half. Without 'Nova's leading rebounder, BC took the advantage on the glass, having a 20-10 in the first half. With 5:49 remaining in the first half down 27-19, the Eagles went on an 11-2 run and took their first lead of the game, 30-29, on a lay-up by Frederick Scott with 3:25 to go.

"Not having Jeremiah in the first half hurt us," said Wright about the absence of his star forward. "But you've got to give them credit. They came at us hard off the dribble."

Indeed they did. With the score tied at 34 entering the second half and Robinson-Earl entering the game, the Eagles jumped out to a 15-5 run. The quickness of BC's guards gave the Wildcats fits on defense, led by sophomore guard Jay Heath with 16 points. What helped the Eagles during that run was their defense, playing a 3-2 zone that gave the Wildcats trouble on the offensive end.

"We don't play a 3-2 zone, we didn't play against it (in practice)," noted Wright. "It was a smart move by (BC Head Coach) Jim (Christian) to do it and it was up to our guys to figure it out late, and Collin, Justin, Jeremiah, they did a great job."

One way to beat a 3-2 zone is to create one-on-one isolation matchups in the paint. With Boston College focused more on stopping Villanova on the perimeter, it created open space to dump the ball inside for Robinson-Earl, and he took advantage of the Eagles defense, scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half.

"We were struggling against their zone, and couldn't get the ball inside," said Wright. "Jeremiah just did a great job of freeing himself. I think the first time Jermaine (Samuels) made a great pass inside to him, and then Jeremiah started going to work. When we went inside, they didn't help. They stayed matched up on the perimeter and gave Jeremiah one-on-one (opportunities) and he did a great job."

When BC started to pay attention to Robinson-Earl's performance in the paint, it allowed the Wildcat guards to create more space to knock down perimeter jump shots. Whether it was shooting off the dribble or taking advantage of ball screens to create separation, Collin Gillespie showed his senior leadership to get him and his teammates on a roll in the second half. Down four with under 10 minutes to go, Gillespie assisted Cole Swider on a three pointer that cut the Eagles lead to one at 58-57. After Boston College turned it over on the ensuing possession, Gillespie knocked down a jumper by the top of the circle off a screen from Robinson-Earl to give Villanova a 59-58 lead.

"I thought the leadership of Collin in the second half helped us," said Wright about his point guard. "That's a really good BC team."

Moore was great throughout the night, scoring timely baskets when needed. He finished with 14 points, his last one becoming crucial, as his lay-up with six minutes left gave the Wildcats a 63-61 lead. After Jay Heath's triple with under four to play cut Villanova's lead to one to make the score 67-66, transfer guard Caleb Daniels knocked down a huge three to give the Wildcats the lead for good, closing on a 9-1 run to seal the win. Daniels, seeing his first game action since the spring of 2019, finished with 14 points as well. During that run, two free-throws made by Gillespie in the game's final minute gave him 1,000 career points, joining a long list of Wildcat guards that include Jalen Brunson, Phil Booth, Scottie Reynolds, Randy Foye, and Kerry Kittles.

Villanova will face #18 Arizona State on Thursday night in a top 25 matchup at 9pm on ESPN.