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Villanova Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Wildcats

By Thomas Giustino

VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 14: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats reacts to a call during a college basketball game against the DePaul Blue Demons at the Finneran Pavilion on January 14, 2020 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PA - JANUARY 14: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats reacts to a call during a college basketball game against the DePaul Blue Demons at the Finneran Pavilion on January 14, 2020 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Villanova Basketball (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Projected starting lineup

Guard – Collin Gillespie (Graduate Student)

Jay Wright has consistently had teams led by veteran point guards and that will be no different this year. Collin Gillespie, Big East Preseason Player of the Year, returns for his 5th and final season after suffering a torn MCL late last season. His performance last season was enough to share Big East Player of the Year honors with Sandro Mamukelashvili and former teammate Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Gillespie is nothing if not consistent for the Wildcats. He is a capable leader and has shown steady improvement throughout his time under Jay Wright. Last season, before going down with a knee injury, he averaged 14.0 PPG, 4.6 APG (to just 1.6 turnovers per game), and 3.3 RPG. Gillespie also shot just under 38% from beyond the arc while playing 33.4 minutes a game. Robinson-Earl may have been the focal point of the offense and the team’s best player, but it can be argued that Gillespie has been and will be Villanova’s most important player.

There is no reason to think that he won’t be the team’s most important player again this season and I expect him to win or at least share (perhaps with St. John’s Julian Champagnie) Big East Player of the Year honors again this season.

Guard – Caleb Daniels (Redshirt Senior)

Caleb Daniels flew under the radar a little bit for Villanova last year, but his contributions should not go unnoticed. Last season he started in all but 1 game for the Wildcats, playing 25.8 minutes a game, averaging 9.6 points, and shot over 38% from beyond the arc on 4.6 attempts per game.

His performances were overshadowed by bigger stars. He will likely still be a third or fourth option behind Gillespie, Moore, and Samuels, but this is the reason Villanova remains so hard to beat. Every player accepts their role and shines in it.

Guard/Wing – Justin Moore (Junior)

Justin Moore, preseason Second-Team All-Big East selection, will have to step into a bigger role this season, likely becoming the third option behind Gillespie and Samuels. Last season, Moore started in 24 of 25 games and played just shy of 33 minutes per contest. He averaged 12.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.0 APG, doing a little bit of everything for the team.

However, he showed a slight regression in his shooting, dipping from nearly 40% from three as a freshman to just 31% in his sophomore year. No one should be surprised if he bounces back and hits at least 35% from deep as a junior.

Wing/Forward – Jermaine Samuels (Graduate Student)

Jermaine Samuels, preseason Second-Team All-Big East selection, gave Villanova a huge boost when he, along with Gillespie, decided to return for a 5th and final year. Like all the returning starters, Samuels was a solid piece for the Wildcats last season. He averaged just under 30 minutes a game while contributing 12 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.5 APG. He also showed a marked improvement in his outside shooting.

Prior to last season, Samuels shot 19% from deep as a freshman, 34.7% as a sophomore, 27.6% as a junior, and an impressive 37.1% last year. If Villanova is to remain a top 5 team for the season and a threat to win the title, Samuels will have to pick his spots wisely and build on this shooting momentum.

Center – Eric Dixon (Redshirt Sophomore)

Here is the biggest question mark for Villanova. The 5-spot. But, Jay Wright has skirted around this issue many times and has options to go small by putting 5 ball handlers on the court if he so chooses. Eric Dixon should be a serviceable big man though, especially in a league that isn’t dominated by bigs.

Dixon didn’t play too much last season, but he averaged 8.2 MPG in 21 contests while chipping in 3.0 points a game. Truthfully, I expect we will see Villanova play a lot of small-ball this season, and I think we will freshman Nnanna Njoku’s minutes increase as the season progresses.