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Villanova Basketball: Who did the Wildcats lose to the NBA?

By Nick Bello

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats looks on during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats looks on during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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Villanova basketball lost four crucial players to the NBA Draft this offseason. Who were they and what are they leaving behind?

Over the past few years, college basketball has been dominated by Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats. Wright has taken Nova to six straight NCAA Tournaments and has won two national championships as well as four Big East regular season titles. With the NBA Draft in his rear-view mirror, Wright has lost a couple of players who have played a huge role in building this dynasty in Philly.

The biggest loss for Wright will be Jalen Brunson, who has spent three years with the team, playing  a huge role in leading his team to two national championship wins. Brunson is a tough and shifty guard who is the ultimate leader, something that Coach Wright is very proud of. He graduated from Villanova in three years with a communications degree, which is rare to see in the one-and-done era of college basketball. Although Brunson was drafted in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks, he has shown that he can have a big impact.

Brunson has accomplished a lot on the court as well. He was named Big East Player of the year, AP Player of the Year, and also won the Wooden Award this season. He averaged 19 points per game during this past season and was a full-time starter in all three of his seasons. Brunson has also accomplished a lot on the global basketball circuit as well, winning two Gold medals for USA Basketball, the first coming in 2013 with the U18 team and the second coming in 2015 with the U19 team.

Mikal Bridges is another player that Wright will surely miss. Bridges, who was not a highly-sought after player in high school, redshirted his first year at Villanova. Bridges improves his game drastically in his three years at Villanova, going from averaging six points in his redshirt freshman year to 17 in his junior season. Like Brunson, Bridges also graduated this year with a degree from Villanova.

Bridges’ size and strength is something that is perfect for the NBA. He played a huge role in Villanova’s title run this year and was able to guard the best players in college basketball throughout this season. Bridges was drafted with the 10th pick by the 76ers, his hometown team, but was later traded to the Phoenix Suns.

In this year’s NCAA Championship game, Donte DiVincenzo was the X factor for Wright’s squad. The sophomore from Delaware dropped 31 points and was unconscious from three as he helped Villanova to capture another NCAA title. DiVincenzo was drafted 17th by the Bucks adding a scoring presence from beyond the arc, which is something that the Bucks were lacking.

Related Story: How will Donte DiVincenzo fit with the Bucks?

Although DiVincenzo was only the sixth man for Villanova, his draft stock really took off after his performance in the championship game. He is sure to make a big impact in the NBA as he showed this past season.

Wright also loses Omari Spellman, who was a key fixture down low last season. Spellman averaged 10 points and eight rebounds a game in one year at Villanova. The 6-foot-9 forward was drafted 30th by the Atlanta Hawks where he also joins Oklahoma guard Trae Young. The two will definitely be interesting to watch in Summer League play as they are the future of the rebuilding Hawks.

Next: Preseason Big East rankings

With Wright losing so much talent this year, it will be interesting to see whether or not he can make another title run. He doesn’t just lose talent, he loses leadership as well, which is something that can be hard to replace. Nonetheless, Wright has shown again and again that he is one of the best coaches in college basketball by producing NBA ready players who are sure to set the league on fire.