Villanova Preview: Chance to Find Footing Against Holy Cross

Villanova Men’s Basketball will return to action at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, hosting Holy Cross in their first home game of the 2026-27 season. The Wildcats (0-1) suffered an upset loss in Rome, Italy to open the season, struggling with turnovers and fouls as they blew a 10-point second half lead to Notre Dame.

Holy Cross (0-1) suffered a 103-59 loss at Rhode Island to start the season; as such, Villanova enters as an overwhelming favorite, winning in 99 percent of game simulations run by ESPN Analytics. The Crusaders rank No. 362 of the 365 teams in college basketball according to Kenpom, making this a likely Quadrant 4 matchup for Villanova once the NET rankings drop in December; Villanova sits at No. 38.

ESPN+ holds the broadcasting rights to this matchup.

Scouting the Crusaders

Holy Cross went with a starting lineup of forwards Jude Haigh (6-foot-6), Aidan Richard (6-foot-7), Chuck Hare (6-foot-11) and guards Tristen Wilson (6-foot-3) and Kole Hanson (6-foot-2) in their season opener. Given the lopsided score, their bench also got plenty of minutes.

Haigh, a sophomore who came off the bench for the Crusaders last season, put up six points and two rebounds in 19 minutes played, making two of five three-point shots. Richard, a junior, is a returning starter who averaged 5.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game last season, taking over half his shots from three-point range but converting on just 22.3 percent of them. Given his familiarity in head coach Dave Paulsen’s system, he could take on a major role for the Crusaders this year.

Hare is another returning Crusader who served as a reserve last year. He put up 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes against Rhode Island, taking all of his shots from inside the arc. After putting up a near double-double, his ability to compete with Villanova big men Luigi Suigo and Kwame Evans Jr. could prove pivotal.

Wilson, a freshman, put up nine points and two rebounds in the season opener, committing four fouls as he adjusted to the speed of Division I. Hanson, a junior, played the last two seasons in Division II with Minnesota Duluth, starting 18 games and averaging 14.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. He posted 11 points and five assists against Rhode Island, but point guard remains a major question for Holy Cross.

Scouting Villanova

Head coach Kevin Willard tinkered with his starting lineup against Notre Dame, trotting out Buddy Simmons II, Tyler Perkins, Jake Fiegen, Devin Royal and Luigi Suigo. Elijah Crawford (12 points, five assists, three steals and four turnovers) ended up getting more minutes at point guard than Simmons (five points, three assists, two turnovers), while Evans is a solid bet to enter the starting lineup after missing the preseason with a lower body injury. 

He didn’t look like himself against the Fighting Irish, but the chance to get his feet under him — and close to another week to recover — should help him improve on a seven point, seven rebound, two block performance that also included five turnovers. Perkins (18 points) and Fiegen (11 points, including three of seven made three-pointers) were two of the Wildcats’ most consistent scorers; Fiegen might come off the bench if Evans is fully ready to go.

Suigo, a 7-foot-3 center from Milan, Italy, struggled in his college debut, racking up seven points and five rebounds in 24 minutes while committing a trio of turnovers. A team like Holy Cross — and the lack of pressure of playing in his home country — could help Suigo adjust to the speed of Division I.

Royal, the star of Villanova’s preseason, had a quiet game against Notre Dame, scoring all five of his points at the charity stripe and adding eight rebounds to three turnovers. Center Niko Onyekwere could see some minutes after being unable to travel with the team to Rome because of a visa issue; freshman guard Adam Oumiddoch was the only other Wildcat to earn minutes in the season opener, giving them a jolt with seven points in nine minutes off the bench.