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Villanova Basketball: 2017-18 season preview for the Wildcats

By Lukas Harkins

BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 16: Will D. Cat, mascot for the Villanova Wildcats, peforms as they take on the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 16, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY - MARCH 16: Will D. Cat, mascot for the Villanova Wildcats, peforms as they take on the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers in the second half during the first round of the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at KeyBank Center on March 16, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 18: Villanova’s Paschall (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – MARCH 18: Villanova’s Paschall (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Filling out the starting lineup

JR Phil Booth

Although he missed the majority of last season due to an inflammation in his knee, Booth is expected to return this season and he will make a major impact if he remains healthy. As a freshman, Booth was one of the most efficient players in all of college basketball. He played in 14.5 minutes per game while averaging 5.8 points on 56.3% shooting from the field, 48.5% from 3-point land, and 73.9% from the free throw line. This was a remarkable season, but he took a step back from an efficiency point of view as a sophomore.

In that season, Booth played more minutes (up to 21.9 per game) and averaged more points (up to 7.0 per game), but his percentages dropped to 36.8% on field goals and 31.7% from three. Heading into this season, it will be interesting to see what version of Booth we see. If he can be an effective scorer while playing off the ball, then Villanova will be in great shape in the backcourt.

JR Mikal Bridges

On the wing, Mikal Bridges will have plenty of opportunities this season. Bridges averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of his first two seasons with ‘Nova and that will continue this season. As a sophomore last year, Bridges averaged 9.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He became a vital part of the rotation when Booth went out for the majority of the season and he will retain his starting role this season.

On top of being an excellent on-ball defender, Bridges was remarkably efficient as a scorer last season. He shot 54.9% from the field, 39.3% from three, and 91.1% from the free throw line. If this continues, he will be in for an outstanding junior season.

JR Eric Paschall

After transferring from Fordham, this will be Paschall’s second season with Villanova. Last year, he started in just eight of the team’s 36 games, but the starting role could easily be his by the time the season gets underway. Paschall averaged 7.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game last season in just over 20 minutes per contest. He was able to do this while shooting over 50% from the field.

Although Paschall showed flashes of being able to splash from deep throughout the season, he needs to be more efficient as a 3-point shooter during his junior season. As a freshman at Fordham, Paschall shot 31.5% from deep on 5.3 attempts per game. Last season with ‘Nova, he was just 27.9% on 1.9 attempts per game.