Eric Dixon scored 31 points, Wooga Poplar had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Villanova handed No. 14 Cincinnati its first loss of the season with a 68-60 victory Tuesday night.
The Wildcats (5-4) got a needed win for third-year coach Kyle Neptune, who has yet to lead the program to the NCAA tournament in his first two seasons. Neptune also picked up the win two weeks after Villanova hired Eric Roedl as its new athletic director, a good first impression under the new boss for a coach who needs every win he can get to get out of the hot seat.
Jizzle James scored 19 points for the Bearcats (6-1).
The Wildcats saw their lead cut to six points until Dixon, who was playing on the 2022 Final Four team, scored three straight points that made the score 61-49.
Takeaways
Cincinnati: The Bearcats failed to get off to a 7-0 start for the second straight season.
Villanova: Even with the win, the Wildcats’ hopes for March could already be dashed by losses to Columbia and Saint Joseph’s. They can hope to turn things around in the Big East portion of the schedule.
Key moment
Villanova’s Tyler Perkins hit a 3 to cap a 13-2 start to the first half, and Jhamir Brickus hit a 3 at halftime for a 37-28 lead.
Key statistic
The Bearcats shot just 38 percent from the floor after making at least 50 percent of their shots through the first five games, their longest streak since 2002.
To be continued
The Bearcats host Howard on Sunday and Villanova takes on cross-town rival Temple on Saturday. Big 5 classics at the Wells Fargo Center.
Associated Press reporting.
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