NCAA Basketball: Ranking the teams in 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament

NCAA Basketball: Ranking the 8 teams in 2023 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 08: Justin Moore #5 of the Villanova Wildcats during the first half against the Georgetown Hoyas in the first round of the Big East Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 08, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

7 of 8

NCAA Basketball Villanova Wildcats forward Eric Dixon Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Villanova Wildcats

2022-23 season record: 17-17 (10-10 Big East)

Speaking of programs coming off underachieving campaigns, things didn’t go great in the first year for Coach Kyle Neptune. Three of the team’s best players are gone, including seniors Brandon Slater and Caleb Daniels, as well as 1st round NBA Draft pick, Cam Whitmore.

Yet Villanova’s roster got better this offseason. The first thing they were able to do was to keep the veterans with eligibility left in Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, who’ll be fully healthy after missing half of last year. And joining them is a quality transfer haul of players. The biggest name of the group is Tyler Burton, a 6’7 combo forward that averaged 19.0 ppg and 7.4 rpg at Richmond last season.

Other newcomers include TJ Bamba, a scoring guard from Washington State that averaged 15.8 ppg. Hakim Hart is a versatile guard from Maryland, while Lance Ware arrives from Kentucky to provide frontcourt depth. Most of the underclassmen are still around, such as Jordan Longino, Trey Patterson, and Nnanna Njoku.

The other name to watch is Mark Armstrong, who could be the starting point guard for the Wildcats. That was a position of weakness for the program last season so if he can have a big sophomore campaign, this will be one of the best offenses in NCAA Basketball for both this tournament and next year overall.

Home/NCAA Basketball News