Villanova eager to extend win streak to 10 at Xavier

WHEN VILLANOVA lost by 20 at Georgetown on Jan. 19, it understandably left some folks wondering. Just as they probably did after the Wildcats stumbled in their Big East opener on Jan. 3 at Seton Hall, the same team that upset them in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament 10 months earlier.

News flash: Every team this side of Kentucky will drop some games. It's mostly a matter of when, how and how many.

Well, the nation's sixth-ranked team hasn't lost since that trip to Washington. The 'Cats beat the Hoyas in the Feb. 7 rematch at the Wells Fargo Center by 16. Nine days after that, they beat Seton Hall at the Pavilion, by 26.

Villanova (26-2, 13-2) will take a nine-game winning streak to Cincinnati tomorrow to play Xavier (18-11, 8-8), which right now seems to be solidly in the NCAA Tournament field. The Wildcats have won seven of those nine by double digits, including Tuesday's 28-pointer at home over Providence (19-9, 9-6), the biggest victory margin in the streak. They beat the Musketeers by 13 on the Main Line on Jan. 14, in a game that got more than a bit chippy at the end. So this one could be interesting.

The Wildcats are playing about as well as anyone, as Providence coach Ed Cooley duly noted after Tuesday's game. The trick is to still be playing at this level in another 3 weeks. A year ago, they set a record for the best regualar season in program history (28-3). Then they lost two of their last three, including their second NCAA game to eventual national champion Connecticut. It was the second time in 5 years that they lost their second game as a No. 2 seed. And all of a sudden, the fact that coach Jay Wright made the second weekend four times from 2005 to '09, including an Elite Eight and a Final Four, maybe faded a bit in some minds.

So how do you keep this going, possibly right through March?

"I don't know if we have the answer to that yet," Wright said. "Last year, we were playing at this level, and, as a staff, we probably didn't do a good job of that. Some years, when we've made good runs in the tournament, we were still struggling at this point to get a good seed in the Big East tourney. So you weren't really thinking about that. You were just kind of surviving.

"We're trying to do everything we can to finish off this regular season well and be playing our best [in the postseason]. We're trying to be as creative as we can with that. You hope what you're doing is right."

In the first meeting with X, Villanova led by 18 at the half and shot 15-for-34 from the arc for the game.

The Musketeers are 6-2 at home in the conference. They've won four of their previous six, including beating Providence, Cincinnati (19-9) and Butler (20-8, 10-5) in the stretch. Both losses were to St. John's (19-9, 8-7), including a one-pointer in New York on Monday.

"We're playing a lot better than the first time around," Xavier coach Chris Mack said. "It doesn't make the challenge any easier. They represent a challenge at virtually every position. A lot of times, you get burned by the stove, you know not to touch it the next time. Again, easier said than done.

"We're at the most important time of year. This is the time that matters most. They're up there for being a Final Four-caliber team. But I think anybody in our league has the ability to make a run, depending on who they play."

The Wildcats, who made the Sweet 16 as a 12 seed in 2008, visit Creighton (13-15, 4-11) Tuesday before closing with St. John's in South Philly on March 7. The only way they won't be the top seed in the Big East tourney at Madison Square Garden is if they lose their last three and Georgetown wins out. And even, then some other things would have to happen.