Nova Report: #22 Villanova vs American 7:30 eastern, at Villanova; Nova-21.5/134.5
Last season the Wildcats underachieved their preseason ranking as they had injuries to their top two players. When they were finished at 17-17, they didn’t have enough good shooters, defense was inconsistent and their bench was thin. This year, they have a deep bench thanks to 4 players from the portal, they have more shooters and, reportedly, they are ahead of the curve defensively.
American was 17-15 last year and is picked third in the Patriot League this season. 4 of their top 5 scorers are back including Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, 6’9” Matt Rogers. They have a new Coach who is likely to play a deliberate style. He will get his team to cut down on turnovers and defend the 3 better.
On the Wildcat side, we know Justin Moore and Eric Dixon will start. After that, we’ll likely see Coach Neptune mix and match players. The portal players: Bomba (Wash St), Burton (Richmond), Ware (Kentucky) and Hart (Maryland) can all contribute offensively from day one. It’s always tougher to learn the Cat’s defensive schemes.
Neptune will be more interested in lineups than running up the score. American is likely to play deliberately and take care of the ball. Expect the Cats to win somewhere in the 15 point range.
My Pick: American +21.5