Three takeaways from Villanova’s win over Delaware State

Well, that was ugly.

Nevertheless, a win is a win, and there were plenty of things to be hopeful for following the latest Villanova win, as we hit the mid-point of the week.

If there were ever a game to shoot as poorly as the Wildcats did in the first half, it was certainly on Monday. At halftime, Villanova was an ice-cold 0-for-16 from deep and trailed Delaware State by three.

Finally in the second half Brandon Slater took the lid off the rim and Villanova found its groove.

In typical Hornet fashion, Delaware State was not going away. At least, not until Mark Armstrong went on his own 7-0 run in the second half, and new fan favorite Brendan Hausen chipped in a pair of timely threes himself. That will perfectly segue us into our first point that…

The Freshmen Are Here

Would you believe me if I told you a year ago that you would be sitting here reading about how two true freshmen (and neither of them is not Cam Whitmore) put the game away for the Wildcats in just their third collegiate game? Well that is exactly what happened.

Mark Armstrong, a borderline top-50 recruit coming out of high school, showed a sold out Finneran Pavilion what he could do on Monday night. Armstrong was the first substitute off of the bench for either team on Monday night, replacing Chris Arcidiacono with just over three minutes elapsed in the first half.

What was most impressive about Armstrong was his ability to facilitate as the primary ball handler. In high school, Armstrong was a combo guard, and played off-ball most of the time. Villanova seems to be keeping the tradition of the ever-interchangeable point guard by committee and Armstrong proved that he is more than ready for that responsibility.

That brings us to the most delightful surprise of the evening, Brendan Hausen. With the lid firmly cemented on the rim, Kyle Neptune called on his big gun, the Amarillo Assassin, to get the job done. Before he could check in, Brandon Slater loosened the lid on the rim before Hausen absolutely torched it.

Hausen was pegged as a three-point specialist by a lot of reports over the summer, which is fair to some extent, but Hausen showed us on Monday night that he is a whole lot more than being just a sniper from beyond the arc. Hausen’s ability to move without the ball is already at a high level, and when you pair that with his extremely high motor and natural instincts, you get a prototypical Villanova guard. Hausen has a infectious energy that he brings off of the bench, plays hard, and will soon be a fan-favorite at The Finneran Pavilion (if he isn’t already).

The Slow Starts Continue

All summer, in talking with players, coaches and people around the program, everyone has preached that the Villanova culture is unchanged. While that is true, Kyle Neptune has carried on some of the traditions that Jay Wright had left him that may have been better off staying with Jay.

Take a look at some of these scores:

• 1H 14:39 DSU – 12 | Nova – 3
• 1H 7:09 TU…