Wildcats
Villanova Wildcats
General Information
Conference: Big East
NCAA Division: Division I
City: Villanova, PA
Stadium: William B. Finneran Pavilion, Wells Fargo Center
Championships
- National Championships: 3
- Conference Titles: 8
- NCAA Tournaments: 41 (1939, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1962, 1964, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Past Conferences:
- Eastern Athletic Association
- Eastern Collegiate Basketball League
- Independent
Villanova Wildcats Standings & Analysis
This college basketball team analysis breaks down the team stats that matter and provides insights into the Villanova Wildcats standings for this season, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. Whether you’re a seasoned sports analyst or just starting to follow college basketball, this section has something for everyone. Be sure to check the updated NCAAB injury report and the best team players.
All-Time Villanova Wildcats Stats & Records
Points Scored
- Kerry Kittles: 2,243
- Scottie Reynolds: 2,222
- Keith Herron: 2,170
Rebounds
- Howard Porter: 1,325
- Jim Washington: 1,194
- Ed Pinckney: 1,107
Assists
- Kenny Wilson: 627
- Stewart Granger: 595
- Alvin Williams: 553
Wins
- Jay Wright: 520
- Alex Severence: 413
- Rollie Massimino: 355
Overview of the Villanova Wildcats Standings
Last-Season Standings
The Villanova Wildcats basketball team had a successful 2021-2022 season, finishing with a 24-8 overall record and a 13-5 record in Big East play. The team started the season ranked in the top 10 and lived up to expectations with a string of early victories against quality opponents.
The Wildcats suffered a setback in early January with a loss to Marquette, but quickly bounced back with wins over Seton Hall and Xavier. Villanova Wildcats Standings remained strong throughout the season, with notable wins against Creighton, Providence, and St. John’s.
The team’s success was due in large part to the play of senior guard Collin Gillespie, who led the team in scoring with 16.1 points per game and was named to the All-Big East First Team. Gillespie was also a key facilitator for the team, averaging 4.5 assists per game.
Other key contributors for the Wildcats included junior forward Jermaine Samuels (12.5 points per game), sophomore guard Justin Moore (11.9 points per game), and senior forward Eric Dixon (8.7 points per game).
The Wildcats finished the NCAAB regular season ranked No. 12 in the nation and earned the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament. Despite a semifinal loss to UConn, Villanova Wildcats Standings remained strong, and the team earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 with wins over North Texas and Purdue.
In the Sweet 16, the Wildcats were matched up against top-seeded Baylor and fell in a hard-fought battle. Overall, the 2021-2022 season was a successful one for Villanova, with the team performing well against quality competition and earning a spot in the Sweet 16. Villanova Wildcats Standings were consistently high throughout the season, reflecting the team’s strong performance.
Before Betting on Villanova Wildcats, Check Out These Tips:
Keep an eye on injuries and suspensions
Injuries and suspensions can have a significant impact on a team’s performance, so it’s important to stay up-to-date on any news regarding Villanova players who may be out of action. This information can help you make more informed betting decisions.
Look for value
When placing a bet on Villanova, it’s important to look for value in the odds. Don’t just bet on the team because you’re a fan or because they’re favored to win. Look for opportunities where the odds don’t reflect the true likelihood of a Villanova victory.
Look at the team’s recent performance
Before placing a bet on the Villanova Wildcats, it’s important to look at their recent performance and assess their current form. Look at their win-loss record, their recent results, and their performances against top-quality opposition.
Assess the opponent
When betting on Villanova, it’s important to assess their opponents and determine their strengths and weaknesses. Look at the opposing team’s offensive and defensive stats, as well as their recent results, to get a sense of how they match up against Villanova.
Villanova Wildcats Basketball History
Overall
The Villanova name has been synonymous with success on the court for nearly a century. It won the first-ever NCAA Tournament game in 1939 under head coach Alex Severence.
Severance’s teams were up and down through the war years and into the late-1940s before he discovered an unknown talent playing in the school’s fieldhouse. That man, Paul Arazin, would go on to revolutionize the sport, as he is considered the inventor of the jump shot, and set numerous team records that would stand for decades.
Arazin guided the 1948-49 team back to the NCAA Tournament and the following season, as a senior, he led the nation in scoring for a team that went 25-4.
The program would only make four NCAA Tournament appearances in the first 18 years after Arazin left, although there were multiple NIT bids in the early 1960s. Things changed with the arrival of Howard Porter, a three-time All-America selection who helped make the program a national powerhouse.
As a senior, Porter averaged 23.5 points and 14.8 rebounds and guided the Wildcats to the national title game, where he scored 25 points in a loss to UCLA. Two years later, Villanova was a sub-.500 squad, but it would rise back to the top rather quickly under Rollie Massimino, who took over before the 1973-74 season.
First-Time Conference
Massimino’s fourth season, the 1976-77 campaign, saw Villanova join a conference for the first time (the ECBL, which would eventually become the Atlantic-10). The Wildcats won 23 games that season and again the following season when they’d race to the Elite Eight.
Villanova soon became a regular in NCAA Tournament play and gained even more national exposure with a move to the basketball-mad Big East in 1980-81, but almost nobody predicted what would take place in 1985 when Massimino authored perhaps the most shocking NCAA Tournament run in history.
After losing six of their last 11 regular-season games and getting bumped from the Big East tournament in the semifinals, NCAAB odds of a deep postseason run were not great. A two-point win over Dayton in the opening round didn’t generate much more confidence, but the trajectory changed with a stunning upset of top-seeded Michigan in the second round.
Wins over Maryland and then second-seeded North Carolina put the eighth-seeded Wildcats into the Final Four and helped them amass a legion of fans rooting for the Cinderella run to continue.
Memphis was no problem for Villanova in the national semifinals, but surely big, bad Georgetown, the defending champs with superstar center Patrick Ewing in the middle, would handle the upstart Wildcats.
With perhaps the finest shooting display the game has ever seen, Villanova outlasted the mighty Hoyas to become the only No. 8 seed to ever win the title. It made 22 of 28 shots and 22 of 27 free throws while limiting Ewing to 14 points.
Often called “The Perfect Game,” that contest -which took place in the first year that the tourney had expanded to 64 teams- made the Big Dance an even greater draw, and made Massimino and several of his players household names. Villanova Wildcats’ team stats displayed a formidable defensive unit that allowed 50 points per contest in the tourney.
Massimino made four more NCAA Tournaments in his final seven seasons at the helm and Steve Pappas had four of his own -as well as an NIT title in 1994- in his nine seasons on the Villanova sideline.
NCAA Tournament Every Year but One
Jay Wright, a one-time assistant under Massimino, was hired in 2001 and would quickly elevate the program back to powerhouse status. Beginning with the 2004-05 team, Wright’s Wildcats have made the NCAA Tournament every year but one, have been seeded first or second in the event eight times, and they won it in both 2016 and 2018.
The 2016 triumph was notable for its finish, as Kris Jenkins etched his name in college basketball lore with a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to defeat North Carolina in one of the best games in the event’s history.
It was a bit less dramatic in 2018, which saw the Wildcats defeat Michigan handily in the finals. Last season’s squad finished second in the Big East and made it to the Final Four before bowing out to eventual champion Kansas.
Betting tips suggest the Wildcats will be right back among the favorites in 2022-23.
Villanova Wildcats Basketball FAQs
What is the highest win total in Villanova Wildcats program history?
What was the worst season in Villanova Wildcats program history?
Who is the greatest player in Villanova Wildcats program history?
The most instrumental figure in the program was Paul Arazin, a local kid who starred for three teams with the Wildcats. He averaged 25.3 points for the 1949-50 team, leading the nation in that category and earning national player of the year honors.
Arazin was a standout for the Philadelphia Warriors for his entire NBA career, retiring with what was the highest scoring average in league history at the time (21.9). He was named to the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.