Villanova listed as a “program on the rise” by Jon Rothstein

Villanova, along with USC, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma State, was brought up as a “program on the rise” by CBS’ Jon Rothstein on his podcast on Tuesday.

The whole podcast is worth a listen, but we will focus on Villanova here of course and summarize the points that were made on Kevin Willard’s squad.

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In his interview with Rothstein earlier in the offseason, Willard spoke about the need to upgrade the size and physicality of the roster. The games against Michigan, St. John’s and Connecticut highlighted the deficiencies that the roster had in that department. Fast forward to the offseason, where Willard brought in three frontcourt players and retained Matt Hodge.

Luigi Suigo makes his “highly anticipated” way to the Main Line from Italy, due to his “size and skill.”

Devin Royal is a “proven” player in the Big 10 over multiple seasons.

Kwame Evans Jr. is “lanky” and “skilled,” and Rothstein anticipates him being used in a similar fashion to how Willard utilized Julian Reese at Maryland.

The Reese note is interesting, as he was used next to freshman phenom Derik Queen in his final season with the Terrapins. Evans Jr. will start next to Suigo, but there will be plenty of situations where he’s the center as well. That versatility provides Willard with something he simply did not have a year ago.

Villanova has been “synonymous” with guard play over the past 25 years, but they will now win with “power.” Rothstein noted that Villanova decided to allocate its resources elsewhere rather than bring back Acaden Lewis, who transferred to Miami to play for Jai Lucas. Those resources presumably went to the aforementioned frontcourt players. With that comes a (mostly) new backcourt, minus the return of “All Big-East candidate” Tyler Perkins, who Rothstein expects to “anchor” the team.

Elijah Crawford, Darryl Simmons II and Jake Fiegen will round out the new backcourt for the Wildcats. Rothstein implied that he has concerns about the group, pointing out where they all transferred…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/villanova-listed-program-rise-jon-160513706.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-09 16:05:00

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