Villanova head coach Kevin Willard has completely overhauled the Wildcats’ roster this offseason following a heavy wave of transfer portal departures. He and his staff aggressively added much-needed size, wing versatility, and perimeter scoring by landing impact transfers like Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon), Devin Royal (Ohio State), Elijah Crawford (UIC), and former Ivy League sniper Jake Fiegen (Cornell).
Even with these strong additions, the hierarchy at the top of the Big East remains daunting, and
the same. Most analysts likely place the Cats behind the conference’s elite tier of UConn (yuck) and St. John’s (more yuck) heading into the 2026-27 season.
However, Villanova has a massive trump card waiting in the wings: 19-year-old Italian big man Luigi Suigo.
The 7-foot-3 center flashed immense potential playing professionally overseas, and recently dominated measurements at the NBA Draft Combine. If Suigo ultimately (and finally) decides to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft ahead of the June 13 deadline, all signs point to him landing on the Main Line.
He possesses the exact defensive gravity, length, and floor-stretching upside that could bridge the gap between Nova and the Big East’s heavyweights.
Tristan Freeman of Busting Brackets highlighted his potential roster impact, writing:
“While Evans could play some center, the team does have redshirt freshman Nico Onyekwere; there’s still a massive need for an impact center to compete in the Big East. The rest of the rotation is already in good shape, with Luigo being the last key pickup to solidify them as the No. 3 team in the conference next year, with potentially even more upside.”
If Willard locks down Suigo to anchor the paint alongside Evans Jr., that third-place projection feels like the safest floor of all-time. His presence instantly transforms a deep, well-rounded roster into a unit capable of hunting down the Huskies and Red Storm for the Big East title.
