Acaden Lewis, Villanova thriving ahead of Marquette matchup

In his first season at Villanova, head coach Kevin Willard has been lucky to have another Wildcats newcomer running his offense.

Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis aims to lead Villanova to its fourth straight win Tuesday when the Wildcats host Marquette in Big East action.

While playing all 23 games for the Wildcats (18-5, 9-3 Big East), Lewis leads them in assists (5.3) and steals (2.0) while contributing 12.4 points per game. He made two clutch 3-pointers and finished with 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Saturday's 80-73 road victory over Georgetown.

"I have the utmost confidence in him," said Willard. "He is progressing just the way you want a freshman to progress. He's been great at getting everyone involved. Tonight, we needed him to score and he did that."

Tyler Perkins chipped in with 15 points while Duke Brennan added 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Wildcats, who remain on track to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Meanwhile, Marquette (9-15, 4-9) is looking for its fourth win in six games following a stretch in which the team lost nine of its previous 10 contests.

The Golden Eagles topped Butler on Saturday, posting a 70-55 home victory as Chase Ross scored 19 points and Adrien Stevens pitched in with 18. Stevens and Ross combined to make 10 3-pointers for Marquette, which shot an impressive 45.2% from beyond the arc (14 of 31).

"It's a testament to all of our guys, particularly our guards," Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart said. "Creating pretty high-quality outside shots."

Villanova has won two straight meetings with Marquette after losing the previous eight matchups.

In the first encounter this season, the Wildcats posted a 76-73 victory in Milwaukee on Jan. 10. Lewis led the way with 20 points and eight assists, helping to overcome Nigel James Jr.'s 31 points for the Golden Eagles.