Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Creighton, Georgetown emerging

Speaking of offensive juggernauts, Villanova is one of the best in the nation. With the No. 2 adjusted offensive efficiency in the nation, the Wildcats have the ability to light up any defense on any given night. Even though this team is fairly reliant on the 3-point shot, that is a reasonable strategy when you are hitting 38.1% on those shots while dishing out assists on 58.4% of total made field goals.

This team moves the ball exceptionally well and works as a unit to find the best possible shot on each possession. Their efforts offensively have been particularly impressive for such a young team.

With that said, though, the ‘Cats still need to improve defensively. They are surrendering 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc against them and that mark ranks in the bottom-100 nationally on the defensive end. The Wildcats also rarely force turnovers and that limits their potential to run in transition, which should be a strength of the team. Perhaps Villanova’s best defense attribute is that it limits opponent free-throw attempts.

Villanova, on the whole, has not looked like a powerhouse so far this season despite entering the campaign as a top-10 team. Yet, they still hold an 8-2 record with the highest ceiling of any team in the Big East. Head coach Jay Wright’s team should only continue to improve moving forward as a major contender for the league title once again. Villanova last game before the Big East schedule starts will come at home against Kansas, who is ranked as the No. 1 team in the country.

In order to win that game, Villanova will need to continue lighting it up from 3-point range. That will require significant contributions from everyone on the roster but freshman guard Justin Moore is the player worth highlighting most. He is not Villanova’s best player but has been a major difference-maker of late. Moore is averaging 18.0 points per game over the last four contests since being relegated to the bench (still playing major minutes).