2019–20 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 19th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania and Wells Fargo Center as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 13–5 in Big East play which put them in a three-way tie for first place. As the No. 2 seed in the Big East tournament, they were slated to play DePaul in the quarterfinals, but the Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the NCAA postseason. The team officially finished ninth in the Coaches Poll and tenth in the AP Poll, which served as de facto selectors during the season.

2019–20 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Philadelphia Big 5 champions
Big East regular season co-champions
ConferenceBig East Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9 (tie)
APNo. 10
Record24–7 (13–5 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaFinneran Pavilion
Wells Fargo Center
Seasons
2019–20 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 7 Creighton 13 5   .722 24 7   .774
No. 11 Villanova 13 5   .722 24 7   .774
No. 16 Seton Hall 13 5   .722 21 9   .700
Providence 12 6   .667 19 12   .613
No. 24 Butler 10 8   .556 22 9   .710
Marquette 8 10   .444 18 12   .600
Xavier 8 10   .444 19 13   .594
Georgetown 5 13   .278 15 17   .469
St. John's 5 13   .278 17 15   .531
DePaul 3 15   .167 16 16   .500
Note: The 2020 Big East tournament was cancelled at halftime of the first game of the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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The Wildcats finished the 2018-19 season 26–10, 13–5 in Big East play to finish in first place. They defeated Providence, Xavier, and Seton Hall to win the Big East tournament.[1][2] As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region.[3] There they defeated Saint Mary's[4] before losing to Purdue in the Second Round.[5]

Awards & Accomplishments

Big East Co-Regular Season Champion

Philadelphia Big 5 Champion

Saddiq Bey

NCAA AP Honorable Mention

Julius Erving Award

All-Big East First Team

Robert V. Geasey Trophy

All-Big 5 First Team

Collin Gillespie

All-Big East Second Team

All-Big 5 First Team

Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

Big East Freshman of the Year

Big East All-Freshman Team

Big 5 Freshman of the Year

All-Big 5 Second Team

Jermaine Samuels

All-Big 5 Second Team

Nova Hoops Mania Dunk Contest Champion

Justin Moore

Big East All-Freshman Team

Cole Swider

Nova Hoops Mania 3-Point Contest Champion

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Jahvon Quinerly 1 G 6'1" 175 Freshman Hackensack, NJ Transferred to Alabama
Eric Paschall 4 F 6'8" 255 RS Senior Dobbs Ferry, NY Graduated
Phil Booth 5 G 6´3¨ 194 RS Senior Baltimore, MD Graduated
Peyton Heck 22 G 5'11" 175 Senior Wilmington, DE Graduated
Joe Cremo 24 G 6'4" 191 Graduate Student Scotia, NY Graduated
Dylan Painter 42 G 6'10" 225 RS Sophomore Hershey, PA Transferred to Delaware

2019 recruiting class

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College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Justin Moore
#9 SG
Accokeek, MD DeMatha Catholic High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) May 2, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Eric Dixon
#18 PF
Willow Grove, PA Abington High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Apr 17, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Bryan Antoine
#12 SG
Tinton Falls, NJ Ranney School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 4, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
PF
Shawnee Mission, KS IMG Academy (FL) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Oct 30, 2018 
Star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2019 Villanova Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Incoming Transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Caleb Daniels 14 G 6'4" 205 Sophomore New Orleans, LA Transferred from Tulane. Under NCAA transfer rules, Daniels will have to sit out for the 2019–20 season. Will have two years of remaining eligibility.

Roster

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2019–20 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Bryan Antoine 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Ranney School Tinton Falls, NJ
G 2 Collin Gillespie 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 191 lb (87 kg) Jr Archbishop Wood HS Warminster, PA
F 3 Brandon Slater 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 202 lb (92 kg) So Paul VI Catholic HS Fairfax, VA
G 4 Chris Arcidiacono 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) Fr Perkiomen School Langhorne, PA
G 5 Justin Moore 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr DeMatha Catholic HS Fort Washington, MD
F 10 Cole Swider 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 219 lb (99 kg) So St. Andrews School Providence, RI
G 12 Tim Saunders (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Torrey Pines HS Del Mar, CA
G 14 Caleb Daniels   6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Tulane New Orleans, LA
G 20 Kevin Hoehn (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Morristown HS Morristown, NJ
F 21 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 228 lb (103 kg) Jr Neumann–Goretti Catholic HS Philadelphia, PA
F 23 Jermaine Samuels 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Jr The Rivers School Franklin, MA
F 24 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 232 lb (105 kg) Fr IMG Academy Overland Park, KS
F 41 Saddiq Bey 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 216 lb (98 kg) So Sidwell Friends School Washington, D.C.
F 43 Eric Dixon   6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 270 lb (122 kg) Fr Abington HS Willow Grove, PA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: December 1, 2019

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 18, 2019*
8:00 pm, P12N
USC
Charity Exhibition
L 61-72 
 15  Tied   10  Okongwu        Galen Center 
Los Angeles, CA
Regular season
November 5, 2019*
8:30 pm, FS1
No. 10 Army W 97–54  1–0
 24  Robinson-Earl   13  Robinson-Earl   5  Samuels  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
November 13, 2019*
7:00 pm, FS1
No. 10 at No. 16 Ohio State
Gavitt Tipoff Games
L 51–76  1–1
 14  Samuels   6  Robinson-Earl   5  Gillespie  Value City Arena (16,419)
Columbus, OH
November 16, 2019*
12:00 pm, FS2
No. 10 Ohio
Myrtle Beach Invitational campus game
W 78–54  2–1
 19  Bey   11  Robinson-Earl   5  Samuels  Wells Fargo Center (13,678)
Philadelphia, PA
November 21, 2019*
11:30 am, ESPN2
No. 17 vs. Middle Tennessee
Myrtle Beach Invitational quarterfinal
W 98–69  3–1
 26  Swider   10  Robinson-Earl   7  Gillespie  HTC Center 
Conway, SC
November 22, 2019*
2:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 17 vs. Mississippi State
Myrtle Beach Invitational semifinal
W 83–76  4–1
 22  Robinson-Earl   7  Tied   9  Gillespie  HTC Center (2,361)
Conway, SC
November 24, 2019*
5:00 pm, ESPN
No. 17 vs. No. 24 Baylor
Myrtle Beach Invitational championship game
L 78–87  4–2
 27  Gillespie   11  Robinson-Earl   6  Gillespie  HTC Center 
Conway, SC
December 1, 2019*
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 22 La Salle
Philadelphia Big 5
W 83–72  5–2
 25  Moore   10  Tied   5  Samuels  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
December 4, 2019*
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 23 Penn
Philadelphia Big 5
W 80–69  6–2
 27  Bey   12  Robinson-Earl   6  Gillespie  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
December 7, 2019*
3:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 23 at Saint Joseph's
Philadelphia Big 5
W 78–66  7–2
 22  Bey   9  Bey   2  Tied  Hagan Arena (3,456)
Philadelphia, PA
December 14, 2019*
2:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 vs. Delaware
Never Forget Tribute Classic
W 78–70  8–2
 18  Samuels   8  Robinson-Earl   6  Gillespie  Prudential Center (7,236)
Newark, NJ
December 21, 2019*
12:00 pm, FOX
No. 18 No. 1 Kansas
Big East/Big 12 Battle
W 56–55  9–2
 15  Samuels   9  Robinson-Earl   5  Bey  Wells Fargo Center (20,706)
Philadelphia, PA
December 30, 2019
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 10 Xavier W 68–62  10–2
(1–0)
 24  Gillespie   8  Samuels   5  Gillespie  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 4, 2020
2:00 pm, FOX
No. 10 at Marquette L 60–71  10–3
(1–1)
 14  Tied   11  Robinson-Earl   3  Gillespie  Fiserv Forum (17,856)
Milwaukee, WI
January 7, 2020
9:00 pm, FS1
No. 16 at Creighton W 64–59  11–3
(2–1)
 24  Gillespie   14  Robinson-Earl   3  Robinson-Earl  CHI Health Center Omaha (17,682)
Omaha, NE
January 11, 2020
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 16 Georgetown W 80–66  12–3
(3–1)
 33  Bey   7  Robinson-Earl   5  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (15,041)
Philadelphia, PA
January 14, 2020
8:30 pm, FS1
No. 14 DePaul W 79–75 OT 13–3
(4–1)
 21  Gillespie   13  Robinson-Earl   4  Tied  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 18, 2020*
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 14 Connecticut W 61–55  14–3
 19  Samuels   7  Robinson-Earl   3  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (16,723)
Philadelphia, PA
January 21, 2020
7:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 9 No. 13 Butler W 76–61  15–3
(5–1)
 20  Samuels   14  Robinson-Earl   7  Gillespie  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
January 25, 2020
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 9 at Providence W 64–60  16–3
(6–1)
 18  Gillespie   9  Bey   5  Gillespie  Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,927)
Providence, RI
January 28, 2020
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 8 at St. John's W 79–59  17–3
(7–1)
 23  Bey   14  Robinson-Earl   6  Gillespie  Madison Square Garden (10,155)
New York, NY
February 1, 2020
12:00 pm, FS1
No. 8 Creighton L 61–76  17–4
(7–2)
 18  Tied   10  Robinson-Earl   3  Robinson-Earl  Wells Fargo Center (15,501)
Philadelphia, PA
February 5, 2020
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 10 at No. 19 Butler L 76–79  17–5
(7–3)
 29  Bey   7  Samuels   6  Gillespie  Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,814)
Indianapolis, IN
February 8, 2020
2:30 pm, FOX
No. 10 No. 12 Seton Hall L 60–64  17–6
(7–4)
 22  Bey   14  Robinson-Earl   4  Tied  Wells Fargo Center (20,706)
Philadelphia, PA
February 12, 2020
8:30 pm, FS1
No. 15 No. 18 Marquette W 72–71  18–6
(8–4)
 17  Robinson-Earl   11  Robinson-Earl   4  3 tied  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 16, 2020*
1:00 pm, ESPN
No. 15 at Temple
Philadelphia Big 5
W 76–56  19–6
 29  Gillespie   8  Bey   5  Tied  Liacouras Center (10,206)
Philadelphia, PA
February 19, 2020
9:00 pm, CBSSN
No. 12 at DePaul W 91–71  20–6
(9–4)
 20  Bey   7  Cosby-Roundtree   7  Bey  Wintrust Arena (5,451)
Chicago, IL
February 22, 2020
2:30 pm, FOX
No. 12 at Xavier W 64–55  21–6
(10–4)
 22  Bey   12  Robinson-Earl   6  Gillespie  Cintas Center (10,647)
Cincinnati, OH
February 26, 2020
6:30 pm, FS1
No. 12 St. John's W 71–60  22–6
(11–4)
 23  Bey   10  Samuels   4  Gillespie  Finneran Pavilion (6,501)
Villanova, PA
February 29, 2020
12:00 pm, FOX
No. 12 Providence L 54–58  22–7
(11–5)
 13  Gillespie   11  Robinson-Earl   3  Gillespie  Wells Fargo Center (15,516)
Philadelphia, PA
March 4, 2020
8:30 pm, FS1
No. 14 at No. 8 Seton Hall W 79–77  23–7
(12–5)
 20  Bey   11  Robinson-Earl   5  Samuels  Prudential Center (16,863)
Newark, NJ
March 7, 2020
12:00 pm, FOX
No. 14 at Georgetown W 70–69  24–7
(13–5)
 18  Bey   9  Moore   5  Gillespie  Capital One Arena (13,168)
Washington, DC
Big East tournament
March 12, 2020
7:00 pm, FS1
(2) No. 11 vs. (10) DePaul
Quarterfinals
Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP10101722232018101016149810151212141110
Coaches1010*15212220149916151110121613121289-T

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

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