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Villanova already imploding?
The Wildcats lost to an Ivy League program for the second-straight year. This doesn't bode well for Kyle Neptune. Plus, UConn and Auburn roll, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mackenzie Mgbako scored at will, Arkansas gets a scare, and much more.
Need a distraction from election news? Well, college basketball was in full swing on Wednesday. Let’s get into it.
1. Villanova loses at home to Columbia
In a season where third-year Villanova coach Kyle Neptune is feeling the heat, it’s been anything but a storybook start.
After struggling against Lafayette in Monday’s opener, it got worse on Wednesday when Villanova lost a buy game to Columbia, 90-80. The Lions aren’t some rising power, either. They were picked fifth out of eight teams in the Ivy League preseason poll and has won 59 total games over the last seven seasons.
“They came in and they executed their game plan,” Neptune said. “They got into us. They were scrappy. They switched their defenses. A lot of credit goes to them. They turned us over and then on the other end when we were making our runs, they had answers.”
Nova senior Eric Dixon scored 33 points and made five 3-pointers, but Villanova just couldn’t get stops down the stretch. Columbia shot 54% from the field and turned Villanova over 12 times, resulting in 21 points. Columbia also narrowly lost the rebounding battle (-4) and outscored Villanova in the paint 36-24. The Lions led for over 21 minutes of game time and outscored Villanova 38-27 in the final 13 minutes.
Could this be the end of Neptune’s run? He’s now 35-34 at the school and were expected to contend to an NCAA tourney berth.
“If we had won that game, we would still have to get a lot better,” Neptune said. “We’re just not where we need to be right now. We have to go back, watch this film and learn from it and move onto the next game and get better.”
For Columbia, this is the first win over a Big East program since 2012, where the Lions beat Villanova 75-57. Columbia is now 2-0 for the first time since 2005 with both wins coming against Division I opponents.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa was the star for Columbia with 22 points and 10-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Other Lions in double-figures included Avery Brown (18 points), Kenny Noland (14 points) and Noah Robledo (12 points).
“I'm thrilled with the effort from our guys and the way they executed," Columbia coach Jim Engles said. "They deserve this win and it's a great night for our program and university."
2. UConn, Auburn sure look like title contenders
At the opposite end of the spectrum, two of the preseason’s highest-ranked teams looked the part in their season openers.