Xavier @ Villanova Game Overview
XAV vs VILLRecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
| Date | Home | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, '26 | XAV |
92 - 89 (OT)
|
XAV 4.5 | o152.5 |
| Feb 09, '25 | VILL |
80 - 68
|
VILL -2.5 | o140.5 |
| Jan 14, '25 | XAV |
69 - 63
|
XAV -3.0 | u147.0 |
| Feb 07, '24 | XAV |
56 - 53
|
VILL 3.5 | u149.5 |
| Jan 03, '24 | VILL |
66 - 65
|
XAV 8.5 | u142.5 |
| Feb 21, '23 | XAV |
64 - 63
|
VILL 4.5 | u147.0 |
| Jan 07, '23 | VILL |
88 - 80
|
XAV 2.0 | o145.5 |
| Jan 12, '22 | XAV |
64 - 60
|
VILL 1.5 | u137.0 |
| Dec 21, '21 | VILL |
71 - 58
|
VILL -5.5 | u136.0 |
| Feb 22, '20 | XAV |
64 - 55
|
VILL -1.0 | u135.0 |
XAV vs VILL Preview
Last Meeting ( Feb 17, 2026 ) Villanova 92, Xavier 89
Villanova's first full game without Matt Hodge went about as well as the Wildcats could have hoped.
On Saturday afternoon, Villanova hope to build momentum for the postseason when the Wildcats host Xavier in the regular-season finale for both Big East squads.
Villanova has been off since Wednesday, when the Wildcats beat DePaul, 76-57. Xavier last played Tuesday, falling 77-68 to Seton Hall.
The win continued a five-game stretch in which Villanova (23-7, 14-5 Big East) has alternated wins and losses -- a span that began with a 92-89 overtime win over Xavier on Feb. 17.
The Wildcats, who are locked into the No. 3 seed in next week's Big East tournament, sustained their costliest defeat of the season last Saturday when Hodge tore his right ACL in an 89-57 loss to then-No. 15 St. John's.
Hodge averaged 9.2 points per game and led Villanova with 17 blocks.
Villanova started slowly Wednesday, when DePaul led by as many as eight in the first half. But the Wildcats took a 26-24 halftime lead and dominated the second half, shooting 64.3% (18 of 28) while limiting the Blue Demons to 48% shooting (12 of 25), including 1 of 7 from 3-point land.
Villanova also pulled down 35 rebounds -- its most since the Xavier win -- and forced 16 turnovers, its most since Feb. 10 vs. Marquette.
"Losing Matt was very sad for us," said forward Duke Brennan, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds vs. DePaul. "As older guys, we understand what is required. But I have to give credit to the younger guys, too. They took the keys of rebounding and (being) physical (Wednesday) and did a great job with that."
For Xavier (14-16, 6-13), its hopes of playing spoiler Saturday and during the Big East tournament likely hinge on the health of veteran forward Tre Carroll, who sustained a right hip injury in the first half Wednesday. Carroll didn't practice Thursday and is questionable for the Villanova clash.
Without Carroll, Xavier blew a second-half lead against Seton Hall. That's been a common theme in Richard Pitino's first season, also doing so in both games vs. St. John's as well as the earlier defeat to Villanova and the first Seton Hall matchup.
St. John's and Villanova are NCAA Tournament locks while Seton Hall is on the bubble entering the final weekend of regular-season play.
"We're all certainly disappointed with the record," Pitino said. "As I said before, it's going to get right. I know that's going to happen. The season's not over yet."
--Field Level Media
XAV vs VILLInjury report
Xavier's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Carroll | F | Questionable - Undisclosed( Mar 04, '26) | Mar 04, '26 | |
| Carroll is dealing with an undisclosed injury and is uncertain to take the court for the Musketeers. | ||||
| M. Wolf | G | Out - Undisclosed( Jan 30, '26) | Jan 30, '26 | |
| Wolf is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will not take the court for the Musketeers. | ||||
| L. Naser | G | Out - Undisclosed( Dec 30, '25) | Dec 30, '25 | |
| Naser is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will not take the court for the Musketeers. | ||||
| K. Westphal | C | Out - Redshirt( Nov 05, '25) | Nov 05, '25 | |
| Westphal will redshirt the 2025-26 season. | ||||
| G. Pozzato | F | Out - Knee( Oct 29, '25) | Oct 29, '25 | |
| Pozzato is recovering from a torn MCL and will not take the court for the Musketeers. | ||||
Villanova's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. Stanford | G | Out - Undisclosed( Mar 03, '26) | Mar 03, '26 | |
| Stanford is dealing with an undisclosed injury and will not take the court for the Wildcats. | ||||
| M. Hodge | F | Out - Knee( Feb 27, '26) | Feb 27, '26 | |
| Hodge suffered a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the remainder of the 2026-26 season. | ||||
XAV vs VILLStats
Offense vs Defense
Key Stats League ranks in parenthesis
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44.5 | (230) | FG% | (232) | 45.0 |
| 28.2 | (109) | FGM | (145) | 25.7 |
| 63.4 | (43) | FGA | (84) | 57.1 |
| 36.7 | (44) | 3P% | (173) | 33.5 |
| 9.4 | (77) | 3PM | (75) | 7.1 |
| 25.6 | (104) | 3PA | (71) | 21.1 |
| 72.2 | (200) | FT% | (120) | 71.1 |
| 12.6 | (318) | FTM | (33) | 11.9 |
| 17.4 | (325) | FTA | (33) | 16.7 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 44.7 |
| 26.3 |
| 58.8 |
| 33.8 |
| 7.9 |
| 23.3 |
| 72.2 |
| 14.6 |
| 20.2 |
More Stats
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32.1 | (208) | REB | (149) | 30.9 |
| 8.4 | (278) | OREB | (198) | 9.0 |
| 23.7 | (351) | DREB | (316) | 21.9 |
| 17.7 | (24) | AST | (190) | 13.7 |
| 10.1 | (38) | TO | (112) | 12.7 |
| 1.8 | (12) | AST/TO | (133) | 1.1 |
| 6.5 | (76) | STL | (109) | 5.1 |
| 4.1 | (292) | BLK | (339) | 2.5 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 31.7 |
| 9.0 |
| 22.6 |
| 13.9 |
| 11.8 |
| 1.2 |
| 6.8 |
| 3.3 |
Points
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 78.4 | (153) | Points | (62) | 70.3 |
| 36.3 | (60) | 1st Half | (334) | 32.5 |
| 41.7 | (60) | 2nd Half | (334) | 36.7 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 75.1 |
| 35.3 |
| 39.2 |