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NCAA Basketball: Top 10 seasons for Jay Wright at Villanova

By Noah Whitaker

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats talks with his team during a timeout in the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Villanova Wildcats 81-65. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - APRIL 02: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats talks with his team during a timeout in the second half of the game against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four semifinal at Caesars Superdome on April 02, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Kansas Jayhawks defeated the Villanova Wildcats 81-65. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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Josh Hart Villanova Basketball (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Josh Hart Villanova Basketball (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

4. 2016-17

Record: 32-4

Big East Record: 15-3

Big East Tournament Champion: Yes

NCAA Tournament finish: Second Round (L) vs Wisconsin

Highest Ranking: #1

Top scorer: Josh Hart 18.7 ppg

Definitely some nitpicking here between this team and the next team that will be mentioned. But first, there needs to be an assessment of why this team, which exited early in the NCAA Tournament, is this high. It is not about which team went further in this ranking, it is about which team was the quote-on-quote the best under Coach Wright.

Reaching 30+ wins is an impressive feat in itself. 2016-17’s team was filled with NBA players. What makes this team really good compared to former ‘Nova teams is the fact that the wings were NBA-ready playing on the collegiate level. Yes, they were that good.

Josh Hart was Big East Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Mikal Bridges was shooting 39% from 3. Kris Jenkins was a threat from the outside too. Great guard play from young but extremely mature players: Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, were a perfect example of Wright’s coaching and ability to put players in the right position to succeed.

Tough shot-makers throughout the roster combined with the impressive offensive system Wright had in place meant quality wins. With the caliber of players Wright had on this year’s team, championship pursuits were crystal clear.

This team was close to scratching the surface. They had really good momentum for the majority of the season. What bit them in the end or rather the second round of the NCAA Tournament was the lack of a true big man. In terms of perimeter play, this may have been on the best teams of all-time pertaining to that box.

A year too early and a year too late…

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