FanPost

2014-2015 Villanova Wildcats

The Villanova basketball season officially gets underway when the Cats take on the Lehigh Mountain Hawks on Friday Nov 14th. Jay Wright's squad had the luxury to play in 2 exhibition games (Northwood & Nyack) which gave the team some live game action before the regular season even started.

Now they get to take on a Lehigh squad who finished 14-18 (7-11) last year in the Patriot League. The Mountain Hawks return all 5 starters from a year ago. They are led by the duo of C Tim Kempton and G Mackey McKnight.

Things to Watch For.

Darrun Hilliard

It is so hard to analyze a player specifically , such as Darrun Hilliard, when a nationally ranked team takes on a team with sub-par talent. Like when Villanova took on Northwood and Nyack, Hilliard looked like a player who is going to be the best player on the floor a lot this season. It looked as if he has taken yet another step in his game.

In the "off season", the 6'6 G attended the Lebron James and Kevin Durant skill camps, where only a few selected college athletes were allowed to attend. Those types of things can only help a player improve.

Motivation, perhaps, another factor in his continued progression.

When Hilliard, and his other 3 teammates traveled to Madison Square Garden for Media Day, there was no doubt in his mind that he would be voted for Big East Preseason Player of the Year. That wasn't the case, instead, Georgetown's D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera received the most votes. Hilliard heavily disagreed with the committee.

"I think that's wrong. I don't think it's right at all," Hilliard said turning a scowl when asked about if he was snubbed for the preseason award on Wednesday morning. "I know a lot of people know that and I'm glad my teammates feel that way and I feel that way honestly."

Preseason rankings only mean so much. Like Daniel Ochefu said, "It's all about what happens when the lights come on."

Hilliard, time after time, has proven scouts, and even coaches wrong. A 3 star Guard out of Bethleham, PA was not heavily recruited coming out of high school, but luckily found a niche with Villanova. He has always felt he has been undervalued and this is another example. Not only is he one of the best players in the Big East, but one of the best in the country and people will start to recognize that.

Expect Hilliard to play with a continued chip on his shoulder this season.

Freshman Impact

Incoming Freshman Phil Booth and Mikal Bridges hope to have an instant impact right away. It will be interesting to see how Jay Wright manages such a deep bench. Booth looks ready to contribute right away, Bridges on the other hand, not so much.

From what the NovaNation has been able to see and hear, it has been all positive for Phil Booth. The 6,3' G looks as if he already has a college-ready build and will be able to take on the brunt of a Big East schedule. With a sweet handle and a stroke from deep, Booth should expect to rotate in at the 1 or 2 with Ryan Arcidiacono, and Dylan Ennis. More importantly, Booth has shown thus far, that he is going to be a menace on the defensive side of the ball. Booth should get a good amount of minutes in the opener to show what he is capable of doing in what you would expect to be a blowout. Booth looks as if he can potentially be another great guard under Jay Wright.

Mikal Bridges, the other freshman in the 2014 class, committed to what he said was, his "dream school" back in June of 2013. The question for Bridges has always been, is he too weak to play right away in the Big East. Bridges weighs in at 190 lbs along with his 6 ft 7 frame. Fans have even gone as far to asking if the Great Valley product should red-shirt this year. Red shirting is rare under Jay Wright, meaning, it is not likely to happen.

It will be interesting to see how these 2 players progress over the course of this season.

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