VUHoops will be kicking off the 2018-19 Villanova Basketball season with an entire month of team coverage. Check in every day for new player previews, schedule breakdowns, team analysis, event recaps, and season predictions as we get closer to the first tip-off of the year!

Freshman Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree played in all 40 games of Villanova’s Championship season last year, averaging a little over 11 minutes per game. While he only averaged 3.1 points per game, he connected on an impressive 78% of his shots. He made solid contributions during their tournament run including a career-high 7 rebounds in a tough Elite 8 match-up against Texas Tech.

Player Preview

With Spellman and Bridges both declaring for the draft, Eric Paschall is the only returning big man with starting experience. Cosby-Roundtree will likely be a starter along with Paschall down low and play some heavy minutes.

DCR demonstrated his athletic ability in spurts throughout the season last year - scoring 11 points in 10 minutes in a win against Providence or grabbing 7 rebounds in a a tough performance against Texas Tech when the team really needed it. After a season of putting in solid minutes every game, we will see how he can transition into the role of a starter and perform under pressure.

Best Case Scenario

Cosby-Roundtree immediately clicks with the new offense and develops into a powerful post-man the team desperately needs with the departure of Spellman. He becomes the permanent starter along with Paschall and they feed off each other, turning into a fearsome duo in the paint both offensively and defensively. He is able to produce offensively, averaging close to double digits and grabbing a lot of rebounds while also being a force on the defensive end (which we have already seen some of this past season). His percentage from the field was impressive last year albeit the low amount of shots taken but if he is able to maintain a high percentage while upping the number of shots, he could be a great post scorer for the Wildcats.

Worst Case Scenario

Cosby-Roundtree isn’t a traditional center, so if things don’t work out early it’s possible Wright could try some of his freshman options as the small-ball center. Cole Swider, Brandon Slater, and Saddiq Bey will likely see some rotational minutes, with Swider higher up on the list. Swider is the most likely candidate to get the most minutes of the new players and it is possible he fits the new system better, either edging out Cosby-Roundtree for the starting spot or cutting into his minutes.

Wisdom of the Crowds

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2018-2019 season. In this series, we ask that you consider the points covered in our player preview to supplement your own personal insights and instincts to predict the points per game each player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.