Undefeated 'Nova happy to catch a break

His team is 12-0 and ranked No. 7 nationally yet Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright says there is plenty of room for improvement, especially after the last two games.

And Wright is grateful for the breather the Wildcats will have over the next few days.

"The last two games we were a little out of sync and I think a little break will be good for us," Wright said following Tuesday's 92-67 win over NJIT at the Pavilion. "We will come back with a little mini-camp before the Big East schedule starts."

The Wildcats resume action on New Year's Eve when they open their Big East schedule by hosting Butler.

The two games Wright referred to were Saturday's 82-77 overtime victory over Syracuse (7-4) at the Wells Fargo Center and Tuesday's victory over NJIT.

In the Syracuse game, Villanova never led during regulation and trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half.

In the NJIT game, Villanova trailed by 44-41 at halftime and by 48-41 early in the second half. The Wildcats didn't take the lead for good until a Ryan Arcidiacono layup gave Villanova a 53-51 advantage with 12 minutes, 12 seconds remaining.

What has been most impressive has been the Wildcats balance. Seven players are averaging between seven and 12.6 points per game. Seven players are averaging between 19 and 29 minutes per game.

Darrun Hilliard, who has a team-high 12.6 scoring average, missed the NJIT game after suffering a concussion against Syracuse.

Wright is hopeful he can return for Butler after undergoing concussion testing this week.

"He didn't have a severe concussion," Wright said. "We erred on the side of safety, which you have to in this case. I think he will be fine."

Comebacks are nothing new for the Wildcats. In a 60-55 win over Michigan, for example, Villanova trailed by 51-43 with just under six minutes to go.

So down by seven to an NJIT team that upset Michigan earlier this year wasn't about to send this veteran Villanova team into panic mode.

"I was like we have to pick it up, we have done it before and been here before my previous two years and even this past game with Syracuse, we were down [12] at the half," said Arcidiacono, who is averaging a team-high 29.3 minutes.

"The last two games we played two good halves," Wright said.

And that is why Wright hopes the Wildcats will come back from a few days off with renewed energy.

@sjnard