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Villanova basketball: 2019-20 season review and 2020-2021 first-look preview

By Mike Phillips

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats signals to his players during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on March 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 07: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats signals to his players during a college basketball game against the Georgetown Hoyas at the Capital One Arena on March 7, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /
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Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Collin Gillespie #2 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

How did Villanova do this season?

Judging Villanova’s season does require an interesting comparison exercise. The Wildcats were the 10th ranked team in preseason polls, which is indicative of a team that most experts felt could contend for a national championship.

If you look at where Villanova ended up, it is fair to say that while they had a very good season the Wildcats weren’t a popular choice to win the national championship. The media perception of the Villanova year would probably be a failure but Wright would probably view the year as a success.

Most of Wright’s best Villanova teams are laden with upperclassmen, which was not the case this year. The Wildcats’ best player was sophomore Bey while freshmen like Robinson-Earl and Moore filled key roles in the rotation.

The fact that this young group was able to not only gel quickly but win a share of the Big East title in the deepest edition of the league since it was reformed in 2013 is incredibly impressive. Wright deserves a ton of credit for turning this team into a winner but how far they would get in the NCAA Tournament was a valid question.

Villanova would have likely been a top-3 seed in March Madness and Wright’s experience in the tournament would have likely helped them get to the Sweet 16. A young team is inherently risky, however, and the odds are high that the Wildcats’ youth would prevent Villanova from making a really deep run.