NCAAB Game Preview - Ohio at Villanova

Sat Nov 16, 2019 12:00 PM EST

The No. 10-ranked Villanova Wildcats will look to bounce back from Wednesday's 25-point loss Wednesday at Ohio State when they battle Ohio on Saturday for just the second time in program history.

Villanova (1-1) won the initial meeting with the Bobcats, which came in 1940. The matchup will be the first of seven home games for Villanova at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the 76ers and Flyers.

Ohio brings a 3-0 record into the game.

The Wildcats, competing at Ohio State as part of the Gavitt Games, were blitzed from the opening tip and fell behind by 30 points near the midpoint of the second half in the 76-51 loss. They don't feature one senior on the roster, which is rare for a Villanova team.

"We're a young group, and we're learning but we can't really have that excuse anymore," said junior guard Collin Gillespie, who scored 10 points. "We've been together since the summer. We've got to be more attentive to detail and work harder for the full 40 minutes."

Jermaine Samuels scored a team-high 14 points and Cole Swider added 11, but the Wildcats converted only 19 of 62 shots. It was uncharacteristic, even for a young group.

"We didn't do as good a job with our guys getting them ready and prepared," Villanova head coach Jay Wright said. "That's something we've got to learn. We've got a lot of guys playing major minutes for the first time. That was a great lesson from a well-drilled, very disciplined team that knows its roles. I knew we'd have a lot to learn, but I didn't think we'd be that far behind at this point.

"It looks like we are. We've got to stick together and go back to work."

The surprising Bobcats are coming off an 81-72 victory over host Iona in New York on Wednesday. Sophomore guard Jason Preston led the way with 27 points and 14 rebounds in an impressive road win. Preston played a stellar all-around game, adding five assists and two steals.

"I'm really proud with our effort level over 40 minutes," Ohio first-year head coach Jeff Boals said. "We knew it was going to be a 40-minute game. (Iona) went to La Salle the other night and stormed back and made some threes in the second half and tied it up. We knew what was coming, and like we did against St. Bonaventure (Ohio's 65-53 season-opening road win), we bent but we didn't break."

Ohio also received a balanced effort against Iona as senior Jordan Dartis scored 13 points, as did freshman Lunden McDay. Ben Vander Plas had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Ohio finished 14-17 last season and entered this season with seven newcomers. Vander Plas is the reigning Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year.

But the Bobcats' roster can hardly be called deep, so victories over St. Bonaventure, Heidelberg and Iona to open the season is impressive.

"We're down four scholarship kids and only have eight scholarship kids right now," Boals said.

Ohio is 1-0 at home and 2-0 on the road with its strongest test coming against the Wildcats on Saturday.

--Field Level Media