Villanova basketball at a glance
Coach: Jay Wright (178-90 in 8 seasons at school, 300-175 in 15 seasons overall).
Last season: 30-8 (13-5 Big East)
Postseason: Lost in national semifinals of NCAA Tournament to North Carolina, 83-69.
Last league title: 1995 (Won the regular season in 2006)
Last NCAA berth: 2009
PROJECTED STARTERS
F Antonio Pena, Jr. 5.1 pts. 4.2 reb.
F Mouphtaou Yarou, Fr. *20.0 12.0
G Scottie Reynolds, Sr. 15.2 2.9
G Corey Fisher, Jr. 10.8 2.3
G Corey Stokes, Jr. 9.3 3.4
KEY RESERVES
G Reggie Redding, Sr. *7.1 pts. 4.9 reb.
F Taylor King, So. *5.5 2.0
G Dominic Cheek, Fr. *14.2 9.0
G Maalik Wayns, Fr. *19.2 5.1
*Notes: Yarou, Cheek and Wayns statistics are high school; King's statistics are from Duke (2007-08); Redding is ineligible for the first 10 games.
It all comes down to ... Can this group survive the loss of the leadership core, while facing even more big-time expectations? There's obviously a bunch of talent to work with. Now it's up to the upperclassmen to assume ownership and incorporate the new guys into a cohesive entity. It's a process. Nobody gets that more than the coach. This is about being all you can be come March.
Shouldering the load: Scottie Reynolds doesn't do it all by himself. But most of the time, he's the first place to look. It'll be interesting to see how much better he can still be, if other guys can provide viable options at the offensive end.
Number to watch: 10. That's the number of games Reggie Redding is going to miss before he can return from his university suspension. He makes a difference, in ways both large and subtle. The Wildcats won't begin to be complete until he's at least most of the way back.
