BY JEREMY GOOD

For Villanova, this season is about bouncing back when they have to and correcting mistakes immediately.

Sometimes, you just have to take your beatings.

Every college basketball team is going to lose during the season.

That’s what Villanova did after their loss in Ann Arbor to Michigan, the number one team in the country, 89-61.

Games like those happen when you’re playing the best teams in the country. When they happen, the most important question for programs is “how are you going to respond?”

The key to adjusting for the next game against Pitt after the Michigan display?

Practice.

It took two good practices in the days before in order to make corrections from the Michigan game and apply them to Pitt.

And Villanova recovered by beating its in-state, out of conference opponent Pitt, 79-61, on Sat., Dec. 13 at Finneran Pavillion at Villanova. The win improves Villanova to 8-2, as they inch one game closer to their Big East opener at Seton Hall on Tues., Dec. 23.

“They responded great,” Villanova head coach Kevin Willard said. “We took Wednesday off, came in practice Thursday and Friday and practiced really hard. I think these guys showed today, especially on the defensive end coming in, and just letting a tough loss go and come back and really play well.”

Villanova's leading rebounder Duke Brennan echoed his coach’s’ sentiments.

“You have to bounce back, especially after bad loses,” Brennan said. “But you come back. And we had two great days of practice, so they prepared us for the game and bouncing back, and being able to defend our home is really important.”

The loss to Michigan was understandable. They are ranked the number. one team in the country and have proved it, in ways even beyond their undefeated 10-0 record.

Earlier in the season, Michigan beat ranked Auburn by 30. They followed that game up the next day by beating ranked Gonzaga by 40. Before Villanova, they beat Rutgers by 40.

The 40-point wins seem to be a theme, as four of their wins have been by at least 40 points; seven of the 10 wins have been by at least 25.

Michigan is third in the country in scoring with a whopping 94.7 points per game and tied for fourth for best shooting team in the nation with 53 percent from the field.

It is not just the offensive side where Michigan shines. According to teamrankings.com, Michigan has the fifth best defensive efficiency rate.

So, it’s not necessarily a bad loss to Michigan for Villanova, but it was an indicator that there is work to be done, especially if they want to be competitive against the best teams.

And Villanova bounced back from their early week game at Michigan.

After shooting 34 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc, Villanova improved those numbers to 52 percent and 41 percent.

Brennan shot the ball eight times and finished with 24 points in an efficient 26 minutes of action. He added eight free throws on twelve attempts, solidifying his presence down low against Cameron Corhen and Pitt’s front court.

“I’ve been practicing it since I was a little kid,” Brennan said. “I give credit to guards like Bryce for hitting me down low, being able to find me deep in the paint for those easy touches around the rim.”

As they have done before, most recently against Penn, Villanova locked down in the final minutes of the first half. In the final six minutes of the first, Villanova finished the half on a 17-4 run, going up nine at halftime.

While Pitt cut Villanova’s led to four early in the second half, that run was short lived, as Villanova went on to separate for good. 

Bryce Lindsay helped fuel Villanova in the second half, scoring 13 points in 16 minutes. He finished with 24 points and three assists. Brennan, Matt Hodge, and Acaden Lewis combined for 20 points in the second half.

Lindsay credits his preparation for his quick success this season after transferring from James Madison in the offseason. The sophomore is averaging more than 17 points while shooting nearly 49 percent from the field and 46 from beyond the arc.

“You put the work in, it’s going to show on the court,” Lindsay said. “I just give it all to that.”

As they had done several times already, Villanova used the final eight minutes to their advantage, going on a 18-6 run to end the game.

Villanova doubled Pitt’s attempts in free throws with 24. They also finished with 20 assists and only turned the ball over three times. Lewis had a team high seven assists. Willard noted that the offense responded well to Pitt’s switches when they were on defense.

“When you have young guards, getting them to understand what works and reading defenses,” Williard said. “We saw a monster drop coverage at Michigan, something that these guys have never seen. They’ve never seen that size. I think them getting used to what the defense is giving them; I think that is just about being a little more patient.”

Villanova moves on to Madison on Fri., Dec 19 to play Wisconsin before diving into Big East play.