2022 Record: 17-17 (10-10)

Head Coach: Kyle Neptune (Career Record 33-33) (Villanova Record 17-17)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Justin Moore (13.5 Pts, 3.5 Reb, 3.2 Ast)

SG: TJ Bamba (Washington State 15.8 Pts, 3.7 Reb, 1.7 Ast)

SF: Hakim Hart (Maryland 11.4 Pts, 4.1 Reb, 2.6 Ast)

PF: Tyler Burton (Richmond 19.0 Pts, 7.4 Reb, 1.5 Ast)

C: Eric Dixon (15.4 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast)

6: PG Mark Armstrong (5.3 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

7: SG Jordan Longino (5.0 Pts, 2.1 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

8: PF Lance Ware (Kentucky 2.0 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 0.6 Ast)

9: PG Chris Arcidiacono (2.8 Pts, 2.8 Reb, 1.6 Ast)

10: SG Brendan Hausen (3.1 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.4 Ast)

11: SF Jordann Dumont

12: SF Trey Patterson (0.5 Pts, 1.1 Reb, 0.2 Ast)

13: C Nnanna Njoku (0.0 Pts, 0.5 Reb, 0.0 Ast)

Villanova brought back starters Justin Moore and Eric Dixon. Moore missed most of last season with a torn achilles. Villanova was a very competitive team down the stretch when more was healthy. Now that Moore is completely healthy going into the 2023-24 season the offensive flow should look a lot better. Moore is an elite passer with great court vision. He also takes care of the ball at a very high level seldomly turning it over. Eric Dixon is the anchor on the inside for the Wildcats. He is a bit undersized for a center in the Big East at 6-8 but he uses his 255lb frame to his advantage. Dixon has also continues to develop his three point shot which was 38% last season on over 3 attempts per game.

Other returners for the Wildcats include PGs Mark Armstrong and Chris Arcidiacono . Mark Armstrong stepped in as a freshman and filled the void of Justin Moore early on in the season fairly well. Armstrong is a very quick and athletic guard who should be more confident going into his sophomore season. He will improve upon his 5PPG mark from last season. Chris Arcidiacono isn’t the most talented player, but he always seems to do the little things right and still makes an impact on the floor when he plays. SG Jordan Longino improved drastically from his freshman to sophomore season. Going into his junior year, there should be an even bigger improvement from the 6-5 guard who will see some solid minutes off the bench.

Villanova took to the portal where they were able to add 4 very talented players. The Wildcats put together one of the best portal classes in the country. Hakim Hart comes to Villanova by way of Maryland. Hart started all 35 games for Maryland last season. He’s coming off his best season yet averaging 11PPG, 4RPG, 3APG. Hart has great size and length at his position which has an effect on the defensive side of the ball where he can get into passing lanes forcing steals. PF Lance Ware from Kentucky hasn’t played much in his UK career but he comes from a winning culture and ultimately stays a Wildcat as well. He will provide some solid minutes off the bench and add to the big man depth.

The other transfers that Villanova added this offseason were guard TJ Bamba from Washington State and forward Tyler Burton from Richmond. Bamba had the best season of his career last year averaging over 15PPG for Washington State shooting 43% from the floor and 37% from three. Bamba is a talented shot creator and will be one of the primary scorers for Villanova this season. Tyler Burton is an extremely talented scorer who averaged 19PPG last season. Burton shot 45% from the floor overall but had a little bit of a down year from beyond the arc only shooting 29% last season. Burton should transition just fine to the rise in level of play going from the A10 to the Big East. He brings a high character in addition to a ton of experience. He was already on NBA radars last year but opted to come back to college.

The remaining returners for Villanova are Brendan Hausen, Trey Patterson, and Nnanna Njoku. Hausen is going to be a reliable shooter off the bench. Hausen shot 43% from beyond the arc last season and should see a rise in minutes due to his outside shooting ability. Njoku has seen very minimal action in his Wildcat career and just adds to the center depth for the team. Trey Patterson is still recovering from an injury that required surgery this offseason. The lone freshman Villanova signed this offseason is SF Jordann Dumont who was unranked on 247sports but is an underrated prospect who should see some action this season.

Villanova should be a much improved team this year. The Wildcats finished 6th in the Big East standings last year playing very well towards the end of the season. This years Villanova team projects in the 3rd-4th range in the conference. Villanova will return to the NCAA Tournament after the disappointing season last year. Villanova is an experienced team with 5 fifth year seniors on the team. The transfer class the Wildcats added this offseason will be a major factor to the overall team success.