VILLANOVA, Pa. — All Jeff Capel could focus on in the wake of last Sunday’s loss to Hofstra was defense. The Panthers couldn’t stay in front of ball-handlers on the perimeter or finish off possessions with a defensive rebound. In the wake of another embarrassing loss to a team from a mid-major conference, Capel vowed to get his team playing sharper defense.

But the improved defense didn’t manifest itself on Saturday afternoon. As Villanova (8-2) shot 40.9% from 3-point range, it marred an encouraging offensive day for Pitt (5-6) at the Finneran Pavilion. The Wildcats’ savvy guards loosened a struggling opposing defense with timely, efficient shooting and easy assists to their ultra-efficient big men on the way to handing a 79-61 defeat to their cross-state rivals from Pitt, who have now

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