Experts Disagree on Villanova Basketball’s 2020 Outlook

Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! After a long and wonderful year that got extended by an overtime, Villanova’s reign as college basketball’s National Champions has come to a close. The new champs are Tony Bennett and the Virginia Cavaliers, a coach and program that Villanova’s Jay Wright has been close with during his recent run of success. The two teams have played three times in the past four seasons (twice in the regular season and one “secret scrimmage), and they’ve combined to win three of the past four National Championships. Just saying.

But now it’s time for the Wildcats and the rest of college basketball to focus on dethroning the new king, and that’s always marked by the immediate release of the “Way-Too-Early” Top 25. Everyone does them, and for Villanova it’s usually the same old, same old. The experts may disagree here and there, but Villanova’s consistency usually paints a clear picture of what to expect the following season.

Not so much this time around. I pulled together all of the early Top 25 polls I could find, twelve in all, and not a single one of them had Villanova ranked the same:

There are so many wacky things about this list! The fact that ESPN ranked Nova the highest in the Top 5 may be my favorite (boy do they love a potential one and done). But I can’t say I blame any of these publications for being unsure of what Villanova will be next season. They’ll certainly be talented, but they’ll lack experience. They’ll have three juniors as captains, but they lost their senior leadership that also happened to be their last links to the 2016 National Championship. Even if you count Cole Swider as one of the guys who got significant playing time last season, that still leaves half of last year’s team that’s either completely new or didn’t see much of the court.

So I leave it to you Nova Nation. Where do you rank the Villanova Wildcats heading into the 2019-2020 season?

In other news, Phil Booth reflects on an amazing career and the NBA, Jalen Brunson’s stock continues to rise, and let’s just all forget yesterday when I said the Big East coaches weren’t going anywhere (St. John’s, you got me again). Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball (and other sports)

For Mount Saint Joseph’s Phil Booth, ‘A Lot Of Great Memories’ At Villanova | Pressbox
After a record-setting career at Villanova, former Mount Saint Joseph star Phil Booth reflects on what he accomplished and turns his focus to his next goal -- the NBA.

NFL Draft 2019: Villanova OT Ethan Greenidge hoping versatility, competitiveness lead to opportunity | nj.com
Having experience playing guard and tackle could help Villanova's Ethan Greenidge land on an NFL roster.

National Championship

Once Again, Experience Dominated as Virginia-Texas Tech Delivered an Epic National Championship | HERO Sports
Freshmen Final Four scoring is declining rapidly, and Monday's national championship was no different.

NCAA championship 2019 score, recap: Virginia beats Texas Tech tonight 85-77 in NCAA basketball tournament final | CBS News
A year after becoming the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed, the Cavaliers won their first national championship in an overtime thriller

Kyle Guy, Virginia’s national championship hero, explained | SBNation.com
This is what you need to know about Virginia star Kyle Guy.

LOOK: Virginia fans spill into Charlottesville streets after winning first NCAA championship | CBSSports.com
Virginia won its first national title and the celebrations did not disappoint

With Maiden NCAA Title, Virginia Joins List Of Worst-To-First Championship Teams | Forbes
One year after becoming the first 1 seed to lose to a 16, Virginia came full circle to redemption by winning the NCAA title. They joined a group of worst-to-first teams including the Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Rams and Boston Celtics.

Chicken superstition: TTU athletics intern takes pregame ritual to championship | Everything Lubbock
"I do take it very seriously, I have not missed a day, I will not miss a day," Fowler said.

Way-Too-Early Top 25 and 2020 Futures

College basketball rankings: Sporting News' way-too-early top 25 for 2019-20 | Sporting News
Although we annually call this exercise our "way-too-early top 25," can it really be too early to ponder what 2019-20 might bring to those who cherish college basketball?

College Basketball 2019-2020 Preseason Top 25 | CollegeBasketballTalk
The only top 25 you need to read.

2019-20 Projections | Barttorvick.com
T-Rank College Basketball Ratings and Rankings. And fun.

Way-Too-Early 2020 College Basketball Betting Rankings: Top 10 Teams, Plus 4 Futures Bets | The Action Network
Eli Hershkovich unveils his Way-Too-Early 2019-20 College Basketball Rankings, featuring his top 10 teams and four futures bets.

College basketball national title 2020 odds: Virginia, Duke favorites | SI.com
Virginia just won its first-ever title, but one sportsbook likes the Cavaliers to repeat next year.

College basketball top 25 next season: Extremely early 2019-20 rankings | SBNation.com
We’ve got way too much time between now and the 2019-20 season tipping off. That’s not gonna stop us from doing this.

2020 national championship odds: Virginia, Kentucky the favorites to cut down the nets in Atlanta | CBSSports.com
The Cavaliers are already one of the favorites to repeat next season

Early look: Top-25 basketball rankings for the 2020 season | Mercury News
Three of the teams in the Final Four are well positioned for another run at the championship next season. The Hotline has Virginia, Auburn and Michigan State at, or near the top of its early rankings.

BTD’s Way-Too-Early 2019-2020 College Basketball Top 25: Post-National Championship Edition | Building The Dam
Another year of Ty Jerome and Kyle Guy at Virginia give the Cavaliers the nation’s best returning back-court.

Never-Too-Early 2019-20 College Basketball Top 25 Rankings | HERO Sports
Early preseason college basketball rankings for the 2019-20 season.

Preseason Top 25: Jeff Goodman's 2019-20 College Basketball Rankings | Stadium
Is there such a thing as “too early” when it comes to compiling your preseason top 25 college basketball rankings for the 2019-20 season?

Vegas Releases College Basketball Title Odds For 2019-20 | The SPUN
Bookmakers are already setting up the college basketball title odds for the 2019-20 season, and one ACC team is the betting favorite.

College basketball rankings: NCAA top 25 for 2019-20 season | SI.com
It's never too soon to start thinking about next year. Who leads our way-too-early rankings for 2019–20?

Prehm: Way Too Early Top 25 College Basketball Rankings | Duck Territory
Check out Matt Prehm's Way Too Early Top 25 rankings for next college basketball season.

Loaded Michigan State leads Way-Too-Early Top 25 for 2019-20 | ESPN
The Spartans have nearly everyone back from a Final Four team and project as next season's team to beat.

Class of 2019

MaxPreps final 2018-19 Top 100 high school boys basketball rankings | MaxPreps
MaxPreps News - IMG Academy crowned national champions after GEICO Nationals title.

NBA Wildcats

NEVER STOP: Mavericks Rookie Jalen Brunson Keeps Climbing | SLAM
Two-time NCAA champion and former National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson is thriving for the Dallas Mavericks. Surprised? You shouldn't be.

Villanova Basketball: Ryan Arcidiacono has found a home in Chicago | Section 215
After bouncing around the basketball world following his time with the Villanova Wildcats, Ryan Arcidiacono has finally found a home with the Chicago Bulls.

Coaching Carousel

Fran Dunphy wins the 2019 Gene Bartow Award | The Inquirer
The award goes to a current or former coach for his contributions to the game both on and off the court.

St. John’s coaching candidates: Bobby Hurley top candidate to replace Chris Mullin? What about Rick Pitino? | nj.com
After woefully underachieving with a wildly talented team, the Chris Mullin era at St. John’s is reportedly over. What's next?

Chris Mullin to step down as St. John's head coach | SI.com
Mullin reached the NCAA tournament once in four seasons with the Red Storm

St. John's coach Chris Mullin expected to step down from position, a report says | CBSSports.com
Mullin is coming off his best season at St. John's and only appearance in the NCAA Tournament

Chris Mullin Is Out At St. John's, Bobby Hurley Expected To Be Top Target | Forbes
Chris Mullin is out as the St. John's head coach after the school refused to give him an extension. The school is expected to target Arizona State head coach Bobby Hurley.

March Madness and College Basketball

Duke freshman Tre Jones to return next season | ESPN
Duke freshman Tre Jones won't be a one-and-done, the school announced. Jones, who averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 assists per game, will be back for a sophomore season.

Here’s How Jim Nantz Has Called the Final Seconds of National Championship Games | The Big Lead
A big moment.

The bettor who had a $300,000 Texas Tech futures bet -- and didn't hedge | ESPN
One bettor had a $1,500 ticket on Texas Tech at 200-1 odds to win the national championship and didn't hedge his bet. Here's his story.

What's the best version of 'One Shining Moment'? | Yahoo! Sports
What's the best version of 'One Shining Moment,' the song that closes the NCAA tournament?

Blue-blood blurred lines: The Indiana Hoosiers and UCLA Bruins | CBB Today
As another college basketball season concludes, the two most obvious examples of "blue-blood blurry lines" are the UCLA Bruins and the Indiana Hoosiers.

The greatest Championship Monday moments in NCAA Tournament history | 11alive.com
You can't tell the story of Championship Monday without regaling the heroics of Michael Jordan, Lorenzo Charles, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill.