Villanova Wildcats (3-1) at La Salle Explorers (2-2)
Where: John E. Glaser Arena (Philadelphia, PA)
When: Wednesday Nov. 19 at 7:00 PM
Betting Line: TBD (Subject to change)
How to Watch: CBSS
How to Listen: Villanova Sports Radio Network
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About La Salle: The Explorers are no stranger to the Villanova faithful, but a lot has changed since the last time you saw them. Fran Dunphy retired at the end of last season to become a special assistant to the president, so in comes Darris Nichols of Radford University. Nichols, a former West Virginia guard from 2004-2008 for those that remember, took the La Salle job after four seasons coaching the Highlanders. Some may remember Radford as the First-Round opponent during Villanova’s 2018 championship run. The Explorers were selected to finish 13th of 14 teams by the coaches in the Atlantic-10 Preseason Poll. Like the previous opponent Duquesne, there were no players selected to the all-conference preseason teams. Through four games, La Salle is led by graduate guard Jaeden Marshall. The transfer from Niagara is averaging 15.3 points, 3 rebounds and 2.8 assists on 42.9% from the field and 34.8% from three (on 5.8 attempts per game). The second-leading scorer for the Explorers is junior forward Jerome Brewer Jr. The 6’9” transfer from East Texas A&M is averaging 11.5 points and 4 rebounds per game on 47.4% from the field. Brewer Jr. redshirted for La Salle last season. Like the Wildcats, La Salle only returns one regular from last year in junior guard Eric Acker (5.3 points per game).
Notes on Nova:
The Wildcats come into this one on a three-game winning streak, with all three coming by 10 points or more. Something to watch for in this match-up is the three-point defense, as La Salle is 41st in the country at the time of writing in three-point percentage (39.7%). Teams are shooting 42.53% from deep against the ‘Cats so far, making just over 9 per game. This appears to be the recipe for success from La Salle’s perspective, as the turnover and rebounding battle should favor Villanova. The Explorers average 12.8 turnovers per game thus far, good for 227th in the country. With the hopeful increase in minutes for Zion Stanford, the Wildcats’ depth should be able to pressure La Salle throughout the evening.
