NEWARK, N.J. — Justin Moore walked to the free throw line with 12 seconds on the clock, facing a chance to turn a one-point lead into three. Beyond the basket, a sea of blue made up of screaming Seton Hall fans encouraged Moore to miss a shot. The noise they made contrasted with the looks on their faces, however, as Seton Hall fans have seen this movie before from the Villanova senior.
Villanova's record might read 16-14, but that's not the vibe team carries when it enters a building as a visitor in the Big East.
"I’ve been in those situations in a game before," Moore said. "I’m not fazed. I know I’ve got to get the job done to help the team."
And he did just that, gathering himself and drilling both free throws. Moore would make two more trips to the stripe, knocking down every shot. He finished 9-for-9 at the line while leading the way with 23 points in a 76-72 victory in Newark.
This is Moore, the game-changing leader and stabilizing presence that the Wildcats were so greatly missing for the first three months of the season. Going through a 10-month journey of recovering from an Achilles injury, Moore has done everything in his power to lead Villanova to six wins in its last seven games. Is he as quick on his feet or as explosive as he was prior to the injury? No, but the winning instinct hasn’t gone away, and it’s impacting everybody around him. The Wildcats are 78-24 in Moore’s four-year career when he’s been on the floor.
Sure, Jay Wright had more than something to do with the team's success, as did Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels, but Moore has provided that type of edge to keep the Wildcats' season alive after a 10-13 start to the season.
Alive? Alive at 16-14 on the season? While it’s very unlikely that an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament is in play for Villanova, the Wildcats should be considered a candidate to win the Big East Tournament next week at Madison Square Garden. Moore is the top reason why that’s possible.
"If I had to pick one guy to start a team with in college basketball right now, I’m taking him every single day of the week," Villanova first-year head coach Kyle Neptune said of Moore. "He just does so much for our team on both ends of the floor. He is big-time."
"He’s our leader on the court and off of it, and the way he composes himself, he leads us in the right direction and path," added freshman phenom and potential NBA lottery pick Cam Whitmore. "He’s been there before, too, having been a part of a Final Four team. Justin knows what it is."
Tuesday night’s win over Seton Hall was by no means easy. It was a game that saw 20 lead changes and 10 ties, and the Pirates put up one of their best shooting performances of the season.
But time and again in the second half, the Wildcats hit the shots they needed to and made the plays to win. It was vintage Villanova, taking the other team's best shot and landing haymakers in response. For months, this team has searched for that winning DNA. The Wildcats started the season 4-12 in games decided by single digits. Since then, they've gone 3-0 in such contests.
It’s been a learning season for Neptune, but look at the hand he was dealt. From taking over for a Hall of Famer in Jay Wright, who built the program into a blue blood, to not having a solid point guard after years of elite play at that position — from Ryan Arcidiacono … to Jalen Brunson … to Collin Gillespie — it was going to be a process for the Wildcats this season.
Add in not having Moore, the team's clear best returner who could have been Big East preseason player of the year, and there’s no doubt it’s been a tough road to get to this point. In fact, it’s fair to say it’s been more challenging than expected. But in their systematic, attitude-based philosophy that Wright built in recent years and Neptune is trying to continue, the machine appears to be fixed and picking up steam ahead of the Big East Tournament.
"The fabric of our program is to fight," Neptune said following Tuesday’s win. "We had some tough times, and things have not always gone our way. But we’ve kept our attitude."
Beyond Moore’s leadership, the continued growth of big man Eric Dixon is a huge reason why Villanova is hitting its stride. The 6-foot-8 junior has totaled 18-or-more points in three of his last four games, including a career-high 31-point performance in a ranked win over Creighton this past weekend. The game has slowed down for Whitmore as well, as he’s combined for 47 points and 14 rebounds in the last three games. He will hear his name rather early in the night at the NBA Draft in Brooklyn this coming June.
"He brings an athleticism that you don’t normally see on a consistent basis," Moore said of Whitmore. "He just brings a lot of flair, a lot of toughness and grit. I’m just glad to have him on my team."
The experience factor that 23-year-olds Caleb Daniels and Brandon Slater add to the equation gives Villanova a group that will walk into MSG next week understanding what it takes to win there. That psychological factor that the Wildcats have in the Big East does matter. Even without Wright on the sidelines, and with the faces having changed, there’s still a built-up mentality that comes with playing Villanova, and it’s proven by the fact that the Wildcats are still in the top 20 nationally for fewest turnovers per game. They may not have had that closing ability earlier in the season, but Villanova still rarely beats itself.
"I don’t want any part of them at the Big East Tournament to be totally honest," one Big East head coach told FOX Sports.
Having clinched the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, the Wildcats will draw Georgetown in the first round on Wednesday, March 8 (8 p.m. ET on FS1), but their potential quarterfinal opponent is still up in the air. A critical matchup comes Wednesday night when No. 19 Xavier visits No. 20 Providence (6:30 p.m ET on FS1), with the winner having an inside track at the No. 2 seed, and the loser potentially meeting Villanova next week as the No. 3 seed — although Creighton is still involved in that race as well.
For now, the Wildcats turn to a Saturday night showdown with No. 14 UConn in the regular season finale at Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m. ET on FOX).
"We’re not done yet," Moore said. "The main message for us is to not get complacent. Just because we’re winning some games now, we can’t be satisfied."
"Our goal is to always be the best that we can be by the end of the season, and I think we’re in a position to do that," Neptune added. "We’re well on our way."
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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