Head coach Kevin Willard worked hard this offseason to rebuild the roster in the transfer portal.
Villanova lost player after player to the portal, with the exception of Tyler Perkins and Matt Hodge. Multiple additions were made including four starters while adding experience, depth, and size.
The NCAAB AP Poll is still weeks and weeks away from being released but projections are in full swing. Jeff Borzello of ESPN has been releasing his list for awhile now. The most recent edition came out on Monday
and it still features Villanova on the outside looking in.
Is this a snub or warranted?
Villanova is currently listed as the first team in the section labeled “Next five.” There is no number next to the team name so it is not specified if the Wildcats are No. 26 or just part of the next five.
The list features Florida at the top followed by Duke and Illinois. UConn is the highest-ranked Big East team at No. 5 with St. John’s also making the cut. Villanova is ranked as the third-highest team in the conference, which is likely to be the case heading into the year.
ESPN’s Projected Top 25
- Florida
- Duke
- Illinois
- Texas
- UConn
- Tennessee
- Arizona
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Arkansas
- USC
- Louisville
- Virginia
- Alabama
- St. John’s
- Houston
- Miami
- Missouri
- Kentucky
- UCLA
- Vanderbilt
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa State
- Gonzaga
Next Five
- Villanova
- North Carolina
- Purdue
- St. Louis
- Indiana
How will Villanova look this season?
The lineup will look completely different outside of Perkins and Hodge, who continues to work his way back from a season-ending injury. Willard prioritized size in the offseason. The first addition was Kwame Evans, a 6-foot-10 forward who can step outside when needed. Devin Royal, 6-foot-6, was next up to take over at small forward but the frontcourt needed that final piece. It ended up being the 7-foot-3 Suigo and all of a sudden, the Wildcats have great size.
Villanova also had to rebuild the backcourt as Acaden Lewis and Bryce Lindsay entered the transfer portal. Perkins returns to lead the way while Elijah Crawford and Darryl Simmons improve depth. An underrated addition will be Jake Fiegen, who provides shooting off the bench. With Simmons and Fiegen leading the reserves, the Wildcats should be able to score with any rotation.
The roster looks much better at this point than the one from last year that finished 24-9 and 15-5 in the Big East. Villanova returned to the NCAA Tournament last season before a first-round exit. With this retooled roster, the expectation will be the second weekend. For now, Villanova seems to be on the outside looking in of the preseason rankings but will this be the case when it becomes official?
