Villanova Basketball 2020 Player Recap: Saddiq Bey

What a year.

By Eugene Rapay@erapay5 Apr 22, 2020, 11:01am EDT

NCAA Basketball: Providence at Villanova

Saddiq Bey’s Career Stats

SEASON	GP	GS	MIN	FG	FG%	3PT	3P%	FT	FT%	OR	DR	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
SEASON	GP	GS	MIN	FG	FG%	3PT	3P%	FT	FT%	OR	DR	REB	AST	BLK	STL	PF	TO	PTS
2018-19	36	29	29.6	3.0-6.6	45.8	1.4-3.6	37.4	0.8-1.3	64.4	2.1	3	5.1	1.3	0.3	0.9	2.2	0.8	8.2
2019-20	31	31	33.9	5.6-11.8	47.7	2.5-5.6	45.1	2.3-2.9	76.9	1.3	3.5	4.7	2.4	0.4	0.8	2.5	1.5	16.1

The Breakdown

After a great first impression as a freshman, Saddiq Bey soared to new heights as one of the leading men on the Villanova Wildcats’ roster.

Taking on a bigger role, he doubled his scoring output from last season.

While there were some rumblings of draft potential for Bey before the season started, he accelerated the process with a stellar sophomore year, showcasing that he can be a do-it-all type of player and playing his way firmly into the draft conversation.

He can score from nearly anywhere on the court, whether that’s pulling up from beyond the arc, or putting on some nice touch inside. His high motor and effort makes him an asset on the glass and on defense. We also got to see some of his playmaking ability and glimpses of ‘point guard Bey.’

He averaged a team-high 16.1 points per game, with 4.7 boards per game and 2.4 assists per game. He also led all starters by shooting 47.7 percent on the floor, with an improved 45.1 percent showing from long range.

While he had some great games in non-conference play, Bey really dominated during the Big East portion of the schedule, where he led the ‘Cats in scoring in 9-of-18 conference games.

Bey’s most notable performance was a career-high 33-point game against Georgetown, where he drained eight three-pointers. He also shined in both victories over St. John’s, as well as DePaul (Feb. 19), Xavier (Feb. 22), and hit big shots in the closing minutes of the heart-stopping season finale against the Hoyas.

The 6-8 forward even shined in loss, putting up 29 points in a loss to Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse, and then a team-high 22-point game against Seton Hall a few days later.

Now, we wait for his next move...

Looking Ahead

A lot depends on whether Bey decides to commit to the NBA Draft or return to Villanova.

With Jeremiah Robinson-Earl already set to come back, combined with the rest of the roster, a potential Bey junior season would further solidify Villanova as a top team that you can pencil in for a deep run in 2020-21.

The sky would be the limit for those ‘Cats, should Bey return. The fantasies, ideas, and projections of what next year’s team would look like with virtually everyone back would become a reality, and fans will get to see that squad go to work on the court.

Should Bey follow through with the draft, his prospects are looking good. He picked up considerable momentum throughout the season, with his career performance against Georgetown capturing the rest of the country’s attention. After that game, he continued to deliver for the rest of the season.

According to various mock drafts, Bey is looking like a mid-to-late first round pick. The postseason and combine could have helped as well, but he did more than enough to already leave a lasting impression.

Whichever decision Bey makes, it’ll be fun to see what happens next either way.