Villanova Basketball: Which Wildcat is poised for a breakout season in 2017-18?

The favorites to win the Big East, Villanova basketball will need someone to have a breakout season if they want to make a deep tournament run. Who will it be?

Although Villanova is one of the best programs in the entire country, they are losing a lot of talent from a year ago. Now without Kris Jenkins, Josh Hart, and Darryl Reynolds, somebody will need to step up for the Wildcats. Obviously, star guard Jalen Brunson will be the go-to-guy this season but he cannot do it all on his own.

Omari Spellman is one of the players likely to come in and make an immediate impact. Then there are two top-100 recruits in Jermaine Samuels and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree. However, sophomore Donte DiVincenzo is the guy who is going to need to step up to be the #2 guy for head coach Jay Wright this season.

A four-star recruit out of high school, DiVincenzo had an impressive freshman season last year (he medically redshirted the 2015-16 season). His season placed him on the Big East All-Freshman Team and he will likely join the starting lineup in 2017-18. He started just one game during last season’s campaign.

As a player, DiVincenzo is extremely well-balanced. At 6’5″, he has excellent size to play on the wing and has the ability to play above the rim. He is a capable three-point shooter (36.5% on 3.2 attempts per game) with solid slashing skills as well.

Possibly the most impressive thing about DiVincenzo’s game, however, is his rebounding. As a wing player, he crashes the glass hard at the right times and uses his athleticism to sky high for boards. His 3.8 per game average might not jump off the page, but his energy is nearly impossible to match on the glass.

He is also a capable defender on the wing with the ability to stop even the best scorers. “The Big Ragu”, as he is called, will certainly be a valuable member of the team in 2017-18.

Filling in for Josh Hart is a tall task, though, and it is not fair to expect DiVincenzo to match that production. Nonetheless, DiVincenzo will definitely increase his scoring output this season with the increase in touches he will receive. Unlike a season ago when he was the high-energy sixth man, he will be tasked with scoring a lot more in addition to his already sound defense.

After averaging 8.8 ppg/3.8 rpg/1.7 apg as a freshman, DiVincenzo could see an increase across the board to a season that would have him averaging 10+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 2+ assists per game. In 2016-17, only four players averaged 10+/5+/2+ in the Big East: Josh Hart, Trevon Bluiett, Angel Delgado, and Khyri Thomas. That is some pretty good company to be in.

Add this to his defensive acumen, and you have found one of the best sophomores in the Big East.

Next: Way-too-early Big East Power Rankings

Every season, Villanova puts together one of the best rosters in the country. Even with many seniors graduating, Jay Wright has done the same thing for 2017-18. Omari Spellman’s introduction to college hoops will certainly make a difference, as will the return of Jalen Brunson. Sophomore Donte DiVincenzo, though, is the one who can have a breakout season that lands him amongst the best players in the conference. If he does this, watch out for a very powerful ‘Nova team yet again.