Villanova Basketball 2020-21 Player Preview: Chris Arcidiacono

Chris Arcidiacono

Hometown: Langhorne, Pa.
High School: Neshaminy/Perkiomen School
Height: 6-5
Weight: 196

Player preview

As a freshman in a crowded rotation, Chris Arcidiacono was one of the odd men out last season.

He did receive a few outings here and there, logging 19 minutes through eight games. Arcidiacono made a three-pointer in the Wildcats’ 98-69 rout of Middle Tennessee State, his only points thus far.

He shot 1-of-6 last season, with a total of two assists, two steals, and four turnovers.

This season, with virtually everyone back — outside of Saddiq Bey’s early departure for the NBA Draft and the graduation of the Wildcats’ lone senior last season, Tim Saunders — it might be a similar situation for Arcidiacono.

In April, head coach Jay Wright said that he expected Chris Arcidiacono, Bryan Antoine, and Eric Dixon to represent an important group this season, so whether that means an expanded role or what that translates into for Arcidiacono remains to be seen.

It might be difficult to see him get an uptick in minutes. With Caleb Daniels coming off of a redshirt year, the guard rotation is even more crowded than last year, with Daniels, Antoine, Collin Gillespie, and Justin Moore all in the mix.

However, who truly knows what happens behind closed doors and in the practice gym.

Best Case Scenario: Arcidiacono proves to be another hidden gem for the ‘Cats, getting more minutes to shine. Not only is he seeing more playing time, but also delivering some key points, assists, or valuable minutes in an already loaded rotation — all experiences and moments to build on for his junior year and onwards.

Worst Case Scenario: The waiting game continues for the sophomore guard, and he continues to develop in practice and behind the scenes. Arcidiaconos aren’t here to sight see, but he’d just have to wait another year to truly get his turn in the rotation.

The Wisdom of the Crowds

We are pleased to bring back our Wisdom of Crowds experiment for the 2020-21 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 scholarship player on the roster we score in the upcoming season.