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Darryl Reynolds emerging for No. 1 'Nova

Darryl Reynolds stood out for Villa in the three games he started while senior center Daniel Ochefu was sidelined with a concussion, highlighted by a career game of 19 points and 10 rebounds in a road victory at Providence last Saturday.

Darryl Reynolds has been counted on in many key spots for Villanova this  season.
Darryl Reynolds has been counted on in many key spots for Villanova this season.Read moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

Darryl Reynolds stood out for Villanova in the three games he started while senior center Daniel Ochefu was sidelined with a concussion, highlighted by a career game of 19 points and 10 rebounds in a road victory at Providence last Saturday.

But coach Jay Wright might have liked Reynolds' performance in the Wildcats' next game at DePaul - the program's first ever as the nation's No. 1 team - even more. Reynolds, a 6-foot-8 junior from Lower Merion High, kept up his level of play with Ochefu back in the lineup, contributing 14 points and six rebounds Tuesday in an 86-59 victory.

"It was great to see Darryl still be able to play at a high level," Wright said. "Darryl played 36 minutes at Providence, and I think he was fatigued for maybe 12 of those minutes. But he had to play and he did a great job. I thought we were functioning at a high level [against DePaul] with both of them playing."

Reynolds and Ochefu undoubtedly will see more time on the court together Saturday night when the Wildcats (21-3, 11-1 Big East) take on St. John's (7-18, 0-12) at the Wells Fargo Center.

Ochefu's first of three missed games came on Jan. 31 when Villanova met St. John's at Madison Square Garden. Reynolds stepped in and played a season-high 29 minutes, with four points and nine rebounds, in the Cats' 68-53 win.

He improved a little more in each game after that. In his last four games, Reynolds is averaging 10.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.7 steals while shooting 67 percent from the floor and 9 for 9 from the free-throw line.

"Obviously you get more confidence with more minutes and you start to understand situations a bit better," Reynolds said. "You see the game from a different perspective, and you feel the game. I think that's the biggest part.

"It's also getting the time. I played 36 minutes against Providence and it helped because I was out there almost the entire game. So when I go back and look at it, I can see what I could have done better, but I was also in it learning things on the fly."

When Reynolds played on the court with Ochefu at the same time against DePaul, he got two tip-in dunks. He credited the presence of Ochefu, who was the focus of being boxed out by DePaul.

"He had a couple of highlight putbacks there," Ochefu said. "I thought it was all him when he went to get the ball and slammed it. He was giving me credit, and I guess I'll take it."

But Reynolds is getting recognition as well. Wright said his development gives the Wildcats a strong eight-man rotation.

"If you're a good player and you get the minutes, you're going to produce eventually," Wright said. "He is a good player. So it was one of those perfect storms. When we lost Daniel, I thought this was going to be trouble. Now it turned out to be a blessing because it really got Darryl going."

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq