VILLANOVA, Pa. — After No. 16 Villanova blew out undefeated No. 6 Xavier, 95-64, on New Year’s Eve at the Pavilion (see story), head coach Jay Wright was asked if Ryan Arcidiacono had played the best game of his Wildcats career.
To the right of his coach, forward Daniel Ochefu rolled his eyes and laughed to himself.
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “This is Archie.”
The preseason all-conference point guard impacted the game on both ends of the court in the win over Xavier. He scored 27 points on 10 of 19 shooting, including 7 of 14 from three, and handed out eight assists on offense. On defense, he had two steals of his own and helped anchor Villanova’s halfcourt pressure that forced 19 Xavier turnovers.
“He’s had so many great ones and I don’t remember them all, and I don’t want to say this was his best, but it was one of them,” Wright said. “The great ones when they feel it and get going, they know how to keep it going.”
Arcidiacono may have had a little extra motivation to help fuel the performance, too. Aside from the fact that Xavier came in undefeated, his roommate, freshman Jalen Brunson, was held out of the starting lineup with the stomach flu. Brunson was in the hospital the morning of the game receiving an I.V., but was able to play 17 minutes off the bench.
Arcidiacono came out and scored 17 of his 27 in the first half, and he hit his first five shots from deep.
“I’ve said this many times, I just always know,” Wright said. “With him whatever we need that night, that game, that possession, whatever we need, knows.
“I didn’t say a word to him when we took Jalen to the hospital, I didn’t say anything to him. I knew I didn’t have to. I knew he was going to step up like that.”
“I just wanted to come out aggressive and make plays for everyone, not just myself,” Arcidiacono said. “After I hit a couple [threes], I took a couple crazy ones, but I think we settled down and as a team played well offensively and defensively.”
Getting a leg up on a tough Xavier team could prove big for Villanova down the stretch. The Wildcats were picked to win the conference in the preseason and the Musketeers were picked fourth, but the immediate impact freshman point guard Edmond Sumner has had on Xavier could not be measured before the season. Sumner was knocked out of the game at Villanova in the opening minutes after a scary fall on a transition layup.
The Big East has a reputation for highly competitive, hard-nosed guard play. Arcidiacono knows all about that having started all but one game in his Villanova career. That experience has also taught him there is no such thing as a runaway favorite in this conference.
“It’s just the next game,” Arcidiacono said. “That’s how we approach everything — next day, next game. We didn’t get up for this game any more than we got up for the Penn game or than we will for Creighton.
“It’s just the next day, the next game.”