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NCAA Basketball: Takeaways from 2021 Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic games

By Tristan Freeman

Nov 21, 2021; Uncasville, CT, USA; The Purdue Boilermakes pose with the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament Trophy after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2021; Uncasville, CT, USA; The Purdue Boilermakes pose with the Hall of Fame Tip Off Tournament Trophy after the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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NCAA Basketball Villanova Wildcats Jay Wright guard Justin Moore Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
NCAA Basketball Villanova Wildcats Jay Wright guard Justin Moore Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /

Villanova – Can hang with bigger teams but lacks depth

One concern I had with the Wildcats was how they’d replace forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in the frontcourt. Redshirt freshman Eric Dixon has been solid so far this season but he hasn’t provided much defensively. The good news is that Jermaine Samuels has been a star at the four-spot and Villanova’s five-out offense via elite spacing has allowed the guards to excel offensively.

However, there still are questions as to how they would do against legitimate frontcourts, considering that they didn’t face Cody Riley of UCLA since he was hurt. But this weekend did show that the Wildcats won’t be at much of a disadvantage in the frontcourt this season.

Against Tennessee, they completely shut down forwards John Fulkerson, Olivier Nkamhoua, and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, who went a combined six points on just five attempts. The switching (mainly by Brandon Slater’s versatility) has allowed them to prevent easy post-up opportunities and the collective team IQ makes it difficult for opposing teams to score inside, regardless of who is playing the five-spot.

That being said, the current 6-man rotation isn’t viable short or longer. Forwards and former top-100 recruits Trey Patterson and Nnanna Njoku haven’t played many competitive minutes and it makes considering the tough early schedule they faced. But having just Caleb Daniels coming off the bench in games won’t do it, as the leads Nova game up proved to be their downfall.

Collin Gillespie looks every bit of an All-American and so does Justin Moore. They look every bit of a Final Four and national title contender but to really be in position, some of the talented underclassmen have to emerge, along with finally getting former five-star prospect Bryan Antoine healthy and on the court.

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