Villanova Basketball: Why the Wildcats may be better next season

While Villanova basketball may be better next season, it will be tougher to win the title.

After a wrath of criticism, Jay Wright won his first ever National Championship with the Villanova Wildcats on Monday night after advancing to his first Final Four since 2009.

The celebration will continue in Philadelphia for weeks but the Wildcats program – at the very least from a coaches’ perspective – has likely flipped the switch with an eye on next year’s squad.

Will Nova win their fourth straight Big East title? Will they have an opportunity to repeat?

Most importantly, will they be better or worse than this National Title team?

Nova is losing senior leader and consistent point guard Ryan Arcidiacono along with big man Daniel Ochefu. Kris Jenkins and Josh Hart will test the NBA Draft waters but they are likely to return to school, while Phil Booth, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges (who should take a massive jump in year two) and Darryl Reynolds all have eligibility remaining.

After sitting out this past season due to the transfer rules, former Fordham forward Eric Paschall will give the Wildcats much needed versatility. Donte DiVincenzo dealt with injury issues in his freshman season but the defensive minded guard will likely give the backcourt a boost in what will be his redshirt freshman season.

Then there’s the presence of Omari Spellman, who is a five-star recruit and could be molded into Wright’s first ever one-and-done prospect. The Ohio native is ranked 16th on ESPN’s top 100 recruiting rankings as he is a dynamic offensive talent who can play both inside and out. He is a high-quality pick-and-pop player and should give the ‘Cats a different dimension on offense.

Nova sure is small – their tallest guys will be Dylan Painter and Spellman at 6’9″ – but they will be one of the more experienced teams in the country and are capable of playing a four or five out style of offense that will create major match-up problems.

Hart, Jenkins, Brunson, Booth, Bridges and Reynolds were all apart of the championship team so they have taken a dive into the gauntlet. They have been there done that. They were doubted by America and in turn, delivered for the city of Philadelphia.

Now with another full offseason in a program that prides itself on player development, all six returnees can take another step in the right direction.

And think about a lineup that features Brunson, Booth, Hart, Spellman and Jenkins. They can spread the floor, create space for the guards to operate in the lane and let Jenkins fire from downtown. While rebounding will be a problem, don’t forget that Hart is excellent on the glass, Spellman can bring his force, Reynolds will play quality minutes off the bench and Bridges is long and athletic.

Even though the Wildcats will be featured in the top five of numerous preseason polls and should be better than the 2016 National Title squad, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are well equipped to repeat.

This past season was beyond exciting due to the parity and the unexpected results, but the play was certainly down. The freshman weren’t as strong as normal, Duke lacked depth, Kentucky had a weak front court, Kansas didn’t have an NBA prospect on their roster and Wisconsin was in a “rebuilding” year.

Things will change in 2016-17 as Duke, Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State are loaded and Xavier will be lurking due to their balance. The competition should be anything but a walk in the park and while nothing will be predictable – it never is in college hoops – there are clear favorites to cut down the nets in Phoenix.

On top of the blue bloods rising, Villanova will have a target on their back as they try to defend their title.

They may win the Big East. They may finish with a dominating record. And this could be one of the strongest Villanova teams Wright’s ever had.

Next: Big 12 NCAA Tournament grades

But it is anything but a certainty for these ‘Cats to repeat.

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