How do the minutes break out this season for Villanova Basketball?

Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! This morning I’m finally going to throw my two cents into a debate that’s been going on all summer long: how do the minutes break out this season?

First off, I don’t think there’s much wiggle room in the starting five. Barring injury or NCAA screw job, the starting lineup should be Quinerly, Booth, Cremo, Paschall, and Cosby-Roundtree. So with that said, let’s use yesterday’s Busting Brackets article as a jumping off point for minutes: Paschall - 30, Booth - 28, Cremo - 27, Quinerly - 25, DCR - 25, Gillespie - 20, Swider - 20, Slater - 15, Samuels - 10, Painter - 0, Bey - 0.

Let’s start with the seniors. Last season Paschall and Booth averaged 30 and 28 minutes respectively and now they’re going to take on larger roles. I’d expect a few more minutes for both, but for argument sake let’s keep them both at 30. Cremo finished averaging 35 minutes at Albany, and that will likely move down. The 27 estimate feels a little low, but given the depth on this team it’s probably high. I’m moving Cremo down to 25 per game.

Next, let’s address the the other two guards, Quinerly and Gillespie. The last time Villanova’s starting point guard played fewer than 30 minutes per game was 2007 when Mike Nardi and Scottie Reynolds both averaged 29 minutes per game. Unless there are some serious rookie hurdles, I can’t see how Quinerly doesn’t eclipse the 30 minute mark. That’s going to significantly cut into Gillespies time, but he’ll make it up by being Booth’s backup as well. Gillespie will stay around the 20 minute mark.

Next let’s talk wings. It’s crowded out there, and the crowd has a lot of talent. Swider, Slater, and Samuels are all ready to contribute, and at this point we don’t know who will jump out early. If I had to pick a lead dog it would be Samuels since he has a year under his belt. But for now, I’m predicting the trio to combine for 40 minutes per game, with each averaging 10-15 minutes a piece while playing in both the three and four positions. I think Bey ends up being the odd man out and red-shirting the season. If not, man does this breakdown get crazy.

The bigs is where I have the biggest issue with the breakdown, and it centers around one main issue: how much time does Paschall play at the five? Everything about this season is pointing towards Paschall being a strong contender to lead the team in scoring. But as we saw in the 2017 season, that’s not going to happen if he has to play half his minutes as the center. To me, that means Wright will have to rely on the other bigs and possibly some of the larger wings to take some of that responsibility off of Paschall.

DCR is my pick to get the starting role, but 25 minutes seems way to high. That would be more than double what he did last season. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the best offensive big man we have over 6’7”. But I only see him pulling in 15-20 minutes a night this year. That opens up playing time for Dylan Painter. He doesn’t have to be an offensive presence on this team, he just has to use that new hulked-out frame of his to be aggressive on the boards and defend the paint. That’s easily good enough for 5-10 minutes a night.

In other “news”, Darrun Hilliard is off to Spain and Anna Kendrick is still our favorite. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball: Projecting the 2018-19 rotation for the Wildcats | Busting Brackets
Villanova basketball, despite several key losses, looks poised to take the Big East once again this season. How might the Wildcats' rotation shake out?

Darrun Hilliard signs with Spanish club Saski Baskonia | The Morning Call
Liberty High School grad and Villanova product Darrun Hillard has signed with Saski Baskonia in Spain. Hilliard enjoyed a stellar college career at Villanova and has played for San Antonio and Detriot in the NBA before making the move overseass.

Anna Kendrick Keeps Feud With Ryan Reynolds Alive at 2018 Teen Choice Awards: 'In Your Face!' | MSN
When the 'Pitch Perfect 3' actress beat out the 'Deadpool 2' star for Choice Twit, she made sure to celebrate with some shade. Thanks to ctcherry for updating us on our girl!