Villanova Wildcats
Last year: 36-4 (14-4), NCAA National Champions
Key Departures: G Jalen Brunson, F Mikal Bridges, G Donte DiVincenzo, F Omari Spellman
Best Case
The Wildcats will be hard-pressed to match last year’s national title run, but Jay Wright’s squad still has enough options to stick as one of the nation’s top teams. Phil Booth has flashed unlimited potential since arriving on campus – including 20 points in VU’s 2016 national title game victory – and will finally own the spotlight in PA along with Eric Paschall.
Villanova’s loaded freshmen class, which includes five-star commit Jahvon Quinerly, hits the ground running, supplementing upperclassmen Booth, Paschall and grad transfer Joe Cremo with productive minutes. Sophomores Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree develop into key cogs in Wright’s machine, and Villanova cruises to another Big East title before entering the NCAA tournament as a top-two seed for the sixth straight year.
Worst Case
The losses of Brunson’s calming presence, Bridges’ two-way play, Spellman’s shooting, and DiVincenzo’s high-energy offense prove to be too much to overcome. Booth is unable to develop into a primetime scorer, Quinerly isn’t quite ready to fill Brunson’s stead, and the lack of a reliable big man limits the Wildcats on both ends of the floor. Villanova still competes for the Big East title in its worst-case scenario, though it may not be one of the 15 best teams in the nation.
(That VU’s floor is still a five or six seed in the NCAA tournament is a testament to how far Wright has pushed this program in just five seasons.)