Villanova bounces back from Penn loss to rout Maryland at home

Kyle Neptune said Thursday that he wanted his team to look itself in the mirror after Friday’s game and be able to say it played 40 minutes of Villanova basketball.

If “Villanova basketball” is a synonym for complete and utter domination, Neptune got his wish — at least for the first 20 minutes. The second half was sloppy, but Villanova’s 24-point halftime lead proved insurmountable.

No. 21 Villanova crushed Maryland, 57-40, in a late-night Gavitt Tipoff Games matchup. The 40 points were the fewest Villanova has given up since 2013. It was Maryland’s lowest points total in the shot clock era.

“I loved our effort and intensity, especially to start the game,” Neptune said. “I loved our attention to detail. Again, I think we can still get better.”

What a difference 96 hours can make. Four days after getting upset by Penn at the Palestra, Villanova looked like a completely different team.

The Wildcats were noticeably more energized. They forced a jump ball seven seconds into the game by diving for a loose ball. Defensive stops were punctuated by screams. Aggressive defense forced the Terrapins to shoot 14.8% in the first half, 34.8% in the second.

And, to top it off, Villanova’s shots fell.

Against Penn, the Wildcats shot 35% from the field, 27% from three. Against Maryland, they shot 61.9% from the field in the first half, 54.5% from three. Though they cooled off considerably in the second, the damage was done.

Graduate forward Tyler Burton led all scorers with 15 points. At one point, he had as many points as the entire Terrapin team. However, his focus was defense.

“Monday night, we didn’t get stops, especially me, personally,” Burton said. “The focus was really just locking in on personnel and just setting the tone on defense and getting stops.”

For Maryland, the game featured a familiar face. Villanova graduate forward Hakim Hart transferred from Maryland in the offseason. In 24 minutes, Hart scored seven points and added two rebounds.

“Personally, it was kind of hard for me [to play my former teammates],” Hart said. “I stayed focused. Playing 40 minutes of Villanova basketball was my main focus.”

Hart said he helped his new team in scouting the Terps.

Maryland coach Kevin Willard coached Big East rival Seton Hall for 12 years, so the Wildcats were familiar with playing Willard-coached teams.

“We’ve played against Seton Hall for what seems like half of my life,” Neptune said.

They’ve also had success against Willard. The Maryland head coach dropped to 0-7 in games at the Finneran Pavilion.

Yes, the game was decided by halftime. Both teams largely decided their scoring was done, too.

In the second half, Maryland outscored Villanova, 25-18. The Wildcats went more than 12 minutes without a made field goal. Maryland outscored Villanova 13-2, in the final 3 minutes, 19 seconds.

“I loved the first 20 [minutes],” Neptune said. " … We’re still a work in progress. We can still get a lot better.”

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Villanova retired former forward Mikal Bridges’ jersey at halftime. Bridges, a two-time national champion, played four years at Villanova before leaving for the NBA. Though Villanova does not retire jersey numbers, a plaque honoring Bridges will be placed in the Finneran Pavilion lobby.

Bridges spoke pregame about the role Villanova played in his development and the attention to detail the program instilled in him and his Villanova teammates.

“I know how [detail-oriented] Jalen [Brunson], Josh [Hart] and everybody is,” Bridges said. “It’s strictly because we went to ‘Nova.”

The Wildcats will celebrate Thanksgiving in the Bahamas. Villanova will play in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament over the holiday, starting Wednesday (2:30 p.m., ESPN) against Texas Tech (3-0). Villanova will face either No. 20 North Carolina or Northern Iowa on Thursday, followed by one of No. 14 Arkansas, Stanford, Michigan, or Memphis on Friday.