Big East Basketball: Updated WTE power rankings for 2022-23 season
By Joey Loose
2. Villanova
When a team’s rotation is six deep and half the players are gone, it’s understandable that change is in the air, but it’s more than just the lineup that’ll be different. Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright announced his retirement in April and was quickly succeeded by former assistant and Fordham head coach Kyle Neptune. The program will certainly be different going forward after dominating the Big East much of the last decade.
Fortunately, three of the important players from last season’s Final Four run will be back this season. Guard Caleb Daniels (10.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) takes up an even more vital role on offense while forwards Eric Dixon (9.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg) and Brandon Slater (8.5 ppg) are set up for nice seasons. The Wildcats were active on the recruiting trails, adding 5-star forward Cam Whitmore and 4-star guard Mark Armstrong, two Top 50 recruits that will be important pieces of this team in the immediate future.
The Wildcats should be ranked to start next season and will be one of the favorites to make noise in the Big East and at the national level. However, with the losses of Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels, this is absolutely a weaker team than last season’s Final Four squad. Still, with a first-year head coach and some bright young talent on the squad, this Villanova team is in perfect position to do some damage, especially with that experience from last year’s run.