Is Villanova the best team in the nation?
By Zac Voynow
Is Villanova the best team in the country? With every player who returned being better than before, our answer is an easy one.
Villanova has it all.
Jalen Brunson is an All-American point guard who runs the show and is a role model for other Villanova players. The junior guard is a coach’s dream. The words unselfish, fundamental, and leader come to mind when I found myself attempting to describe Villanova’s star guard.
Brunson has fantastic body control when driving to the rim, and he finishes through contact as well as any guard in the country. He can step out and hit the three-pointers consistently as well. However, his best attribute might be his leadership. Brunson is like having Jay Wright out there on the court in the form of a point guard and team leader.
When it’s time for March Madness, the key to being successful is great guard play and coaching. Clearly, Villanova doesn’t lack an experienced point guard, but the key for this team is how the role players will perform in March.
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The development of role players is what makes Wright an elite college basketball coach, as well as the way they’re utilized. Every player on the Villanova roster has gotten better (by leaps and bounds) since the day they arrived on campus.
Mikal Bridges is a fantastic two-way winger who defends at the highest level and has become a great scorer who’s almost impossible to stop. He’s shooting above 50-percent from three-point range this season and has learned how to attack the rim with aggression.
Donte DiVincenzo, a redshirt Sophomore, has great energy on both ends of the court and is the future Villanova star in waiting.
Eric Paschall, a Fordham transfer is the ultimate glue guy. He’s an extremely versatile defender who uses his wide frame, active hands, and improved footwork to guard any position on the court. Offensively, Paschall is a good finisher around the rim and can also step out and hit the three ball.
Phil Booth is not only back, but he’s better than ever. He’s flirting with 50-percent from three-point range, and he continues to be a quality combo guard who scores efficiently and exposes most teams weak second unit guards.
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The biggest question mark coming into the season was redshirt freshman Omari Spellman. Spellman has good size at 6-foot-9, 245 pounds. He’s a good rebounder and rim protector defensive, but his offensive versatility is what has people talking. Not only did he improve his overall game during his redshirt season last year, but he also learned how to shoot threes. Not only can he step outside and knock it down, he’s in the debate for being the best shooter on the team. Spellman is connecting on more than 50-percent of his three-point attempts approximately halfway through this season. Watch below has Spellman consistently hits contested threes in a Big 5 game at Temple.
Villanova arguably has the most complete team in college basketball. It’s not a coincidence, and it’s not from a star-studded lineup full of high profile recruits. It’s from coaching a system that will continue to work as long as the players buy into it.
Why wouldn’t they?
The 2016 National Championship showed the world that Wright’s system works, but the players have known since the day they stepped foot on campus. When every player on the team gets significantly better from season to season, it’s remarkable.
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Let the haters keep talking, but Villanova is quietly having one of the best seasons in school history, which is something we seem to say more and more as Coach Wright develops his players. Sophomore DiVincenzo and Freshman Spellman will be players to build around in the coming years. Villanova has that Spurs-style next man up mentality. Do you want to see what a perfectly balanced team, who has developed every player in the rotation to their potential look like? Just watch Villanova. After all, Villanova is the best top to bottom team in the nation.