After spending the summer accepting congratulations on Villanova's trip to the 2009 NCAA Final Four, and hearing how many people assume that momentum will carry into this season, Scottie Reynolds offered a prudent thought.

"We can't worry about last year," said the senior guard, who serves as the Wildcats' leader, spokesman, and conscience.

"The only thing we can do is remind ourselves where we started and where we ended up. That's what we're going to try and do this year. It's not where we start; it's where we finish. If we can keep that mind-set of trying to get better each game, anything is possible."

As Villanova's Friday opener approaches, the expectations for the team are off the charts given last season's run and a star-studded recruiting class. The Wildcats are in the top 10 of almost every published preseason poll and picked to finish first in the rugged Big East.

After a flirtation with the NBA draft, Reynolds is back to provide scoring and direction, on and off the court. A group of solid veterans is joined by a top class of freshmen led by a pair of McDonald's all-Americans: guards Maalik Wayns of Roman Catholic and Dominic Cheek of St. Anthony in New Jersey.

For Villanova coach Jay Wright, the task is to prepare for this season as the team has for any other, regardless of how highly regarded the prospects are.

"How do we handle it? We've got to do what we always do," said Wright, entering his ninth season on the Main Line. "It sounds boring, but we've got to understand that this is a new team. This isn't the team that went to the Final Four. That's not a bad thing, but this team has to prove themselves.

"This team has to make its own name. It's going to have a unique journey that that team didn't have. It may be better. It may be worse. We've got to enjoy that journey."

The hallmarks of last year's team - toughness, defense, and rebounding - took a hit with the departures of senior forwards Dante Cunningham, Dwayne Anderson, and Shane Clark. Early in the preseason, Wright quipped, "I miss them a lot already."

The gap they left is huge. Wright will call on two big men who will play regularly, 6-foot-8 junior Antonio Pena and 6-10 freshman Mouphtaou Yarou (20 points, 12 rebounds last season at Montrose Christian School), to help fill it.

Wright plans to play four guards occasionally with either Pena or Yarou and expects them to stick their bodies into tough situations defensively and under the boards.

The older guards, juniors Corey Fisher, last season's Big East sixth man of the year, and Corey Stokes, must stand out right away, especially given the suspension of senior Reggie Redding for the first semester. Redding will miss 10 games for violating university policy after being charged in the summer with possession of drug paraphernalia on the Villanova campus.

"It's going to be tough, but in a way it will be good because the younger guys can step up," Reynolds said. "Then when Reggie comes back, it's like getting someone in a trade in the middle of the year. Our job is to get to that point."

Wayns and Cheek will have opportunities for playing time if they can show Wright some ability on defense. The same goes for 6-7 freshman forward Isaiah Armwood, a high school teammate of Yarou's.

An X-factor on the inside could be 6-6 forward Taylor King, a transfer from Duke who sat out last season. King went 4 for 4 on three-point baskets in the Wildcats' exhibition game against Kutztown, but he also showed he could play closer to the hoop.

"He can be a calming influence because he can play [power forward] and he can handle the ball well and pass it," Wright said. "He also can rebound, and he's got to keep getting better at that."

While there is talent, there's also youth. There is quickness, but not the size that brought Villanova success last season. Amid the transition, the Wildcats say they won't let the glare of the spotlight faze them.

"If we can just fight human nature," Reynolds said, "and stay humble and hungry and focus on the little things that will create big opportunities for us, I think everything will work out."

College Basketball Preview Week

Today: Villanova

Tomorrow: Temple

Wednesday: St. Joseph's

Thursday: La Salle

Friday: Penn and Drexel

Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com.