2017–18 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

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2017–18 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Villanova Wildcats logo.svg
Conference Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches #1
AP #2
2017–18 record 36–4 (14–4 Big East)
Head coach Jay Wright (17th year)
Assistant coach George Halcovage
Assistant coach Ashley Howard
Assistant coach Kyle Neptune
Home arena Wells Fargo Center
Seasons
« 2016–17 2018–19 »
2017–18 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
No. 3 Xavier 15 3   .833     29 6   .829
No. 2 Villanova 14 4   .778     36 4   .900
Seton Hall 10 8   .556     22 12   .647
Creighton 10 8   .556     21 12   .636
Providence 10 8   .556     21 14   .600
Butler 9 9   .500     21 14   .600
Marquette 9 9   .500     21 14   .600
Georgetown 5 13   .278     15 15   .500
St. John's 4 14   .222     16 17   .485
DePaul 4 14   .222     11 20   .355
2018 Big East Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017–18 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 17th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as members of the Big East Conference. The Wildcats finished the season 36–4, 14–4 in Big East play to finish in second place. They defeated Marquette,[1] Butler,[2] and Providence to win the Big East Tournament championship.[3] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the East region, their fourth consecutive No. 1 seed.[4] They defeated Radford,[5] Alabama,[6] West Virginia,[7] and Texas Tech to advance to the Final Four for the second time in three years.[8] In the National Semifinal, they defeated Kansas[9][10] before defeating Michigan in the National Championship game to win their second national championship in three years.[11][12] They won every game of the tournament by a double-digit margin and the team's tournament run has been called the best ever.[13]

The Wildcats home court, The Pavilion, underwent a temporary closure for a $60 million renovation project during the season.[14] It will reopen for the 2018–19 season with the new name of Finneran Pavilion after a Villanova alum who donated $22.6 million to Villanova.[15][16] Accordingly, all home games for the 2017–18 season but one were played at the Wells Fargo Center.[17] The exception was the November 29, 2017 game with Big 5 rival Penn; it was instead held at Jake Nevin Field House, which had been home to the team before the Pavilion's initial 1986 opening.[18]

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2016–17 season 32–4, 15–3 in Big East play to win the regular season championship. In the Big East Tournament, they defeated St. John's, Seton Hall, and Creighton to win the tournament championship.[19] As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats were given the Tournament's overall No. 1 seed as a No. 1 seed in the East region. In the First Round they defeated Mount St. Mary's before being upset by No. 8-seeded Wisconsin in the Second Round.[20][21] The loss marked the second time in the previous three tournaments that Villanova was upset by an eighth-seeded team.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Kris Jenkins 2 F 6'6" 235 SR Upper Marlboro, Maryland Graduated/NBA
Josh Hart 3 G 6'5" 215 SR Silver Spring, Maryland Graduated/NBA Draft

2017 recruiting class

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree
PF
Philadelphia, PA Neumann-Goretti High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Apr 5, 2016 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
Jermaine Samuels
SF
Franklin, MA The Rivers School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Aug 27, 2016 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 86
Collin Gillespie
PG
Warminster, PA Archbishop Wood Catholic High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jan 14, 2017 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 64
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

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Future recruits

2018 recruiting class

Preseason

In its annual preseason preview, Blue Ribbon Yearbook ranked the Wildcats No. 12 in the country.[22] Jalen Brunson was named a third team preseason All-American.[22]

Villanova was picked to win the Big East in the conference's preseason Coaches' Poll for the fourth consecutive year.[23] Jalen Brunson was named the unanimous preseason All-Big East player of the year.[24]

Roster

2017–18 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High school/previous college Home town
G 1 Jalen Brunson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Stevenson High School Lincolnshire, IL
G 2 Collin Gillespie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Archbishop Wood Warminster, PA
F 4 Eric Paschall 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) RS Jr Fordham Dobbs Ferry, NY
G 5 Phil Booth 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Mount Saint Joseph High School Baltimore, MD
G 10 Donte DiVincenzo 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Salesianum School Wilmington, DE
F 14 Omari Spellman 6 ft 9.5 in (2.07 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Fr St. Thomas More School (CT) North Royalton, OH
F 21 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Fr Neumann–Goretti Philadelphia, PA
G 22 Peyton Heck 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Archmere Academy Wilmington, DE
F 23 Jermaine Samuels 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr The Rivers School Franklin, MA
F 24 Tom Leibig 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Haverford High School Havertown, PA
G/F 25 Mikal Bridges 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Great Valley High School Malvern, PA
F 34 Tim Delaney 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS So Blair Academy Mullica Hill, NJ
G 35 Matt Kennedy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Flint Hill School Fairfax, VA
G 40 Denny Grace 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Calvert Hall College High School Catonsville, MD
F 42 Dylan Painter 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) So Hershey High School Hershey, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
Time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
City, State
Exhibition
November 1, 2017*
8:30 pm
#6 Drexel
Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Exhibition
W 87–68 
 16  Brunson   12  Spellman   6  Brunson  Jake Nevin Field House 
Villanova, PA
Regular season
November 10, 2017*
8:30 pm, FS2
#6 Columbia W 75–60  1–0
 15  Paschall   11  Spellman   3  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (10,504)
Philadelphia, PA
November 14, 2017*
6:30 pm, FS1
#5 Nicholls State
Battle 4 Atlantis Mainland game
W 113–77  2–0
 23  Bridges   6  4 tied   5  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (8,517)
Philadelphia, PA
November 17, 2017*
8:00 pm, FS2
#5 vs. Lafayette
Allentown Showcase
W 104–57  3–0
 24  Bridges   9  Spellman   6  Brunson  PPL Center (6,652)
Allentown, PA
November 22, 2017*
2:30 pm, ESPN2
#5 vs. Western Kentucky
Battle 4 Atlantis quarterfinals
W 66–58  4–0
 18  Brunson   8  2 Tied   3  3 Tied  Imperial Arena (1,199)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 23, 2017*
12:30 pm, ESPN
#5 vs. Tennessee
Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals
W 85–76  5–0
 25  Brunson   6  Paschall   6  Brunson  Imperial Arena (2,102)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 24, 2017*
12:00 pm, ESPN2
#5 vs. Northern Iowa
Battle 4 Atlantis championship
W 64–50  6–0
 18  Bridges   7  Bridges   4  Brunson  Imperial Arena (2,831)
Nassau, Bahamas
November 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS2
#4 Penn
Big 5
W 90–62  7–0
 17  Brunson   7  2 Tied   4  2 Tied  Jake Nevin Field House (2,200)
Villanova, PA
December 2, 2017*
5:30 pm, ESPN2
#4 at Saint Joseph's
Big 5/Holy War
W 94–53  8–0
 18  Bridges   11  Spellman   6  Tied  Hagan Arena (4,200)
Philadelphia, PA
December 5, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN
#4 vs. #12 Gonzaga
Jimmy V Classic
W 88–72  9–0
 28  Bridges   8  Spellman   3  Tied  Madison Square Garden (17,532)
New York, NY
December 10, 2017*
1:00 pm, FS1
#4 La Salle
Big 5
W 77–68  10–0
 18  Tied   8  Bridges   7  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (10,611)
Philadelphia, PA
December 13, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN2
#1 at Temple
Big 5
W 87–67  11–0
 31  Brunson   8  Spellman   5  Brunson  Liacouras Center (10,206)
Philadelphia, PA
December 22, 2017*
8:30 pm, FS1
#1 vs. Hofstra
Long Island Showcase
W 95–71  12–0
 20  Bridges   10  Spellman   7  Brunson  Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (7,892)
Uniondale, NY
December 27, 2017
7:30 pm, CBSSN
#1 at DePaul W 103–85  13–0
(1–0)
 20  Bridges   12  Spellman   6  Booth  Wintrust Arena (8,323)
Chicago, IL
December 30, 2017
4:00 pm, CBS
#1 at Butler L 93–101  13–1
(1–1)
 31  Brunson   9  Spellman   5  Brunson  Hinkle Fieldhouse (9,244)
Indianapolis, IN
January 6, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1
#3 Marquette W 100–90  14–1
(2–1)
 27  Brunson   7  Bridges   8  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (14,210)
Philadelphia, PA
January 10, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1
#1 #10 Xavier W 89–65  15–1
(3–1)
 21  Booth   9  Bridges   5  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (12,765)
Philadelphia, PA
January 13, 2018
8:00 pm, FBN
#1 at St. John's W 78–71  16–1
(4–1)
 25  DiVincenzo   11  Bridges   5  Brunson  Madison Square Garden (17,123)
New York, NY
January 17, 2018
6:30 pm, FS1
#1 at Georgetown W 88–56  17–1
(5–1)
 18  Brunson   7  DiVincenzo   7  Brunson  Capital One Arena (11,905)
Washington, DC
January 20, 2018*
12:00 pm, CBS
#1 at Connecticut W 81–61  18–1
 23  Brunson   12  Spellman   6  Booth  XL Center (15,564)
Hartford, CT
January 23, 2018
6:30 pm, FS1
#1 Providence W 89–69  19–1
(6–1)
 17  Paschall   9  Bridges   5  Paschall  Wells Fargo Center (8,595)
Philadelphia, PA
January 28, 2018
1:00 pm, FOX
#1 at Marquette W 85–82  20–1
(7–1)
 31  Brunson   9  Paschall   2  Tied  BMO Harris Bradley Center (17,120)
Milwaukee, WI
February 1, 2018
12:00 pm, FS1
#1 Creighton W 98–78  21–1
(8–1)
 21  Bridges   8  Paschall   5  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (10,225)
Philadelphia, PA
February 4, 2018
12:00 pm, FOX
#1 Seton Hall W 92–76  22–1
(9–1)
 26  Spellman   11  Spellman   7  DiVincenzo  Wells Fargo Center (16,115)
Philadelphia, PA
February 7, 2018
7:00 pm, CBSSN
#1 St. John's L 75–79  22–2
(9–2)
 28  Brunson   12  Spellman   3  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (10,900)
Philadelphia, PA
February 10, 2018
12:00 pm, FOX
#1 Butler W 86–75  23–2
(10–2)
 30  DiVincenzo   11  Spellman   5  Bridges  Wells Fargo Center (20,603)
Philadelphia, PA
February 14, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1
#3 at Providence L 71–76  23–3
(10–3)
 19  Bridges   9  Spellman   5  Brunson  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,887)
Providence, RI
February 17, 2018
4:30 pm, FOX
#3 at #4 Xavier W 95–79  24–3
(11–3)
 25  Bridges   9  DiVincenzo   9  DiVincenzo  Cintas Center (10,777)
Cincinnati, OH
February 21, 2018
8:30 pm, FS1
#3 DePaul W 93–62  25–3
(12–3)
 27  Bridges   7  Spellman   7  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (10,007)
Philadelphia, PA
February 24, 2018
2:30 pm, FOX
#3 at Creighton L 83–89  25–4
(12–4)
 22  Brunson   10  Spellman   5  Brunson  CenturyLink Center (18,321)
Omaha, NE
February 28, 2018
8:30 pm, FS1
#4 at Seton Hall W 69–68 OT 26–4
(13–4)
 23  Bridges   14  Spellman   5  DiVincenzo  Prudential Center (13,711)
Newark, NJ
March 3, 2018
5:00 pm, FOX
#4 Georgetown W 97–73  27–4
(14–4)
 24  Bridges   6  Tied   7  Brunson  Wells Fargo Center (18,523)
Philadelphia, PA
Big East Tournament
March 8, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1
(2) #2 vs. (7) Marquette
Quarterfinals
W 94–70  28–4
 25  Bridges   8  Bridges   4  Bridges  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
March 9, 2018
10:00 pm, FS1
(3) #3 vs. (6) Butler
Semifinals
W 87–68  29–4
 18  Bridges   12  Spellman   6  DiVincenzo  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
March 9, 2018
6:30 pm, FOX
(3) #3 vs. (5) Providence
Championship
W 76–66 OT 30–4
 31  Brunson   13  Paschall   4  Brunson  Madison Square Garden (19,812)
New York, NY
NCAA Tournament
March 15, 2018*
6:50 pm, TNT
(1 E) #2 vs. (16 E) Radford
First Round
W 87–61  31–4
 16  Brunson   7  Spellman   8  DiVincenzo  PPG Paints Arena (18,715)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 17, 2018*
12:10 pm, CBS
(1 E) #2 vs. (9 E) Alabama
Second Round
W 81–58  32–4
 23  Bridges   8  Spellman   5  DiVincenzo  PPG Paints Arena (19,015)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 23, 2018*
7:27 pm, TBS
(1 E) #2 vs. (5 E) #15 West Virginia
Sweet Sixteen
W 90–78  33–4
 27  Brunson   8  Spellman   4  Tied  TD Garden (19,055)
Boston, MA
March 25, 2018*
2:20 pm, CBS
(1 E) #2 vs. (3 E) #14 Texas Tech
Elite Eight
W 71–59  34–4
 15  Brunson   14  Paschall   4  Brunson  TD Garden (19,169)
Boston, MA
March 31, 2018*
7:49 pm, TBS
(1 E) #2 vs. (1 MW) #4 Kansas
Final Four
W 95–79  35–4
 24  Paschall   13  Spellman   6  2 tied  Alamodome (68,257)
San Antonio, TX
April 2, 2018*
9:20 pm, TBS
(1 E) #2 vs. (3 W) #7 Michigan
National Championship
W 79–62  36–4
 31  DiVincenzo   11  Spellman   3  DiVincenzo  Alamodome (67,831)
San Antonio, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East MW=Midwest.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Final 
AP 6 5 5 4 4 1 (41) 1 (45) 1 (43) 3 (1) 1 (25) 1 (63) 1 (63) 1 (47) 1 (48) 3 (9) 3 (4) 4 2 2 Not released 
Coaches 6 6^ 3 (1) 4 4 1 (22) 1 (26) 1 (27) 3 (1) 1 (27) 1 (31) 1 (31) 1 (22) 1 (22) 2 (8) 3 (4) 5 3 2 1 (32)

^Coaches Poll did not release a Week 2 poll at the same time AP did.
*AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings

References

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