NCAA Basketball: North Carolina, Gonzaga still sit atop updated top 25 ranking
By Joey Loose
23. Villanova (1-1)
It’s a new horizon at Villanova after Jay Wright’s retirement, with Kyle Neptune maneuvering through his first year at the helm of the program. Additionally, a number of important players are gone after last season and replacing Collin Gillespie, Justin Moore, and Jermaine Samuels is no easy task. There’s certainly talent in Villanova, but is this program much more vulnerable going forward?
An 81-68 opening night victory against La Salle gave Neptune a solid start to his Villanova career, getting 24 points and 10 rebounds from Caleb Daniels and 20 points from Eric Dixon, two very important pieces this season. Friday night’s action was less prosperous, as the Wildcats traveled to Temple and came away with a 68-64 loss on the road. Daniels (19 points) and Dixon (18 points) played solidly but the Wildcats couldn’t overcome a fierce Temple squad in their home court.
There’s a bit of an adjustment on the horizon. Villanova shot the ball well from outside against La Salle but barely attempted any outside shots in their loss on Friday. The defense was solid enough during both games, but this team isn’t rebounding or forcing turnovers at a great level through one week of play. Certainly, there’s still time for everything to start working together, but taking a loss in the opening week of the season to an AAC squad never feels great. A road trip to Michigan State looms this upcoming Friday.