Big East Basketball: Key storylines emerging early in 2023-24 season
By John Makuch
4. Villanova, exceeding expectations
On the flip side, some programs exceed expectations, and the Villanova Wildcats have done exactly that this season. After making the top 25, they took care of business in their first two games, but it seemed like things were going to get rough.
The Wildcats fell to instate rival Penn in a tough loss on the road, but the bounce back was impressive. They took down Maryland in a dominant showing from start to finish, never allowing Kevin WIllard’s Terrapins to breathe for even a moment. It was a 57-40 rout that showed just how good this team can be, especially defensively.
That game was one of those moments that shows early on who is going to be a championship contender, and dominating a strong Power Conference opponent from start to finish can be one of those games. The Wildcats will have to put that kind of performance on consistently, so time will tell if we get the Penn game Wildcats or the Maryland game team.
Justin Moore looks like a star yet again, and they will dominate down low with Eric Dixon. But transfers like Tyler Burton and TJ Bamba are major pieces on how this roster just gels together, and the chemistry already looks great with this veteran squad.
They have some big-time prove-it games against Texas Tech, Kansas State, and UCLA, and those will be telling as to where this team is with the rest of the nation. If Villanova can put on similar defensive outings against those teams, then we may have to relook at where this team ranks in terms of Big East contenders.