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No. 19 Villanova: Guards galore will carry 'Cats
Last Season: 22-13, 9-9 Big East
Postseason: Lost to Kansas, 72-57, in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament
Season Outlook
No one -- not even the eternal optimist Jay Wright -- expected the Villanova Wildcats to get to the Sweet 16 last season.
Goodman's Countdown
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| Who are the nation's best teams? We'll find out as the season starts this week. For now, here's Jeff Goodman's preseason Top 25 Countdown. Check our college basketball page for more features and news. |
Jeff Goodman's Top 25
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1. North Carolina Tar Heels
2. Michigan State Spartans
3. Louisville Cardinals
4. Gonzaga Bulldogs
5. Connecticut Huskies
6. Duke Blue Devils
7. UCLA Bruins
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
9. Pittsburgh Panthers
10. Purdue Boilermakers
11. Texas Longhorns
12. Georgetown Hoyas
13. Memphis Tigers
14. Tennessee Volunteers
15. Miami Hurricanes
16. Arizona State Sun Devils
17. Oklahoma Sooners
18. Marquette Golden Eagles
19. Villanova Wildcats
20. UNLV Runnin' Rebels
21. Florida Gators
22. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
23. USC Trojans
24. Wisconsin Badgers
25. Syracuse Orange
At one point after losing six of seven games in Big East play, it seemed far-fetched that 'Nova would even get into the NCAA tournament, never mind reel off postseason wins against Clemson and Siena.
Wright & Co. just barely got into the field and eventually fell to national champion Kansas, but there's plenty of optimism on the Main Line with the return of just about everyone of note.
The crew of talented guards is back. It may not be Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry and Mike Nardi, but the trio of Scottie Reynolds, Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes may not be all that far off, either.
Reynolds (15.9 ppg) has proven it over the last couple years while Fisher and Stokes have plenty of potential and had their moments as freshmen.
Wright has experience on the frontline with underrated senior big man Dante Cunningham (10.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and senior forward Shane Clark (7.1 ppg). Add in redshirt sophomore forward Antonio Pena and senior wing Dwayne Anderson and you've got a team with more than enough talent and depth.
However, the key to how far the team can advance this season depends on the maturity of Fisher and Stokes and also whether Clark, who struggled at times last season, can take the jump the staff expected from him a year ago.
The only loss among the top 10 players was when reserve guard Malcolm Grant decided to leave in search of more playing time at Miami.
'Nova has gone to four consecutive NCAA tournaments. Wright won't be quite as shocked this year when the Wildcats make it five in a row.
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