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Jerardi: Wright gets win No. 500 as Wildcats roll over Xavier

SO VILLANOVA goes to Xavier Saturday, plays a lineup of guards and small forwards, gives up more offensive rebounds (22) than it gets defensive rebounds (21) and wins 73-57. How is that possible? It's Villanova where everything is possible.

SO VILLANOVA goes to Xavier Saturday, plays a lineup of guards and small forwards, gives up more offensive rebounds (22) than it gets defensive rebounds (21) and wins 73-57. How is that possible? It's Villanova where everything is possible.

Senior center Darryl Reynolds did not play because of a rib injury. The Wildcats' rotation was down to six players with a three-minute cameo by Dylan Painter. No matter. They led for the final 30 minutes, committed just six turnovers on the 58 possessions, shot 18-for-28 on twos, made nine threes, went 10-for-11 from the free throw line, had 18 assists on their 27 baskets and scored a super-efficient 1.26 points per possession.

Oh and coach Jay Wright won his 500th game between Hofstra and Villanova. This team is now 24-2, 11-2 in the Big East and the No. 1 overall NCAA Tournament seed at the moment, according to the selection committee. The other No. 1 seeds in the Saturday rollout were no surprise - Kansas, Baylor and Gonzaga. The only surprise was that unbeaten Gonzaga was rated fourth of the four No. 1 seeds.

No way to know what happens if Xavier (18-7, 8-4) had injured point guard Edmond Sumner (ACL) or high-scoring Trevon Bluiett who went out during the game with an ankle injury. We do know how Villanova did without its senior center.

Josh Hart filled up the stat sheet again with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals. Jalen Brunson had 17 points, seven assists and four rebounds. After going 7-for-33 from three over his previous five games, Kris Jenkins went 4-for-7. Donte DiVincenzo was "the bench" and scored 17 points.

With that performance at both ends of the court (Xavier shot just 35 percent), the Wildcats are now third nationally in offensive efficiency and 15th in defense, a combination that typically portends a long run in March.

Villanova is down to five regular-season games and somewhere between two and nine postseason games (Big East Tournament, NCAA Tournament). The seniors are an absurd 121-15. So the end is near, but, meanwhile, don't forget to enjoy this incredible journey.

Gruesome at Gola

If you had told La Salle coach John Giannini his team would hold Richmond to 64 points at Gola Arena, he would have taken it, thinking the Explorers were just about a cinch to win. Instead, Dr. G was furious with his team after the Explorers lost 64-52 as a season that was so promising a few weeks ago continues to head south.

Point guard Pookie Powell remains out with a leg injury, but there is no way La Salle (13-10, 7-5) should have 24 turnovers in 75 possessions against the Spiders (15-9, 9-3). It is hard to score when you are turning it over on nearly 33 percent of your trips. And La Salle also shot poorly, seniors Jordan Price and Cleon Roberts going a combined 2-for-14, the team 4-for-20 from three.

B.J. Johnson did have 18 points, but needed 17 shots to get there as La Salle, a top 25 offensive team for weeks, scored a sad 0.69 ppp. On a day when its typically bad defense was more than good enough, holding Richmond to just 0.85 ppp, La Salle, which did not lead for the final 34 minutes but made two nice comebacks to tie, saw another game slip away. As a reward, La Salle gets a trip to Olean, N.Y. to play St. Bonaventure on Wednesday. Hopefully, the Explorers' bus does not disappear like their season.

Hawks lose game, lose Kimble

Saint Joseph's began this season with a two point guard lineup. It was working very well as the Hawks were difficult to guard most nights and were winning their share. Then, Shavar Newkirk went out with a torn ACL. Still, Lamarr "Fresh" Kimble, playing just about every minute, was effective enough to keep SJU competitive even though it was not winning much.

The Hawks were right with Massachusetts at Hagan Arena 10 minutes into the second half - until Kimble went off with a left foot injury that turned out to be a fractured left foot that will require surgery and keep him out for the rest of the season.

That kind of ended the Hawks' resistance as UMass (13-12, 3-9 A-10) went on to win 87-76.

SJU is 10-14, 3-9. With Newkirk, one of the best players in the conference and the city, a best guess is that the Hawks have four more league wins so maybe it's 14-10, 7-5, a nice season without DeAndre' Bembry and Zeke Miles, the stars of the 2016 league champs.

Drexel loses late to Towson

Drexel, playing from behind all game at the DAC against Towson, actually led 62-61 with 21/2 minutes left, but could not hold on, losing 69-65.

Kurk Lee, having a sensational freshman season, had 18 points against his hometown team, but the Dragons' lack of depth really caught up with them, as the Tigers bench outscored theirs, 37-4.

Towson (17-10, 9-5 CAA) got 14 points and 10 rebounds off that bench from senior John Davis (Neumann-Goretti). Drexel (9-18, 3-11) got another winning effort, but effort will get you just so far. Drexel has some good players. They just need more of them.

jerardd@phillynews.com

@DickJerardi