Butler and Villanova were pretty much even in this one most of the way, but the Wildcats were too strong, taking this one 77-67, getting big games from Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart.

          Villanova has won 16 of their last 17 games and continues to sit on top of the polls, including being ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s number one overall seed.

            Josh Hart led all scorers with 22 points and recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds to go alongside the 22 points. Kris Jenkins had another big game with 20 points, including three 3’s and a perfect 5-5 at the foul line. No other Wildcats were in double-figures, but the presence of Ryan Arcidiacono, who had 9 assists, and Daniel Ochefu, who had 8 rebounds, were certainly felt throughout the game.

            Villanova continues to be a strong free throw shooting team, making 19 out of 21 free throw attempts, which makes them extremely dangerous. Also their defense has shown few signs of cracking and it’s hard to draw up a way to beat it.

            Next up for #1 Villanova (24-3; 13-1) is a showdown on the road against #5 Xavier (24-3; 12-3) at 7 PM this evening. This a huge game for Xavier, who is only 1.5 games back of Villanova, so this a rare chance to make up some crucial ground. 

            The Hawks were perfect on the road until they let an important game against Davidson get away from them. Davidson kept the pressure on Saint Joe’s all game long and were able to pull this one out 99-93.

            Both teams were unconscious shooting, with both of them shooting 56% from the floor and making at least nine three-pointers each. Isaiah Miles had 32 points in the game and DeAndre Bembry added 19 points to the cause. With the both of those guys scoring at will, you’d think there would be a different outcome, but Davidson just kept driving inside and getting to the foul line.

            Davidson made it to the charity strike a total of 38 times as opposed to Saint Joe’s 16 trips to the free throw line. Davidson made 29 free throws, which is essentially free points and the Hawks could not keep up with that.

            This loss comes at a bad time as Saint Joe’s was on the verge of being ranked and they have fallen a game behind VCU in conference standings. Saint Joe’s will travel to UMass on Wednesday in attempt to get back on track and regain the success on the road.

          This game was awfully placed in the schedule coming two days after Temple came from behind to beat Houston and the Owls did not have enough in them to overcome another double-digit deficit.

            Tulsa just kept attacking Temple, receiving big games from Pat Birt (23 points) and James Woodard (15 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists), easily taking this one by a score of 74-55.

            Temple had early success against Tulsa’s 2-3 zone building their lead to 25-13 early in the first half, but then Tulsa changed to man-to-man and went all downhill from there.

Obi Enechionyia continues to play well, reaching double-figures with 17 points to lead Temple for the fourth straight game. Enechionyia is playing the best basketball for Temple as of late and it’s comforting to know that he’s only a sophomore.

            Quenton DeCosey, Temple’s leading scorer, continues to struggle in the Owls’ recent stretch of four games, only managing to score a combined 43 points (10.8 ppg). Teams have a done a quality job of shutting him down lately and nobody besides Obi Enechionyia has been able to step up.

            This loss could not come at a worse time for Temple as they watch their lead in the conference standings shrink to a half game. These last three games are crucial to guarantee Temple gets the number one seed the AAC Tournament in Orlando and it starts with UCF back home on Saturday at 2 PM. It’s also Hooter’s birthday so it should be a pretty fun day if you are planning to attend the game.

      In a game where Temple's leading scorer Quenton DeCosey was held to only 8 points, sophomore Obi Enechionyia stepped up in a big way with a career-high 26 points and was the only Owl in double-figures.

      Obi made six of Temple's 10 three-pointers including the game-tying three with under a minute to go. Then Devin Coleman delivered the final blow with a three of his own to give Temple the lead for good, taking this one 69-66.

      Josh Brown was one-point shy of double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds and also made a pair of free throws to ice the game. Jaylen Bond contributed 8 points and 6 rebounds to the cause but had a pretty quiet second half. Devin Coleman was the only Temple bench player to really have an impact in this game and his interventions prove to be the difference between a win and a loss.

      Temple somehow finds a way to win and they are the first AAC team to 11 wins, maintaining sole possession of first place. Temple (17-9; 11-3) will continue its road trip with a stop at Tulsa, who Temple beat at home by four points in the first meeting, at 7 PM on Tuesday.