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Villanova aims to cut down on errors vs. Seton Hall

Villanova coach Jay Wright sat at the podium in the interview room of Madison Square Garden and checked off a list of things that his team did not do against St. John's - failing to set a tone, not paying attention to detail, and the fact that "we weren't focused on our scouting report."

Villanova coach Jay Wright sat at the podium in the interview room of Madison Square Garden and checked off a list of things that his team did not do against St. John's - failing to set a tone, not paying attention to detail, and the fact that "we weren't focused on our scouting report."

All of those things, plus a season-high 20 turnovers the Wildcats committed in the 70-57 win, are problems that have to be solved quickly in time for Monday night's game against Seton Hall at the Pavilion, the fourth game of the Big East Marathon.

"They're a very similar team to St. John's - very physical and aggressive, and more experienced," Wright said. "They always give us trouble for the same reasons St. John's always gives us trouble. They're the same kind of games when we usually play them - ugly, tough, hopefully not 20 turnovers."

The Wildcats (17-1, 5-1) haven't gotten off to great starts in their last two games. They overcame a lackluster first half to run away to victory over Xavier last Tuesday night at the Pavilion, but they couldn't shake the Red Storm until the final 5-6 minutes.

Wright said the Cats kept their composure against Xavier, but not against St. John's.

"We just didn't bring it," he said. "I think they were two different games, but starting like that is going to catch up to us."

The Pirates (12-5, 2-3 Big East) seem to find a way to play Villanova tough. In each of the last four seasons, Seton Hall has won one game over the Wildcats, including in the three seasons since the reorganized Big East began competition.

Their last meeting came in the 2016 Big East tournament final, a 69-67 Pirates victory before an electric crowd at the Garden. The loss cost 'Nova a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs although it eventually didn't matter as the second seed went all the way to capture the national championship.

The star of that game for Seton Hall, Isaiah Whitehead, left for the NBA after the season and currently plays for the Brooklyn Nets. But most of that squad has returned and will be a concern for the Wildcats.

"Everybody that kind of played off Whitehead last year has gotten better," Wright said. "I think they're more balanced. They shoot the three better. Everyone shoots the ball better. They rebound extremely well, so I think they're an all-around better team."

Guard Khadeem Carrington and forward Desi Rodriguez are the team's top scorers, with Rodriguez averaging 22.2 points in his five Big East games. Another key player is 6-foot-10 junior Angel Delgado, who ranks third in the nation with a 12.4-rebound average.

Wright knows the Wildcats need to find Delgado, also the league's best offensive rebounder (4.4 per game), whenever a shot goes up at either end of the floor.

"I just think he's one of the elite inside players in the country," Wright said. "He can score and get to the foul line, and he can pass well out of there, which makes it tough to play him."

jjuliano@phillynews.com

@joejulesinq