Villanova MBB Figuring Out Lineups as High-Major Opponents Loom

Villanova rolled to their third straight Quadrant 4 win on Saturday, Nov. 14, pummeling the Rider Broncs 99-62 at home despite losing starting center Luigi Suigo and backup point guard Buddy Simmons II to injury.

For Wildcats (3-1) head coach Kevin Willard, the win over Rider was encouraging because of the way his players prepared: a critical step in the right direction as they prepare to face a pair of high-major NCAA Tournament hopefuls next week, traveling to face Pitt before hosting No. 20 William & Mary at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

“I think we locked in really well with really a big week ahead of us,” Willard said. “I thought the guys paid attention to the game plan and really did a good job of just staying locked in on what we had to do.”

Ten of the 14 players on Villanova’s roster are new faces, a fact of life in the transfer portal era. While early season buy games don’t give a full idea of how talented this Wildcats team is — their games against the Panthers and Wolverines will help clear that up — they provide a sort of feeling-out period as players learn to play together.

Backup center Nico Onyekwere played 24 minutes off the bench in Suigo’s absence, and Willard complimented the 7-foot-1 redshirt freshman for his continued development.

Putting the Pieces Together

“Nico continues to get better, he really does. He’s got a great work ethic, I think he’s starting to understand what his importance is right now at this stage of development for him to be effective,” Willard said. “But for him to be +29 is really, really encouraging, it really is. He’s doing a great job on drop defense, starting to understand screening a little bit better. He’s just making good strides.”

Starting point guard Elijah Crawford, similarly, is averaging just 6.3 points through four games. After playing in the Missouri Valley Conference last year, Crawford’s ability to adjust to high-major competition bears watching, especially because muted scoring output could allow opposing defenses to cheat toward other shooters. Willard described Crawford’s adjustment from UIC to the Main Line.

“This has been a huge adjustment for Elijah, because he was asked to score a lot at times. He’s out there with guys that need to get the basketball. I think he’s doing a really great job of balancing, trying to figure out ‘alright, when do I be aggressive to score, or when am I the guy that needs to find guys?’” Willard said. “I think he’s getting a little bit more comfortable: he’s working really hard on the defensive end too. He’s a naturally great passer in the pick and roll, he’s just trying to find his balance.”

Willard said that true freshman Adam Oumiddoch, averaging 10 points per game, is making the opposite realization.

“Adam, he’s never seen a shot he doesn’t like. I think part of his development is understanding that he’s out there with a lot of other good players,” Willard said. “And sometimes it’s young for a great scorer as he is to kind of understand at times to create for his teammates.”

Kwame Coming Around

Senior forward Kwame Evans Jr. made his first start of the season after dealing with an injury during Villanova’s exhibition games. While Suigo’s absence made it so the Wildcats didn’t have as many opportunities to play with three bigs on the court, a personnel grouping that could be critical to their success against high-major competition, Willard praised Evans for his defense as he shakes away offseason rust.

“I think defensively, he could be the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Because he’s so talented, he uses his length well. He’s really smart. We’ve just gotta get him game minutes. He’s doing stuff, turning the ball over, he won’t be doing in a month. He was out for a long time,” Willard said. “Just got to get the rhythm back in the game. He’s doing some good things and I think day to day, even in practice, we’re just seeing him kinda get back to being comfortable being on the floor again.”

Cornell transfer Jake Fiegen, third on the team in scoring with an average of 13.3 points per game, said that Villanova’s dominance down low because of players like Devin Royal, Evans and Suigo has played a major role in his 14-of-26 clip from beyond the arc.

“Definitely feel really confident right now, in a rhythm,” Fiegen said. “We have a lot of pressure on the rim, so it helps me get good open looks.”