The Revamped Villanova Wildcats Boast Greater Depth In 2026-27

In his first year at Villanova, Head Coach Kevin Willard went 24-9 and led the Wildcats back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since Jay Wright’s final season in 2022. Nova finished third in the Big East last year. Even so, they were well behind back-to-back champion St. John’s and the since-retooled UConn Huskies. Willard looked to build more depth this offseason to try to close that gap. The Wildcats used a seven-man rotation last season, with the eighth spot rotating among several players. One game into the season, here’s how the new-look Wildcats stack up.

Departing Players

Nov 1, 2026; Rome, Italy; Villanova Wildcats head coach Kevin Willard reacts on the sideline during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Palazzo dello Sport. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Willard lost 10 players from last year, and nine of them left through the transfer portal. Of the seven-man rotation, five are gone, and all of the players who rotated in the eighth spot left. The biggest loss for the Wildcats was superstar freshman point guard Acaden Lewis. Lewis came to Villanova as a top-50 recruit and did not disappoint; he was named to the All-Big East Freshman team and to the All-Big East second team. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.3 assists per game and started all 33 of Nova’s games last season. Lewis tested the waters in the NBA draft, then returned to college and transferred to Miami.

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Willard was also tasked with replacing double-double machine and starting center Duke Brennan, who was named to the All-Big East third team and averaged 12.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Brennan graduated, then received a preliminary injunction granting him another year and transferred to Oklahoma. Bryce Lindsay was the remaining Wildcat starter who transferred; he averaged 12.3 points per game and is now at Indiana.

The other two consistent rotation players who will not be at Villanova this year are Devin Askew, who exhausted his eligibility, and Malachi…

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Publish date : 2026-11-02 21:18:00

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