JP Pelzman: Looking at the Big East as a whole, obviously I knew about Jay Wright long before I began covering Seton Hall. Can Villanova be as good as advertised in all these way-too-early top 10s?
John Fanta" Without question. Without question. Because college basketball starts at the point guard spot. And Villanova has the ultimate game manager and executor in Collin Gillespie. Having him come back for a fifth season automatically gives them a chance at cutting down the nets in New Orleans. Because you know with Jay Wright he’s typically going to have--and this is the question that needs to be answered--enough shooting. Villanova typically has enough shooting.
Actually last season, when they did fall into ruts (during games), that was the problem, that they couldn’t knock down a three. But the right plays were being made. So, for me, you bring Jermaine Samuels back, who’s been in every possible college basketball situation in his career, and has mostly thrived and is an exceptional player. You’ve watched him play, J.P., and we both know, if I were to pick some of the most dynamic players in the Big East, Jermaine Samuels would be right up there. He's explosive off the bounce, he’s got great length, he defends well, he does every little thing right.
So, you’ve got Gillespie and Samuels back, and a rising junior in Justin Moore. I actually think Justin Moore is now in a position where he could thrive. I think he played well last year. He was one of their best players, there’s no question, but I do think when you talked about Villanova, and you watched Villanova play, the ball had to go into Jeremiah Robinson-Earl's hands. They had to play through him. I think that took something away from Justin Moore from time to time. That’s not to say he couldn’t mesh with Robinson-Earl, it’s just the reality of the situation, almost like where Jared Rhoden has come. Now it’s Jared Rhoden’s time to shine and I see that Villanova and Justin Moore as well.
And I think when you bring in multiple four-star recruits and one of the best recruiting classes in Villanova history, I love the mesh and the dynamic of fifth-year seniors ushering in freshmen. It's how you build a program. It's how Villanova keeps doing it. So, if these freshmen can give Villanova anything and I'm looking at Angelo Brizzi and Nnanna Njoku, a quality class, the fact that they have the luxury of working with a Collin Gillespie. And I think we saw Bryan Antoine start to break through and come out of his shell at the end of last season. He started to give Villanova some quality minutes. Remember, the plan was for Bryan Antoine to be the guy in waiting, the next great guard. It hasn’t fully happened, but he’s still at Villanova, he didn’t transfer, which says a lot to me.
They have the pieces again. I think the one flawed area is in the frontcourt. They're going to play five out, they’re going to play small. They're going to rely on Eric Dixon and Njoku to try to give them something down low but I think Villanova is flawed at the 5. So, that’s where I would be concerned, but I think this is clearly the best team in the Big East, and could very well be a team that goes 17-3 in the conference or somewhere around that. That’s how good I expect them to be.
