PHILADELPHIA -- Josh Hart scored 25 points, Kris Jenkins had 19 and No. 1 Villanova beat Providence 78-68 on Saturday.
The defending national champion Wildcats (19-1, 7-1 Big East) have won five straight since their only loss at Butler on Jan. 4 temporarily knocked them out of the No. 1 spot in The AP Top 25.
Rodney Bullock had 17 points and Jalen Lindsey added 14 for Providence (13-8, 3-5).
The Friars were coming off consecutive wins over Seton Hall and Georgetown but couldn't compete with Villanova.
An 8-0 run to start the second half gave Villanova its biggest lead to that point, 43-31.