Daniel Ochefu (concussion) out for No. 6 Villanova

The Wildcats are the top team in the Big East right now with a 7-1 record, but Jay Wright and Villanova are looking to end with a deeper run in March this year than they did last season as a top seed.

The Wildcats figured to suffer without Ochefu, but they had the depth to withstand his loss thanks to a double-double from Kris Jenkins (14 points, 11 rebounds) and 13 points from Mikal Bridges. Despite the good defensive numbers by the Red Storm (7-15, 0-8 Big East), it shot only 32.8 percent, was outrebounded 48-35 and made only 7 of 12 foul shots compared to 19 of 25 by the Wildcats (18-3, 8-1).

The Johnnies were led by Durand Johnson (13 points on 5-of-15 shooting) and Ron Mvouika (11 points and 10 rebounds) but received very little production from Federico Mussini and Kassoum Yakwe, who combined for just five points. For St. John’s, the wait between wins is beginning to feel like an eternity.

Villanova: The Wildcats have a six-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden that includes last season’s Big East Tournament….

Villanova hit its first 3-pointer of the second half exactly 12 minutes earlier (15:45) than the Wildcats did in the first half. He is shooting 59.6 percent from the field, fifth in the Big East. A 19-4 run in the first eight minutes of the second half put the game out of reach as the Johnnies had issues with the Wildcats half-court zone press.

Another game, another day, yet another loss for Chris Mullin and his St. John’s Red Storm. The St. John’s lineup is inexperienced as Mullin’s roster is full of worldwide players including 6-11 freshman Yankuba Sima from Spain. St. John’s is 2-1 at the venue this season and recorded its last win there with an 84-72 upset of Syracuse on December 13. The Wildcats shot 50 percent (14 of 28) from the field in the second half and held at least a 10-point lead over the final 13 minutes.

“We believe, when you have good shooters, you’re gonna have nights where shots don’t go in”, Wright said. Ochefu was absent and Ryan Arcidiacono was nearly invisible, sitting for stretches in the first half and finishing the afternoon with only two field goals on nine attempts. The seven Wildcat points included a jumper by sophomore Alex Louin and a three and lay-up by sophomore center Megan Quinn.

Sunday’s win was Villanova’s sixth straight victory at Madison Square Garden.

Averaging only 3.2 rebounds per game entering Sunday, Jenkins took it upon himself to handle the majority of work on the glass against the Red Storm.

The problem for St. John’s on Sunday wasn’t that they lost handily to Villanova, the No. 6 team in the country.

FAMOUS FANS: It wasn’t as impressive as the celebrities the New York Knicks draw but in attendance Sunday was tennis great John McEnroe, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Hall of Fame St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca.