JANUARY 4•NEWSOBSERVER.COM
These Under-the-Radar Teams Could Stun Men's College HoopsThere’s still plenty of room for chaos in the six high-major conferences, with under-the-radar contenders like Villanova poised to have an i...
Hakim Hart - Role growing for VillanovaHart chipped in 14 points (5-9 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 3-4 FT), five rebounds, three assists and one block in 30 minutes during Wednesday's 66-65 win over Xavier.
ImpactHart has yet to make a start this season for the Wildcats, but he's excelled in a sixth-man role and has been pushing Tyler Burton for playing time of late. Over his last five games, Hart has averaged 12.8 points and 4.4 rebounds on 28.2 minutes, and it's no coincidence Villanova has won four in a row, including a 3-0 start to conference play.
JANUARY 4•ROTOWIRE
Tyler Burton - Used sparingly in victoryBurton finished with three points (1-7 FG, 1-5 3Pt) and four rebounds across 18 minutes during Wednesday's 66-65 win over Xavier.
ImpactBurton continues to be the starting power forward for Villanova, and while the team improved to 3-0 in Big East play with Wednesday's win, the senior forward matched season lows in both scoring and rebounding while struggling with his shot. Hakim Hart saw a big uptick in minutes as a result of Burton's season-low playing time total, and Hart answered the call with a team-high 14 points off the bench, to go along with five rebounds and three assists. It's a concerning sign for Burton's fantasy managers, who will want to monitor this trend moving forward.
JANUARY 4•ROTOWIRE
TJ Bamba - Yanked after costly turnoverBamba finished with eight points (3-7 FG, 2-5 3Pt), two rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes during Wednesday's 66-65 win over Xavier.
ImpactBamba caught an inbound pass with under 90 seconds to play, but he coughed it up after being trapped near midcourt. That marked the end of Bamba's night, although his 32 minutes of action still matched his second largest workload of the season. The boom appeal has been non-existent for the senior transfer, failing to exceed 15 points thus far after notching 18-plus points on 13 different occasions last season at Washington State.
JANUARY 4•ROTOWIRE
Brendan Hausen - Cans four threesHausen provided 12 points (4-7 FG, 4-7 3Pt), three rebounds and one assist across 17 minutes during Wednesday's 66-65 victory over Xavier.
ImpactHausen extends his streak to four consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made, booming to 9-for-18 shooting over that span. The 6-foot-4 sniper is hitting 36.8 percent of 4.9 threes per game, while attempting just three shots from inside the arc all season.
JANUARY 4•ROTOWIRE
Quincy Olivari - Co-leads all scorers in lossOlivari provided 14 points (3-13 FG, 1-8 3Pt, 7-7 FT), eight rebounds and three steals in 33 minutes during Wednesday's 66-65 loss to Villanova.
ImpactOlivari's 14 points matched the game high in Wednesday's rock-fight affair. Both teams enter the contest as top-25 defenses in the nation, then combined to limit each other to 41.3 percent from the field in total. Olivari accounted for eight of Xavier's 18 three-point attempts, but the versatile sniper couldn't convert. Villanova's size was able to disrupt Xavier, and the Musketeers have another tough task upcoming Wednesday against UConn.
JANUARY 4•ROTOWIRE
Hart scores 14 to help Villanova hold off Xavier 66-65
Led by Hakim Hart's 14 points, the Villanova Wildcats defeated the Xavier Musketeers 66-65JANUARY 4•ASSOCIATED PRESS
