Guru’s WBB Report: Villanova’s Three-Ball Attack Carries Wildcats Over Butler While No. 13 Michigan Wins Big Ten Battle of State Rivals

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Coming out of a second COVID-19 team pause, this one lasting 13 days, Villanova coach Denise Dillon had an option the Redcoats back in Boston did not have to attack the colonists at the outset of the Revolutionary War.

In facing a struggling Butler squad and going for a sweep, Dillon tossed aside, one, if by land and, two, using the C, going for the appropriate three by air as the Wildcats connected on a near Big East and program record of connected shots beyond the arc for a 98-74 victory that the Big East Digital Network could have called it for Villanova (12-3, 7-3 Big East) with not much over 25 percent of the time gone on the game clock.

In fact the shock of the night was that the three-point records of 18 makes survived by one considering the Wildcats had poured 16 of their 17 treys in the first half over the Bulldogs (1-15, 1-14) to take a 67-26 lead at the break. The previous win before the most recent pause over Butler at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis was also a lopsided affair, 90-53, in which the Wildcats also filled the sky with 14 made three-balls.

Appropriately, the offensive attack Tuesday night occurred as this year’s edition of Alumnae Night, a normally largely attended event, was held via zoom because of restrictions fighting the pandemic and Dillon could show off to her former teammates and others in the storied history of the program that the three-point world they all lived under Harry Perretta has not vanished following his retirement last spring after 42 seasons with the Wildcats on the Main Line.

If anything, that side of the battle plan has been enhanced as Villanova, in fourth place in the Big East, assisted on 28 of the Wildcats’ 33 made field goals.

Sophomore Maddy Siegrist, last year’s Big East top freshman, poured 24 points in this one, her 10th 20-point game of the season and 25th of her career. She also had six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Israeli freshman Lior Garzon scored 17. Transfer Sarah Mortensen, a major factor in the Wildcats’ ramped up offense, had 16 points on 6-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Brianna Herlihy had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Based on Villanova’s plan to handle opponents who’ve been in similar pauses, Herlihy explained the necessity to show no signs of any rust during the shutdown.

“It was important,” she said. “When we play teams that have been on a pause we want to jump out early because they have been out of practice. We thought it was important that we turn the tables and make sure we jumped on them early.

“We didn’t see signs of slowing down because of the pause. It was something we emphasized before the game. I’m glad we were able to execute that.”

The three-point accuracy was a season-high 47.2 percent, though at halftime it was really deadly at 62 percent.

Nevertheless the slight cool down likely didn’t cause anyone to lose sports book prop bets on the potential of the record being snapped since women’s collegiate hoops, unlike some WNBA squads, have yet to show associations since the United States Supreme Court overturned a rule in 2018 that allowed states beyond Nevada to start legalizing activity from sports book companies.

Herlihy cited the flow of the offense contributing to the hot start that got even warmer midway through the first quarter.

“We’re not just a bunch of individuals,” she said. “We are playing as a team, running the offense, and executing. That makes the game go so much smoother and makes everyone play for each other.”

Butler’s Okako Adika scored 19 while Upe Artosu scored 15 for the squad that’s been battered by injuries.

Villanova has already reached the minimum 13-game requirement promulgated by the NCAA this season coping with the coronavirus for tournament eligibility but the Wildcats could draw attention by the NCAA committee Friday night when the Wildcats travel to Marquette in Milwaukee.

The third-place Golden Eagles routed Villanova in their first meeting at Finneran earlier this season while the Wildcats’ other two losses were at home to first-place and now No. 1 Connecticut and at No. 19 DePaul in Chicago where the Blue Demons sit in second place.

The DePaul visit here, postponed several times and the Villanova visit to UConn will likely not be made up, though the ‘Cats could run into either, if not both, next month, assuming things are calm enough for the Big East to be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena near New London, Conn.

Michigan Edges Michigan State:  Despite the narrow 86-82 outcome between the two Big Ten state rivals in favor of the No. 11 Wolverines (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) in their Crisler Center in the other game of interest on the night, Michigan held the lead for all but three-quarters of a minute over the visiting Spartans (11-6, 6-6) in Ann Arbor.

Michigan emerged from a shutdown just short of a week ago winning Thursday at Purdue.

Naz Hillmon made her case for more national player of the week honors in this one, scoring 31, attaining 31 points, her fifth career 30-point game for the home team, while Leigha Brown had 20 points, sixth of the season and 16th overall in 20 point plus attainments.

It was also Michigan’s third straight in the series, breaking a long drought for consecutive triumphs dating to a four-game run from Dec. 30, 1999 to Jan. 2, 2002, ending 19 seasons ago.

Akinrieh Johnson added 11 points and grabbed a team-best nine rebounds against Michigan State, which was briefly in the rankings earlier this season.

Michigan State’s Nia Clouden had 34 points.

Michigan gets a chance to add to its profile by visiting No. 14 Indiana in Alumni Hall in Bloomington, Thursday night, seeking a victory that could help the Wolverines bump someone into the next NCAA tournament committee reveal on March 1, two weeks before Selection Monday will show the entire field that will make history with the entire three-week event to be played in the San Antonio region of Texas, echoing the men’s tournament decision to field their 68-team event entirely in the Indianapolis area, where NCAA headquarters is located.

The Wolverines are coached by Kim Barnes Arico, now in her ninth season since leaving St. John’s and the old Big East and who has become the winningest coach in program history.

Looking Ahead: Locally, Rutgers will be looking for its fourth straight victory in the fourth straight game since a 35-day coronovavirus-caused shutdown ended when the Scarlet Knights Wednesday host Minnesota at 7 p.m. in the Rutgers Athletic Center on the Big Ten Network, while Temple is on the road, the owls traveling to Tulsa at 3 p.m. on ESPN+. The Owls in the American Athletic Conference are looking for their second straight win.

Nationally, Maryland coach Brenda Frese has the No. 9 Terrapins hosting Illinois in the Big Ten at 1 p.m. in the XFINITY Center in College Park going for program win number 501 after snapping the previous tie with her predecessor Chris Weller in Sunday’s lopsided vicrtory at Nebraska.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, No. 24 Northwestern is hosing Nebraska at 7 on the Big Ten Network while No. 1 UConn, in its first game since making the Associated Press women’s rankings at the top for the ninth straight year for at least a week, but usually much more, will visit St. John’s in Carnesecca Arena at 6 p.m. on the FoxNOW apps. 

Huskies coach Geno Auriemma now stands with 1,107 victories, second among Division I women’s head coaches behind Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, who on Monday picked up her 1,113th win in the PAC-12 victory at Oregon. Her Cardinal plays again Friday night hosting Arizona State.

Connecticut is on the second leg of an arduous five-game road trip, next going to Xavier, Saturday, then Creighton, then Butler. Elsewhere on the Big East No. 19 DePaul, in second, hosts Xavier at 5 p.m.

No. 12 South Florida after a very long pause in its second game back host Cincinnati at 7 p.m. on ESPN+

Meanwhile, for a change, games are being called for weather-related problems instead of under-the-weather-related situations dealing with COVID-19.

The Tuesday Southeastern Conference game with No. 21 Tennessee at Mississippi State was postponed again while a huge Big 12 showdown Wednesday between No. 19 West Virginia and No. 7 Baylor hosting was postponed due to the winter storms in the central corridor of the nation.

On Thursday, Penn State looking to shake a two-game losing streak in the Big Ten is at Iowa in the Big Ten while in the Atlantic 10 Saint Joseph’s is at Richmond at at noon in the Atlantic 10 and also in the Atlantic 10 La Salle is at VCU in Richmond, both games on ESPN+.

In games with teams ranked playing Thursday not already mentioned, in the Southeastern Conference, Tennessee is at No. 2 South Carolina at 7 p.m. on the SECN network in Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, while No. 17 Kentucky is hosting LSU at 7 in Memorial Coliseum at 7 on the SEC Network, No. 5 Texas A&M is hosting Missouri at 8 on the SEC network, and No. 18 Arkansas is hosting Ole Miss at the Bud Walton Arena at 8 in Fayetteville.

No. 16 Gonzaga, unbeaten in the West Coast, is back on the floor at BYU at 8 p.m.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 3 Louisville is at Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center at 8 on the conference network, No. 4 North Carolina State is at Wake Forest in Salem at 7 p.m. on the conference network, while in the Big Ten, No. 15 Ohio State host Purdue at a time to be announced. 

No. 15 Ohio State in the Big Ten hosts hosts Purdue in Value City Arena in Columbus at a time to be announced.

And that is the report for now.