18. Villanova Wildcats
Things took a left turn for this Villanova program after the retirement of Jay Wright in 2022. The program just wasn’t the same under the direction of Kyle Neptune and he was discarded after three underwhelming seasons. The Wildcats got back on track with Kevin Willard this past season and were back in the Big Dance in his first season, but everyone knows this team is after more than just making those trips.
Last year was boosted significantly with some portal grabs and Willard has done even more digging this time around. Villanova added a pair of prominent forwards that should jump into major roles with Duke Brennan and others not around. Kwame Evans was a playmaker for Oregon last season, averaging 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds for the Ducks while Devin Royal heads over from Ohio State fresh off his own success as a junior.
You should figure major roles for those two additions but the other three transfers aren’t exactly slouches. Elijah Crawford boosts that backcourt after brilliant production running the point at UIC as a sophomore. The Wildcats also add a pair of junior guards who can really score, getting Jake Fiegen from Cornell and Daryl Simmons out of St. Bonaventure.
While there clearly aren’t that many points to go around, all five of Villanova’s additions average double figures last season and showed potential. Those two forwards from high-major schools slide into major roles in a lineup that returns Tyler Perkins and Matthew Hodge, albeit with some injury issues. Willard grabbed some prominence pieces and hopes he has what Villanova needs to take that next step and return to their dominance in the Big East.
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