Who to watch for from the Villanova Wildcats this season

On Friday night, the 2017–18 college basketball season will officially tip-off as the Villanova Wildcats will take the floor in their home opener against the Columbia Lions. Ranked sixth in the country to begin the season, the Wildcats will be looking to defend their Big East Tournament title and win their fifth straight regular season conference championship.

Despite running through the Big East and earning the top seed in the NCAA Tournament last year with a 32–4 record (15–3 in the Big East), Nova’s season came to a far too familiar ending in March. For the third time in four years, the Wildcats were sent packing in the second round of the tournament after capturing the national championship in 2016.

But the goal that both Villanova and its fans have for this season is simple: to return to the Final Four in San Antonio this April and cut down the nets for the third time in school history. For those who are wondering, San Antonio is a three hour drive away from Houston.

There are some big changes surrounding Villanova this season as well. Gone are All-American and Big East Player of the Year Josh Hart (now hooping it up with the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA), national title game hero Kris Jenkins, and big man Darryl Reynolds. Associate head coach Baker Dunleavy also left to become the head coach at Quinnipiac.

New to campus are freshmen guard Collin Gillespie, forward Jermaine Samuels, and forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. Oh, and another player who I write about later on in this piece.

In addition, the ’Cats will not be playing any home games on campus this year as the Pavilion undergoes renovation. In the meantime, Villanova will be playing its home contests at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly.

As the season gets underway, take a look here at some of the players who you should be watching for this year.

The Team Leader

Villanova names three captains each year to lead the team. Of the three who were selected this season, one stands out from the pack as the true leader of the team: junior point guard Jalen Brunson.

After learning under Ryan Arcidiacono during his freshman season on the Main Line, Brunson grabbed the point guard reins last year and emerged as the Wildcats second option on offense behind Hart. Brunson saw his scoring average rise from just under 10 points per game as a freshman to 14.7 points per game as a sophomore. Brunson also became a more efficient scorer, as his field goal percentage jumped from 45 percent to 54 percent last season.

Not only did Brunson emerge as a go-to scorer, but his passing skills further strengthened as he led the Wildcats in assists last year. Brunson’s incredible sophomore season earned him a spot on the All-Big East First Team last year.

Here’s a quick look at Brunson’s ability to score around the rim and on the perimeter:

Because of his strong second season wearing the blue and white, the expectations for Brunson this year are sky-high as a junior. That’s why he was the preseason pick to win Big East Player of the Year and a preseason All-American selection too.

As Brunson goes, the team will go as he will set the tone this season. Brunson’s teammates will follow his championship-level poise and experience. This is Brunson’s team. Expect him to make that clear from the onset this year.

The NBA Prospect

While this may be Brunson’s team, the best player on this squad is redshirt junior guard/forward and fellow captain Mikal Bridges. And the reason is simple: Bridges will all but likely be a first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft if he chooses to leave school early.

While Hart was selected in the first round of this past year’s draft, his NBA potential pales in comparison to that of his former teammate Bridges. There are always plenty of pro scouts in attendance at college games, but expect to see a few extra at Villanova games this season to check out what Bridges is all about.

Bridges is the type of player that makes pro scouts salivate about what he can do in today’s NBA. NBA teams draft mostly, if not entirely, on potential and how high a player’s ceiling is. And Bridges’ potential is through the roof.

First and foremost, his athleticism and versatility on both ends of the floor is an NBA team’s dream. Bridges’ ability to play and defend multiple positions on the floor makes him a hot commodity, while his length will give opposing teams nightmares at the pro level.

Bridges earned his keep with Villanova on the defensive end as a redshirt freshman during the national championship season, and he continued his strong defensive play last season. As a redshirt sophomore, Bridges became a starter and was named Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year after leading the Wildcats in steals and blocks.

NBA scouts crave players who can play defense and make threes, who are more commonly referred to as “3 and D’s”. With Bridges, you get exceptional outside shooting. While shooting a team-best 54 percent from the field last season, Bridges saw his three-point shooting percentage ballon from 30 percent as a redshirt freshman to 39 percent as a redshirt sophomore.

Here’s Bridges doing everything for the ’Cats:

Now while Villanova has always encouraged its players to stay four years, Bridges is in a unique position. Not only is he expected to be a first round pick, but unlike Hart, Bridges has the potential to be a lottery pick. When that opportunity arises, it’s hard to say no.

With Hart and Jenkins gone, expect Bridges to get more touches and scoring opportunities this season. He’ll get more shots and his scoring average will certainly go up this year. Not to mention, Bridges will lead an always-strong Wildcat defense this year.

His defense is already better than that of many NBA players; the offense will continue to develop and follow in suit. Bridges’ NBA stock should continue to rise as the year goes along, and Villanova fans will enjoy watching a future Wildcat in the Association.

The Big Fella

On Friday night, the #FreeOmari campaign will officially come to a close as redshirt freshman forward Omari Spellman will make his long-awaited Villanova debut after sitting out all of last season. Spellman, who was the preseason pick to win Big East Freshman of the Year, will contribute immediately as a diaper dandy.

In many ways, Spellman is the overdue heir apparent to Daniel Ochefu in the paint for the Wildcats. With all due respect to Reynolds, Spellman’s talent and skill are on a whole other level. The Wildcats missed Ochefu’s post presence BIG time last season, as it was one of last year’s teams’ biggest weaknesses. Now, the ’Cats have a talented big fella who can control the paint on both ends of the floor.

To get an idea of the drop-off at center from Ochefu to Reynolds last season, take a look at the stat lines below to fully understand the impact. Ochefu’s dominance during his senior year was a key to the Wildcats winning the national championship.

Daniel Ochefu (2016): 10 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg

Darryl Reynolds (2017): 4.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 0.9 bpg

The evidence above shows how significant of a role Ochefu played on both ends of the floor, and the void that was left last year without a dominant center. While Villanova has the ability to play small against anybody, the lack of a post presence hurt the ’Cats against bigger teams.

Villanova fans have heard all about Omari, but what will the 6–9 forward actually bring to the team? Offensively, he’s the modern big man. In NBA terms, he would qualify as a “stretch four”. Spellman can score both down low and from the outside. His ability to stretch defenses, draw post players out of the paint, and hit threes will be huge for the Wildcats on offense. Now, Spellman will be tasked with further developing into a defensive stalwart and rebounding czar.

And he’s sure to get a warm welcome to the Nova Nation in his collegiate debut.

The Leading Scorer

When the Wildcats won their second national title in school history, the leading scorer wasn’t Arch, Ochefu, or Hart. It wasn’t even the hero of the night Jenkins. It was sophomore guard Phil Booth, who poured in 20 points against North Carolina. Here’s highlights of Booth going off at NRG Stadium:

After missing the entire 2016–17 due to a knee injury, Booth is back and healthy in the Wildcats backcourt. Like Brunson, Booth is a point guard and a strong facilitator on offense. But he also has the ability to play off the ball too. Booth’s IQ and composure on the floor is second to none and, other than Bridges, is arguably Villanova’s best on ball defender. In addition, the return of Booth strengthens the Wildcats’ depth. Booth’s ability to contribute on both ends and remain healthy will be a welcome sight for Wildcat fans.

The Wild Card

When Arch was a freshman and sophomore, his shot selection would often times drive Wildcat fans nuts. But as he matured, his shot selection and discipline greatly improved. I get the feeling that redshirt sophomore Donte DiVincenzo is following the same trajectory.

Like Arch, DiVincenzo’s shot selection and decision-making has sometimes made Villanova fans scratch their heads. But his athleticism and ability to jump out of the gym make him an extremely valuable part of this team. After missing most of his first season at Nova, “The Big Ragu” was a key player on the offensive end for the Wildcats as he earned a spot on the Big East’s First Team All-Freshman. With last year serving as his freshman season, look for DiVincenzo to have a breakout sophomore year on both ends of the floor. As DiVincenzo continues to mature, he will continue to become a better player on offense and defense. His athleticism allows DiVincenzo to be one of the best players on the floor.

Don’t believe in his athleticism? Just watch his biggest play from last year…

Expect “The Michael Jordan of Delaware” to take a big leap (no pun intended) this year.

Having been selected to win the Big East Conference this year, Villanova has no reason not to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden again in March. But it won’t be an easy road. Led by All-American Trevon Bluiett, the Xavier Musketeers return a squad that went to the Elite Eight last year. The Seton Hall Pirates, who always play Villanova so well, are back stronger than ever behind the senior duo of Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington. But the Wildcats are still the class of the conference.

Jay Wright has a team that should definitely make a deep run in March Madness this year. With a nice balance between youth and experience, an ability to dominate both ends of the floor, and solid depth, the Wildcats will be once again fun to watch this season.