2020–21 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 20th year, the Wildcats played their home games at the Finneran Pavilion on the school's campus in the Philadelphia suburb of Villanova, Pennsylvania. However they did not play at Wells Fargo Center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 18-7, 11-4 in Big East Play to finish as regular season champions. However, star guard Collin Gillespie suffered a season-ending MCL tear with a single game left in the regular season and were upset in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament by Georgetown. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Winthrop and North Texas, despite the loss of Gillespie and Justin Moore in the first round game, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to the eventual champions Baylor.

2020–21 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
2K Empire Classic champions Big East regular season champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 18
Record	18–7 (11–4 Big East)
Head coach	Jay Wright (20th season)
Assistant coaches	Kyle Neptune George Halcovage Mike Nardi
Home arena	Finneran Pavilion

2020–21 Big East men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 18 Villanova	11	–	4		.733			18	–	7		.720
No. 19 Creighton	14	–	6		.700			22	–	9		.710
UConn	11	–	6		.647			15	–	8		.652
St. John's	10	–	9		.526			16	–	11		.593
Seton Hall	10	–	9		.526			14	–	13		.519
Providence	9	–	10		.474			13	–	13		.500
Xavier	6	–	7		.462			13	–	8		.619
Georgetown †	7	–	9		.438			13	–	13		.500
Marquette	8	–	11		.421			13	–	14		.481
Butler	8	–	12		.400			10	–	15		.400
DePaul	2	–	13		.133			5	–	14		.263
† 2021 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Wildcats finished the 2019–20 season 24–7, 13–5 in Big East play to finish tied 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 at halftime of the first game of the quarterfinals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the NCAA postseason.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Tim Saunders	12	G	6'4"	200	Senior	Del Mar, CA	Graduated
Saddiq Bey	41	F	6'8"	216	Sophomore	Largo, MD	Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 19th overall by the Brooklyn Nets

Preseason

The Wildcats were picked to win the Big East Conference in the coaches' poll, receiving nine first-place votes and a total of 99 points. Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl were selected to the Preseason First Team All-Big East, while Justin Moore was selected to the Preseason Second Team All-Big East. Villanova was considered one of the favorites to win a national title after returning most of its roster from the previous season, and was ranked third in the preseason Associated Press poll.

Roster

2020–21 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) 180 lb (82 kg) So Ranney School Tinton Falls, NJ G 2 Collin Gillespie  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Archbishop Wood HS Huntingdon Valley, PA F 3 Brandon Slater 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 211 lb (96 kg) Jr Paul VI Catholic HS Centerville, VA G 4 Chris Arcidiacono 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 196 lb (89 kg) So Perkiomen School Langhorne, PA G 5 Justin Moore 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So DeMatha Catholic HS Fort Washington, MD F 10 Cole Swider 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr St. Andrews School Portsmouth, RI F 12 Trey Patterson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Rutgers Preparatory School Somerset, NJ G 13 Kevin Voigt (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Jr Massapequa HS Massapequa, NY G 14 Caleb Daniels 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr St. Augustine HS Tulane New Orleans, LA G 20 Kevin Hoehn (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Morristown HS Morristown, NJ F 21 Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Neumann–Goretti Catholic HS Philadelphia, PA F 23 Jermaine Samuels 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr The Rivers School Franklin, MA F 24 Jeremiah Robinson-Earl 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So IMG Academy Kansas City, KS F 43 Eric Dixon 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 260 lb (118 kg) RS Fr Abington HS Willow Grove, PA	Head coach Jay Wright (Bucknell) Assistant coach(es) Kyle Neptune (Lehigh) George Halcovage (Babson) Mike Nardi (Villanova) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: November 27, 2020

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 25, 2020* 9:30 pm, ESPN	No. 3	vs. Boston College 2K Empire Classic semifinal	W 76–67	1–0	18 – Robinson-Earl	10 – Robinson-Earl	7 – Gillespie	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
November 26, 2020* 9:30 pm, ESPN	No. 3	vs. No. 18 Arizona State 2K Empire Classic championship	W 83–74	2–0	28 – Robinson-Earl	12 – Moore	4 – Daniels	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
November 28, 2020* 8:00 p.m., ESPNU	No. 3	vs. Virginia Tech Hall of Fame Tip Off	L 73–81 OT	2–1	25 – Gillespie	9 – Robinson-Earl	4 – Gillespie	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
November 30, 2020*		Saint Joseph's Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
December 1, 2020* 5:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 12	vs. Hartford Bubbleville	W 87–53	3–1	15 – Moore	10 – Tied	5 – Moore	Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT
December 3, 2020*		Temple Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
December 6, 2020* 1:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 12	at No. 17 Texas Big East/Big 12 Battle	W 68–64	4–1	19 – Tied	12 – Samuels	3 – Tied	Frank Erwin Center (2,506) Austin, TX
December 11, 2020 5:00 p.m., FS1	No. 9	at Georgetown	W 76–63	5–1 (1–0)	18 – Tied	8 – Moore	6 – Tied	Capital One Arena (0) Washington, DC
December 14, 2020 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 7	DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
December 16, 2020 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 7	Butler	W 85–66	6–1 (2–0)	18 – Tied	6 – Samuels	5 – Gillespie	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
December 19, 2020* 9:00 pm, FS1	No. 7	Saint Joseph's	W 88–68	7–1	25 – Robinson-Earl	8 – Samuels	6 – Robinson-Earl	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
December 23, 2020 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 5	at Marquette	W 85–68	8–1 (3–0)	22 – Gillespie	7 – Robinson-Earl	5 – Daniels	Fiserv Forum (0) Milwaukee, WI
January 2, 2021 2:00 p.m., FS1	No. 4	at Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Cintas Center  Cincinnati, OH
January 5, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1	No. 3	at DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Wintrust Arena  Chicago, IL
January 8, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 3	Marquette Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
January 13, 2021 6:30 p.m., FS1	No. 3	at Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Cintas Center  Cincinnati, OH
January 15, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 3	at No. 25 Connecticut Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Gampel Pavilion  Storrs, CT
January 19, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 3	Seton Hall	W 76–74	9–1 (4–0)	22 – Gillespie	9 – Samuels	7 – Moore	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
January 23, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 3	Providence	W 71–56	10–1 (5–0)	15 – Tied	10 – Samuels	6 – Gillespie	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
January 28, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 3	at Connecticut Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Gampel Pavilion  Storrs, CT
January 30, 2021 3:00 p.m., FOX	No. 3	at Seton Hall	W 80–72	11–1 (6–0)	23 – Robinson-Earl	5 – Tied	11 – Gillespie	Prudential Center (0) Newark, NJ
February 3, 2021 9:00 p.m., CBSSN	No. 3	at St. John's	L 59–70	11–2 (6–1)	16 – Daniels	17 – Robinson-Earl	6 – Gillespie	Carnesecca Arena (0) Queens, NY
February 7, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 3	Xavier Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
February 7, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 3	Georgetown	W 84–74	12–2 (7–1)	32 – Samuels	6 – Robinson-Earl/Samuels	5 – 3 tied	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
February 9, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 5	DePaul Postponed due to COVID-19 issues						Finneran Pavilion  Villanova, PA
February 10, 2021 9:00 p.m., FS1	No. 5	Marquette	W 96–64	13–2 (8–1)	27 – Robinson-Earl	11 – Gillespie	3 – Tied	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
February 13, 2021 5:00 p.m., FOX	No. 5	at No. 19 Creighton	L 70–86	13–3 (8–2)	21 – Moore	7 – Robinson-Earl	3 – Tied	CHI Health Center Omaha (2,544) Omaha, NE
February 20, 2021 1:00 p.m., FOX	No. 10	Connecticut	W 68–60	14–3 (9–2)	20 – Gillespie	11 – Robinson-Earl	3 – Swider	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
February 23, 2021 8:00 p.m., CBSSN	No. 8	St. John's	W 81–58	15–3 (10–2)	17 – Daniels	9 – Samuels	5 – Gillespie	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
February 28, 2021 12:00 p.m., CBS	No. 8	at Butler	L 61–73	15–4 (10–3)	16 – Robinson-Earl	16 – Robinson-Earl	2 – Gillespie	Hinkle Fieldhouse (2,203) Indianapolis, IN
March 3, 2021 8:30 p.m., FS1	No. 10	No. 14 Creighton	W 72–60	16–4 (11–3)	24 – Moore	14 – Robinson-Earl	7 – Samuels	Finneran Pavilion (0) Villanova, PA
March 6, 2021 2:30 p.m., FOX	No. 10	at Providence	L 52–54	16–5 (11–4)	21 – Samuels	13 – Robinson-Earl	2 – Arcidiacono	Alumni Hall (0) Providence, RI
Big East tournament
March 11, 2021 12:00 p.m., FS1	(1) No. 14	vs. (8) Georgetown Quarterfinals	L 71–72	16–6	26 – Robinson-Earl	7 – Samuels	4 – Samuels	Madison Square Garden (824) Manhattan, NY
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021* 9:57 pm, TNT	(5 S) No. 18	vs. (12 S) Winthrop First Round	W 73–63	17–6	22 – Robinson-Earl	12 – Robinson-Earl	5 – Robinson-Earl	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (873) Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021* 8:45 pm, TNT	(5 S) No. 18	vs. (13 S) North Texas Second Round	W 84–61	18–6	18 – Robinson-Earl	9 – Samuels	6 – Robinson-Earl	Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
March 27, 2021* 5:15 pm, CBS	(5 S) No. 18	vs. (1 S) No. 3 Baylor Sweet Sixteen	L 51–62	18–7	16 – Samuels	12 – Robinson-Earl	3 – Moore	Hinkle Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	3	12	9	7	5	4	3	3	3	3	3	5	10	8	10	14	18	Not released
Coaches	3	3	6	6	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	7	6	9	11	17	11

^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.