Villanova vs Baylor: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
Villanova and Baylor meet in the final of the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Will it be the Wildcats or the Bears who secure the early season tournament title.
TV schedule: Sunday, November 24, 5:00 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: The HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina
Moving forward, Villanova (4-1) certainly looks like a team that will compete at the top of the Big East yet again. They’ve taken care of business at Myrtle Beach, dispatching of Middle Tennessee by 29 and Mississippi State by 7. The Wildcats certainly looked overmatched against Ohio State last week but have bounced back nicely.
Junior guard Collin Gillespie (11.8 ppg, 5.0 apg) is the leader and returning scorer on this Wildcats squad, but he certainly isn’t doing this all himself. Freshman forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (12.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg) put up 22 points on Mississippi State on Friday and could be an NBA lottery pick if his impressive play continues. Sophomore forward Cole Swider (15.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg) has been the team’s offensive leader.
Though many rankings sunk after the Ohio State blowout, Villanova still sits at 10th in KenPom, with a top 5 offensive rating. They’re averaging greater than 81 points a game, though free throw shooting has been a bit of a struggle at times for the Wildcats. This was projected to be a top 10 team and a win against Baylor will go a long way towards that.
Across the court, Baylor (4-1) has gotten their season off to a steady start. They’ve also taken care of business at Myrtle Beach, dispatching of Ohio and Coastal Carolina in the first two rounds. Their lone blemish came in a close loss to a tough Washington squad, though this may be the marquee victory that can galvanize this team.
Three starters have moved on, but there’s still plenty of talent around for the Bears. Sophomore guard Jared Butler (20.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) has ignited the offense during his second year in Waco. Senior forward Freddie Gillespie (11.5 ppg, 10.0 rpg) has slid into the starting lineup and been impressive. Another name to watch is junior guard MaCio Teague (13.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg), who just dropped 22 points on Coastal Carolina in Friday’s win.
This is a top 25 Baylor squad and they sit at 15th in KenPom’s ratings. The offense has had impressive moments, while the team ranks highly both forcing turnovers and on second-chance opportunities in the offense. The level of opposition hasn’t been the most impressive, but this Villanova team gives them a great early test.
These are a pair of powerful offenses and each team will need to lock down on the defensive end. For the Bears, locking down on Villanova’s talent will be difficult, as they can beat you from all over the court. They’ll need to take care of business on the boards. For the Wildcats, limiting Butler and Teague and the other guards will be the focus.
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It’s pretty exciting to get an early-season matchup between top 25 teams to decide an early-season tournament title. The slight edge will go to the Wildcats, though truly anybody could win on a neutral court. Foreseeing another big effort from Robinson-Earl, I’m going to roll with Villanova to notch a narrow win, though it would be foolish to disregard Baylor’s experience and talent.