Busting Brackets
Fansided

Villanova Basketball: Top 10 teams ever under head coach Jay Wright

By Bryan Mauro

VILLANOVA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats looks on after defeating the Creighton Bluejays at Finneran Pavilion on January 05, 2022 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
VILLANOVA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 05: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats looks on after defeating the Creighton Bluejays at Finneran Pavilion on January 05, 2022 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 11
Next
Jalen Brunson Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Jalen Brunson Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

6. 2016-2017

Record: 32-4 (15-3 in Big East) – Round of 32

Teams 6-3 can be interchangeable. The 2016-2017 team is sandwiched between two National Championship teams and this was a team that many thought could repeat as champions which would have given Villanova the improbable three titles in a row. Villanova was pretty much-ranked number 1 all year and they headed into the NCAA tournament as a top seed and were picked by virtually everyone to win the tournament. Then in the second round, the pressure got to them and they could not survive a bad shooting night and lost to Wisconsin by three points.

When Villanova was at their best under Wright, they played just like this team did. They took some of the fewest two-point attempts in the country and were one of the slowest teams in the country. They were extremely efficient from the floor, especially inside the arc where they shot about 60%. They never turned the ball over and shot 80% from the free throw line. This was nowhere near the best offense that Villanova has ever had, but it was one of the best defensive teams in the country and one of the best defensive teams that the Wildcats have ever had.

Even with the slow play and the minimal shot attempts the Wildcats still averaged about 80 points per game. This team finished with the Big East and tournament championships, the overall number 1 ranking in the country, a 1 seed in the East region, and a 32-4 record overall. That was the third 30-win season in a row. The early exit in the NCAA tournament keeps this team out of the top 5.