Bentil injured in Providence loss

With the win today, Villanova has posted a 20-win season for the 11th time in the past 12 seasons (20-3 overall, 10-1 BIG EAST).

Reynolds finished with a career-high 19 points in a career-high 36 minutes along with 10 rebounds.

Dunn, last year’s co-Big East Player of the Year, averages 17.2 points and 6.9 assists per game.

When Ben Bentil went down with an ankle injury during Tuesday night’s loss to DePaul, Providence didn’t just lose their only consistent interior presence, but quite possibly the most statistically dominant player in the Big East this season. Ryan Arcidiacono had 16 points and Josh Hard had 14 as the Wildcats won despite shooting just 5-for-22 from behind the arc.

“Part of Daniel’s development is going against Darryl every day”, Wright said. When Providence upset then No. 4 Villanova, Bentil put up a career high 31 points, including 10 in the overtime period.

But the Wildcats handled the Friars’ full court pressure down the stretch, knocking down open shots late in the shot clock and capitalizing on extra possessions after offensive rebounds. The junior had just 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting.

“There’s no secret. Ben [Bentil] and Kris [Dunn] played well, but that doesn’t always guarantee us winning the game”. “The goal is to keep it going”.

Villanova seized on Bentil’s absence to start the game, quickly taking a 10-0 lead.

Not to rub additional salt in the wounds, but the day-to-day status concerning Ben Bentil and the most important right ankle in the Providence College basketball program can’t help but leave folks holding their breath – again.

Even with their leader on the court, the Friars struggled. They missed seven of their first eight shots and couldn’t to match the Wildcats’ aggressiveness on the inside. Bentil had two points and didn’t have a single rebound in the first 20 minutes.

“I don’t think we take anybody lightly”, Dunn said. It’s a long season, but we’re still in good shape. “We’re already short on size and not having those guys made us a totally different group”, said Cooley.

It’s just that his team has been dealing with one health-related issue or another for most of this season.

“No one on our team is surprised”, Villanova coach Jay Wright told reporters in Providence.

The Villanova Wildcats went to “The Dunk” for revenge against the Providence Friars and got exactly what they wanted, defeating the Friars 72-60.

Villanova and Providence are surefire tournament teams and have split the season series. Watch out for Jalen Brunson who has been a stud as a freshman, averaging over 10 points per game.

Reynolds surge has been a blessing for Wright and the Wildcats, allowing Ochefu time to heal without the team skipping a beat. “It’s a journey and you teach and encourage and we’ll look to continue to improve”. “The fact that he is ready for this shows his maturity and intelligence because he has been playing like this in practice”. He pulled down nine boards in a win at St. John’s, had 13 in a victory at home against Creighton and grabbed 10 in the win against Providence. Dunn said this week he embraces the opportunity to play in front of hostile crowds. Providence (18-6, 6-5) lost its second straight and third in the last four games.