Less than two weeks ago, Villanova defeated No. 9 UConn to improve to 8-1 in its last nine games. Everything was looking bright for the Wildcats.However, the momentum has not carried over for Villanova, which is hoping to avoid a third straight loss Friday when it hosts Providence in Big East action.”That’s what it’s about,” Wildcats leading scorer Eric Dixon said after the 68-66 win over the Huskies. “Going out there, defending and rebounding, getting stops against a great program like UConn and seeing where you’re at.”As it turned out, perhaps the Wildcats (11-7, 4-3 Big East) weren’t at the place where they expected. In their next two games, they lost at St. John’s by 12 on Jan. 11 and then at Xavier by a 69-63 margin on Tuesday.”It’s the Big East. You’re on the road going against a good team,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “Things aren’t going to go your way all the time. It’s got to be a full 40 minutes.”Dixon — who entered Thursday No. 1 in the country in scoring at 24.8 points per game — and Jordan Longino led the team with 18 points apiece against the Musketeers. However, the Wildcats will likely require more scoring depth against the Friars (9-9, 3-4), who have struggled defensively of late.