VU Hoops

*This is a developing story* Preseason Poll Connecticut - 98 (8) St. John’s - 90 (2) Villan0va - 81 Marquette - 73 (1) Providence - 59 Xavier - 54 Creighton - 47 DePaul - 32 Seton Hall - 31 Georgetown - 27 Butler - 13 All-Big East Teams First Team: Braylon Mullins - Connecticut Ian Jackson - St. John’s Tounde Yessoufou - St. John’s Nigel James Jr. - Marquette Tyler Perkins - Villanova Second Team: Na’Jai Hines - Connecticut Miles Byrd - Providence Devin Royal - Villanova Kwame Evans Jr. -...

Nova Nation will have lots of love for Buddy this year. It’s been awhile since Villanova had a player like Darryl Simmons II on its team. The 5’11” guard projects as an old-school “microwave” off of the bench who can come in and flip a game. For me, it’s been nearly two decades since a player like this has been on the team. Let’s go back in time to the 2007-2008 season. Does anyone remember December 6, 2007? The Wildcats hosted the LSU Tigers for the Big East/SEC Invitational.

Villanova’s new starting point guard is expected to be a table-setter as a junior. Kevin Willard was connected to a number of point guards during the transfer-portal process, but he landed on Elijah Crawford as his choice. This decision was made in large part due to three things: free-throw shooting, defense and pick-and-roll efficiency. Both Willard and CBS’ Jon Rothstein have spoken about these attributes on multiple occasions throughout the offseason.

2025-26 Season Recap: 30-7 record, 18-2 in conference play Finished in 1st place in the Big East Beat Connecticut in the Big East Tournament Championship Lost to Duke in the Sweet 16 Head Coach: Rick Pitino returns for his fourth season at the helm.

The four-star freshman hopes to be a regular contributor from day one. At one point in time, freshman guard Adam Oumiddoch was slated to become a rival with St. John’s. But now, having flipped his commitment to Villanova, the guard looks to be the next in line of Wildcat greats. In the time of Jay Wright, a player of Oumiddoch’s pedigree was the sweet spot for his recruiting. Most of the best players during that era were ranked anywhere from 40-90 in the national publications.

Former Villanova 5-star forward/wing — and Big East Freshman of the Year — Cam Whitmore is getting another shot in the NBA, this time with the Denver Nuggets. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news on Friday: Denver signed Whitmore to a one-year, two-way contract after the 22-year-old was traded from Washington to Cleveland in a five-team deal (which ironically involved the Nuggets) and was subsequently waived by the Cavaliers almost immediately.

The freshman point guard has an uphill climb for playing time in year one. Kevin Willard has strong ties to the Baltimore, MD area, and with the commitment of 2026 prospect Carter Fisk he dipped into that pool again. The 6’2” guard from St. Frances Academy is an unranked recruit, but one that Willard was near the front of the line to offer back in December. Fisk has been a late riser, who initially received offers from the likes of Albany, Morehead State, Binghampton and George Washington.

Kevin Willard needed all of one season to get Villanova men’s basketball back into the NCAA Tournament. Apparently, that was enough for expectations to change pretty quickly on the Main Line. Myron Medcalf of ESPN recently released his Big East ceiling and floor projections for the 2026-27 season, putting the Wildcats third in the conference behind only UConn and St. John’s — shocker. Medcalf sees 26 wins and a trip to the Round of 32 as Villanova’s ceiling.

As Jon Rothstein recently reported, Villanova will play Connecticut at home on Super Bowl Sunday (also known as Valentine’s Day this year). That will be the second time that the Wildcats play the Huskies in an 11-day span. Villanova will complete the series with Xavier in the first eight conference games. The first meeting with St. John’s doesn’t come until the 12th conference game.

When Kevin Willard’s transfer portal targets started to become known, there was one name that was at the front of the line for Villanova: Oregon’s Kwame Evans Jr. The portal officially opened on April 7, and just six days later Evans Jr. announced that he was committing to the Wildcats. The addition of Evans Jr. was just the beginning of a major roster overhaul, seeing ten new players added (with only four returning).