NCAA Basketball: Biggest x-factor for each top-25 team for 2022-23 season

18. Villanova Wildcats – Angelo Brizzi/Mark Armstrong

The reason why I used both guards is that the point guard position is what matters on paper for Villanova. Longtime starter Collin Gillespie is gone and the starting spot is open for anyone. There’s a chance that Caleb Daniels, who played some point when at Tulane, becomes the lead ball-handler but with Justin Moore out for potentially the season, the team will need Daniels to focus more on scoring.

Neither player has played yet for Villanova, with Brizzi a redshirt and Armstrong a four-star combo guard and incoming freshman. The former is more of a traditional point guard, while Armstrong is a better athlete and overall scorer. Ultimately, the Wildcats need to solve the point guard position if they’re going to win now that head coach Jay Wright is gone and there’s no proven answer at the moment. Whoever manages to break out between the two will be an important piece to their potential success.

17. Texas Longhorns – Dylan Disu

Last season was a lost one for the transfer from Vanderbilt, who averaged around 15.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg in the year prior. Injuries delayed his debut with Texas until the midseason and he never got his footing. And the frontcourt, and team overall, suffered as a result.

The Longhorns have added more starpower in the backcourt and on the wings but didn’t do much inside outside of parting ways with Tre Mitchell. Christian Bishop is the likely starter once again but he’s a 6’7 big that doesn’t score much. The team needs Disu, who is 6’9 and has plenty of size, to be a factor in the rotation in order to avoid being too small at all times. If he struggles again, there are few options Texas will have to go elsewhere in the frontcourt.