In the weeks and months leading up to the start of practices in October, we’ll take a look at some of the biggest teams, players and stories for the 2014-15 NCAA college basketball season. Each team has one burning question we’ll take a look at.
Doug McDermott. Creighton. Dougie McBuckets. The Blue Jays.
You couldn’t turn on a television or open up a website that covers college basketball and not see these words printed or spoken last season. McDermott was the nation’s leading scorer and his run to the fifth-most points in NCAA history was a great story. A senior, one that skipped the NBA to play more college ball (even giving up the final year of his scholarship for a teammate), returned to make waves and buckets. He captured the hearts of many, landed himself on the cover of Sports Illustrated, mimicking the legendary Larry Bird cover while he was at Indiana State and became a star.
While McDermott was the story for the Big East last season, Creighton was not the best team in the conference. That honor went to Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats, whose only two losses in conference play were to McDermott and the Blue Jays, losing both in blowout fashion.
Villanova flew under the radar for most of the season, playing as the understudy news piece in the conference. Forget that fact that the Wildcats knocked off a vaunted Kansas team in the Battle 4 Atlantis. Ignore the fact that Nova suffered five losses all season, one of the road at then-No.2 Syracuse, two to Creighton, once in the Big East Tournament and finally in the NCAA Tournament. Nobody seemed to care because of what was going on in Omaha, Nebraska. It was probably the first time anybody outside of the state cared what was going on there and Villanova suffered because of it.
This year, however, will not be the same story. McDermott has now graduated, to the delight of everybody in the country. They will no longer have to deal with him and Creighton is going to dramatically suffer because of his absence. McDermott’s absence opens the door for the Wildcats to reclaim the Big East spotlight, and maybe some national attention along the way.
One of the few original Big East teams left in the conference after massive realignments, Villanova sports one of the better returning groups in the country. Using a combination of timely outside shooting and a solid interior presence last season, the Wildcats should have a similar look this season.
The biggest loss from last season’s team will be shooting guard James Bell, who led the team in points with 14.4 per game while shooting 37 percent from three. While a good shooter, Bell would sometimes take Nova out of the flow of the game by jacking up unnecessary threes. Of his 373 field goal attempts last season, 229 of them came from beyond the arc. His absence, while important, can also be a bit helpful as it will allow the team to flow even more than last season.
Returning for the Wildcats will be two solid backcourt players, the first of which is Darrun Hilliard II. Hilliard was second on the team in scoring last season at 14.3 points per game. He also shot 41 percent from downtown, which was by far the best percentage on the team. With Hilliard will be Ryan Arcidiacono, a fun name to say as well as a fun player to watch. (Allow me to take this time to trademark #Arci3, because I’ll be using that a lot this year). Though he could stand to see his shooting percentage increase, Arcidiacono is a good floor leader that will take Villanova places this year.
Along with those two guards will be a returning JayVaughn Pinkston, who put up 14.1 points and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game last season. The 6’7″ forward isn’t the biggest guy, but his toughness is something that Nova thrives on. Junior Daniel Ochefu will help fill the gap in height that Pinkston leaves, as the 6’11” center returns after being a key contributor and the team’s leading shot blocker last season.
Look for Josh Hart to potentially join the starting rotation this year. As a freshman last season, Hart contributed 7.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year in 21 minutes per game. At 6’5″, he could be a nice piece to go along with Hilliard and Arcidiacono in the starting five.
Dylan Ennis and Kris Jenkins are two names to watch off the bench for the Wildcats. They combined for nine points and over three rebounds per game last season as role players. Their roles should be enhanced a bit this year.
Two freshmen are also in the mix for substantial playing time this year. Mikal Bridges, a 6’7″ small forward, should learn well from Hilliard this year and be a role player this year waiting to take the spotlight next season. Phil Booth, a 6’2″ point guard, could also see some time this year. He’ll be battling Hart for a sixth man role and maybe even a starting spot.
As for Villanova’s schedule, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Their biggest tests come by way of the Legends Classic as they’ll take on VCU in the first game and either Michigan or Oregon in the final game. Beating both VCU and Michigan would be huge boosts for the Wildcats early in the season. A quick two-day tournament for Nova could turn into a great starting point.
Nova also has some tests against solid mid-major teams such as Bucknell, Delaware and LaSalle. All three are very winnable games, though. Wright’s team shouldn’t have too many problems with them. However, their last big non-conference test will come against Syracuse, who will be visiting the Wildcats for the first time in the post-(real) Big East era.
During conference play, the Wildcats should be favored to win every game. There isn’t another team in the conference that has the experience and talent that Nova has headed into the 2014-15 season. A couple sneaky teams could be Marquette (sporting a new point guard, new leading scorer and new head coach), Butler (who should be able to right the wrongs of alst season) and Xavier. The Musketeers may just be the biggest threat to the Wildcats’ conference championship hopes. Despite losing Semaj Christon, Xavier has some solid talent returning, including Remy Abell, who’s ready to take over full-time point guard duties this season.
With their returning players and Creighton’s losses, Villanova should have no problem repeating as Big East champions. They have the coach, the depth and the schedule to have a stellar season, one that could see them challenge for a 1-seed in the 2015 NCAA Tournament. However, with their schedule being realtively soft and the Big East no longer having that “big fight” feel to it, a few slip ups and they could wind up with a lower seed than last season.
Nova has the chance to do it big this year. It’s just a matter of keeping their eyes on the prize. Do that and they’ll be set.