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Wednesday’s Three Things to Know: Clemson, Villanova fall on the road; Auburn tops struggling Kentucky

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Wisconsin v Villanova

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 18: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats walks off the court after being defeated by the Wisconsin Badgers 65-62 during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 18, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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1. NO. 3 VILLANOVA’S RECENT STRUGGLES CONTINUED WITH A ROAD LOSS AT PROVIDENCE

Villanova dropped its second game in three contests on Wednesday night as Providence came away with a 76-71 Big East win.

The loss isn’t a bad one in any way for the No. 3 Wildcats, as the Friars are an NCAA tournament contender and a tough out at home. But there are some major concerns about Villanova after its last few losses.

Defense has been a major issue for the Wildcats during Big East play, as some of those defensive issues came back to light on Wednesday. Cold perimeter shooting has also given Villanova some recent problems. In a nutshell, the Wildcats have some glaring holes as we hit the home stretch of the regular season.

CBT’s Rob Dauster has more on this game here.

2. NO. 11 CLEMSON BLEW AN 18-POINT SECOND-HALF LEAD TO LOSE TO FLORIDA STATE

It feels like every ranked team in the country has lost to an unranked team during the last week. Add Clemson to that list after the No. 11 Tigers blew a huge second-half lead in an ACC overtime road loss at Florida State.

The Seminoles certainly deserve a ton of credit for clawing back from an 18-point deficit with 18 minutes left but the Tigers blowing this game is the bigger story. While the win likely makes Florida State more of a certainty for Selection Sunday, Clemson’s rising stock has suddenly reversed course.

While the Tigers were riding positive momentum into a potential top-3 seed heading into Wednesday, now there are some questions about Clemson over the next few games. The Tigers also suffered a key injury late in the loss as point guard Shelton Mitchell left with a potential concussion.

I have more on this game here.

3. KENTUCKY HAS LOST FOUR STRAIGHT FOLLOWING AN SEC ROAD LOSS AT NO. 10 AUBURN

Recent struggles continued for Kentucky on Wednesday night as No. 10 Auburn earned an SEC home win.

While the Tigers are hoping to fight for a top-2 seed in the NCAA tournament as they hold a two-game conference lead, the Wildcats are trying to slow down a four-game losing streak that has seen Kentucky lose six of its last nine games.

Offensive and defensive issues have both hit the Wildcats, but it’s the team’s poor body language that has become a recent concern during some road losses.