The Villanova Wildcats opens up the season early with a matchup against Mount St. Mary’s of the Northeast Conference. Any chance this one is close?
TV schedule: Tuesday, November 9, 4:30 ET, FS1
Arena: Finneran Pavilion – Villanova, PA
Villanova kicks off the 2021-22 college basketball season as the first AP Top 25 team to play when they take the court vs Mount St. Mary’s at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. This will be the first time these two teams have played since their 2017 Round of 64 matchups, in which Nova won 76-56 behind 21 from Donte DiVencenzo.
This game will feature the return of super-senior Collin Gillespie (14.0 PPG, 4.6 APG, 57.6% TS), who missed the Big East and NCAA Tournaments last season after tearing his MCL on March 3 vs Creighton. Gillespie has won more games than any other player currently in college basketball—the most experienced player and arguably the best point guard in the country.
Jay Wright’s squad is the heavy favorite to win the Big East again in 2021-22, having won it seven of the past eight seasons. The return of Gillespie as well as super-senior F Jermaine Samuels (12.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 60.1% TS) and junior G Justin Moore (12.9 PPG, 54.1% TS) gives Nova the best 1-2-3 punch in the Big East and one of the most experienced in the country.
Nova will be without Bryan Antoine who is still recovering from an injury to the patella tendon in his right knee. Antoine has been plagued by injuries throughout his career at Villanova, appearing in just 26 games over his first two seasons. The timetable for his recovery was set at six weeks in early October, meaning that a return at some point during non-conference play is still possible.
Mount St. Mary’s upset both Wagner and Bryant to win the Northeast Conference Tournament last season before losing to Texas Southern in the First Four. This year’s team was picked to finish third in the NEC in the preseason poll, again behind Wagner and Bryant. Senior F Nana Opoku (10.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.1 BPG) is the defending NEC Defensive Player of the Year and the clear leader for the Mountaineers heading into 2021-22. His presence defensively and on the glass vs Jermaine Samuels will be the key matchup to watch throughout the game.
Given their experience and roster continuity (in the age of the transfer portal), Nova should start the season with a significant advantage over most teams offensively. Dan Engelstad’s Mountaineers also have a ton of question marks offensively and both teams want to play a slower tempo, so don’t be surprised if The Mount struggles to break the 50-point mark in this game.
This will also be Villanova’s only warm-up before Saturday’s true road game at No. 2 UCLA. Their non-conference schedule also features a neutral site tournament with No. 7 Purdue, No. 18 Tennessee, and No. 19 UNC, a game against Syracuse at Madison Square Garden, and a true road game at No. 8 Baylor.
This is easily one of the most difficult non-conference schedules in the country, so Jay Wright will want to start fast and leave no room for error in Tuesday’s opener vs Mount St. Mary’s.
Prediction: Villanova 81, Mount St. Mary’s 53