It’s redemption time in Villanova. The Wildcats are ready to make amends for an underwhelming 17-17 campaign in the previous term. The Wildcats missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 as a result.
They returned the major stars and addressed the biggest issues with a promising transfer portal to create a roster very much capable of taking Villanova back to the Final Four.
It is a powerful statement, especially considering how stacked the Big East is this season, but these Wildcats are among the Top 25 teams in the nation. If coach Kyle Neptune finds a winning formula and if the acquisitions click with the experienced returners, the ceiling is very high.
Let’s see what Villanova has on their 2023/24 roster and whether they bring some worthy longshots from the college basketball futures markets.
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What Happened Last Year?
A 17-17 record is well below par for a team that reached the Final Four in three of the last eight seasons. What went wrong? Offense. The Wildcats struggled badly to find buckets when it mattered most last year and the lack of decent offensive production caused a significant portion of these 17 defeats.
An average of 69.6 points per game was only the eighth-best in the Big East while the 33.4% shooting from downtown placed Villanova seventh in the conference in this department. In Neptune’s defense, a lot of the offensive troubles came because of Justin Moore’s absence. Achilles injury kept the team’s key scorer sidelined at the start of the season as Moore played only 13 of the team’s 34 outings last year.
That said, the fans could still find a silver lining in such a subpar campaign. It came as Eric Dixon who has established himself as one of the very best bigs in the conference last year with 15.4 points per game.
Also, Neptune can be thrilled with the fact that his team had more assists (377) than turnovers (343) in all this offensive negativity last time around. These are some solid foundations ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, which should bring much more joy to the Wildcats’ fans according to all relevant parameters.
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Dixon and Moore Return, Transfers Address the Offensive Woes
Villanova enters the new season with sky-high ambitions and for a good reason. They have the core 1-2 punch ready as Moore returns for his graduate year to play alongside last season’s top scorer Dixon. Veterans Chris Arcidiacono and Jordan Longino will offer much-needed experience from the bench while sophomore point guard Mark Armstrong is set to explode after a decent freshman season.
Aiming to increase the offensive production and make Villanova competitive in the Big East again, Kyle Neptune has added three superb scorers to the roster. TJ Bamba has arrived from Washington State where he averaged 15.8 points last season. His ability to create his shots and actually score (37.2% from downtown last year) should be a big difference-maker for Neptune and his team this year.
Moving forward, the Wildcats will be stronger for graduate Tyler Burton, who will seek glory in his final year in college basketball after topping Richmond’s scoring and rebounding charts last time out. Burton averaged 19 points and 7.6 boards last year in Richmond’s shirt. His efficiency (69% shooting at the rim) and presence on both ends of the floor will represent a big threat to Villanova’s Big East rivals.
Hakim Hart will add depth to this team after a strong year in Maryland, while Lance Ware will represent a perfect backup for Dixon under the rim. To sum it all up, this roster looks beyond promising and we would be hesitant to bet against Villanova on any night, regardless of the opposition.
Top Prediction: Villanova Wildcats to Reach the Final Four (+800) with DraftKings
Several markets from the NCAA basketball futures lists look interesting from Villanova’s perspective. The BetMGM sports app, our pick among the best US sportsbooks, has the Wildcats at +3500 to win the NCAA Tournament. It might be a stretch with all the talent present in other teams around the country, but we would by no means exclude it as a option. This team has enough weapons to compete on both ends of the floor and if you feel it, we can’t blame you for taking such lucrative odds.
We will, however, be more conservative and select the Wildcats to reach the Final Four as our go-to option at the +800 price tag with DraftKings sportsbook. Neptune may struggle to bed in all the new arrivals early in the campaign, but once he does so (and he should eventually given the talent at disposal), this Villanova team will be dangerous. If they gain momentum in March, you are suddenly laughing as a couple of marquee wins in crunch time would land such big odds.
