2020 Team Preview: Will Villanova Rise To The Top?
The Villanova Wildcats won national championships in 2016 and 2018. The 2020 NCAA Tournament wasn’t played, but even if it had been played, Villanova was not in position to continue its even-year dominance of college basketball. Reloading after the 2016 title was a little easier than doing the same after the 2018 national championship. In the 2020 season, Villanova still had some missing pieces. Are the Wildcats ready to build back to a national championship standard of performance this season? Let’s take a look.
Offseason Changes
The big loss for Villanova from the 2020 roster is Saddiq Bey, who was taken in the top 20 of the NBA draft this past Wednesday. Bey did so much to keep the Wildcats together this past season. He was an excellent two-way player with very few weaknesses. Not having his presence hurts, and the Wildcats have to be able to compensate for his absence.
The Wildcats Will Succeed If…
Their depth becomes a primary strength. The Villanova model under head coach Jay Wright has been to use a long rotation in order to keep players fresh and enable them to play with a lot of energy when they are on the floor. Shorter bursts of more aggressive play enable each Villanova player to max out when on the court, but then get more rest without having to play extended minutes. Last season, Saddiq Bey was asked to do far too much. He did what he could to piece together the five players on the floor, but there weren’t enough high-end starters to help him. Villanova didn’t have depth so much as a lot of players who had not developed enough. With another year of experience, however, what was modestly-skilled roster now has the chance to grow into its various roles. If every young player who struggled last season becomes several notches better, the Wildcats will have a rotation in which every player is a threat. That is how Jay Wright wants to shape his roster.
The Wildcats Will Fail If…
They don’t find their low-post hammer. The best Villanova teams, such as the 2016 and 2018 squads, had a lot of wing shooters and excellent point guard play, but they had a strong, tough big man in the middle to rebound and protect the rim. In 2016 it was Daniel Ochefu. In 2018 it was a combination of Omari Spellman and Eric Paschall. The 2017, 2019 and 2020 Villanova teams lacked that interior force. This season needs to produce a considerable evolution in the frontcourt. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Cole Swider, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree need to give Villanova the muscle and meanness in the paint which balance out this team and its emphasis on perimeter defense and 3-point shooting.
Prediction
The sense among Villanova watchers last season was that this team was one year away, and that the frontcourt players who weren’t quite ready to deliver in 2020 will be able to take the next step in 2021. Creighton had the best team in the Big East last season, but Villanova is in very good position to win the league this year, especially with two stars on other teams – Myles Powell of Seton Hall and Markus Howard of Marquette – now in the NBA.
Prediction: 1st in Big East