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Villanova coasts past FDU in season opener

Even with a big roster overhaul, Wildcats dominate, 91-54.

EVERY JOURNEY has to get going somewhere.

A year ago, a Villanova basketball team that was ranked No. 12 had to overcome a late deficit to get past pesky Lehigh in the opener at Allentown. And those Wildcats, even though things ended at least a game too early in the NCAA Tournament, wound up winning a program-record 33 times.

A new group of Wildcats, one that's 11th in the polls, got their ride underway Friday night at the Pavilion against a Fairleigh Dickinson team that went 8-21 last season and again features almost all freshmen and sophomores, to go with zero seniors. But the Knights did open in Philly last year with a one-point win over Saint Joseph's.

These Wildcats, of course, are trying to replace three starters: leading scorer Darrun Hilliard, fellow four-year starter JayVaughn Pinkston and Dylan Ennis, another one of their best defensive players. That doesn't mean the expectations are any less ambitious. Especially with the addition of Jalen Brunson, who was considered one of the top lead guard prospects in the country coming out of high school in suburban Chicago. And yes, he's the son of former Temple standout Rick Brunson, who attended the game.

Anyway, the favorite to repeat in the Big East this time did what it was supposed to do, as expected.

The Wildcats cruised, 91-54. It was 50-22 at intermission, as they scored the first nine points and had a later 14-zip spurt that put them up by 26 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half.

Coach Jay Wright had already used all nine guys in the projected rotation by the third TV timeout.

It's hard to make many relevant assessments off these kind of matchups, particularly so early, but they're scheduling necessities. Some tougher obstacles will be upon them soon enough. First, you need the warmups, even if it did at times resemble a scrimmage. Then at some point it even turned into pretty much of a three-pointfest, which can happen.

The Wildcats, who can play small about as well as anyone, saw each starter score in double figures.

Big man Daniel Ochefu had 16 points, to go with 10 rebounds. He went 7-for-10 from the floor, mostly on dunks. Kris Jenkins had 14, Brunson and co-Big East Player of the Year Ryan Arcidiacono a dozen apiece. And Josh Hart, the reigning Big East Sixth Man of the Year, added 10. Everyone else got plenty of minutes, too.

Wright talked about what it's like to have two point guards in Arcidiacono and Brunson.

"We just refer to them as guards," he said. "They know how to play. It doesn't confuse them. That's what makes them valuable. It's not as hard in our system as it seems.

"They know how to make (other) people better, and still be aggressive offensively."

Brunson, who rooms with Arcidiacono, said he was excited about his Wildcats debut.

"It felt amazing (to finally play for 'Nova)," he said. "I think our chemistry really starts off the court. We try to be on the same page all the time. On the court, we trust each other."

FDU was led by sophomore guard Darian Anderson, the brother of former Wildcat Dwayne, who was a big part of the 2009 Final Four squad. He finished with 21 on 8-for-16 shooting, 5-for-8 from the arc. He didn't have nearly enough help.

This was the teams' first meeting since 2009, and the fourth in the series, going back to 1999. Villanova's won them all, each by at least 10.

Next up for the Wildcats is Nebraska, also on the Main Line on Tuesday, in the inaugural Gavitt Tipoff Games honoring Big East founder and former commissioner Dave Gavitt. The Cornhuskers will be making their first trip here, and also will become the first Big Ten team to play at Villanova since Michigan State (70-63 winner) in the 1989 NIT.