It's also tempting to devalue the outcome entirely considering Xavier's most indispensable player was taken off the court on a stretcher two minutes into the game.
So what's the truth about 16th-ranked Villanova's 95-64 New Year's Eve rout over No. 6 Xavier? It's probably somewhere in between.
A game expected to provide clarity regarding the pecking order at the top of the Big East changed dramatically two minutes after tip-off when Xavier point guard Edmond Sumner endured heavy contact going up for a driving layup and crumpled to the floor. The freshman was alert and had full movement in his extremities, but he was transported directly to a nearby hospital for precautionary reasons.
Overcoming the absence of Sumner would have been challenging under any circumstances for Xavier considering he's a gifted playmaker and capable defender who averages 11.7 points and 3.3 assists per game. But having him go down in such scary fashion early in the game seemed to suck the energy right out of the previously unbeaten Musketeers.
Villanova trailed 5-4 after forward Jalen Reynolds sank a pair of free throws in place of Sumner. The Wildcats scored the next 13 points of the game, built an 18-point halftime lead and were never seriously challenged again.
"I guess the first thing that I would say is Edmond Sumner’s a huge part of our team," Xavier coach Chris Mack told reporters after the game. "It was very, very difficult to overcome his loss for the game, to have him weighing on our minds if he was going to be OK. He still weighs on our minds."
Since 49.5 percent of Villanova's shots this season have come from behind the arc, the Wildcats are more reliant on their 3-point shooting than any other elite team in the nation. That boom-or-bust strategy hasn't always paid off this season, but Villanova caught fire on Thursday against Xavier's 1-3-1 zone, sinking 13 of 25 threes and shooting 68.3 percent from the field.
Senior point guard Ryan Arcidiacono was the catalyst against the Musketeers, scoring 27 points, dishing out eight assists and knocking down seven 3-pointers. Josh Hart scored all 15 of his points in the second half on only six shots and Villanova's other three starters each tallied double figures as well.
The absence of Sumner was glaring for Xavier both in its inability to contain Arcidiacono and its struggles to take care of the basketball. The Musketeers had 11 turnovers in the game's first 12 minutes against Villanova's three-quarters-court pressure and finished with 19 for the game.
Trevon Bluiett was the only Xavier starter in double figures, and even he shot only 2-for-9 from the field. Forward James Farr and guard J.P. Macura were effective off the bench, but it was far too little too late.
The one-sided loss was a setback for a Xavier team that had performed brilliantly during non-conference play. The Musketeers (12-1) have a sterling collection of wins over the likes of Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Dayton, USC, Alabama and Michigan.
As Xavier piled up quality wins and Butler and Providence performed like top 20 teams, the consensus was that Villanova may have a tougher time than expected maintaining its white-knuckle grip on first place in the conference. The Wildcats (11-2) haven't been bad the first two months of the season, but they had lost to the two best teams they had faced, Oklahoma and Virginia.
Thursday's result is neither proof that Villanova is still the Big East's top team nor that Xavier isn't as good as advertised. All the outcome really does is serve as a reminder that at their best, the Wildcats can be really, really good.
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