2006 Villanova Wildcats Basketball Preview

2006 Villanova Wildcats Basketball Predictions

Last season the Villanova Wildcats tied for first in the Big East with a 14-2 conference record and a 28- 4 overall mark. They were fast and heavy on senior talent. A few seniors remain but mostly sophomores and freshmen are left. They’ll still be very good but not as good as some of the other teams in their conference.

Senior Mike Nardi (10.4 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 2.0 APG, 38.8 FG%, 76.5 FT%) is the team’s only returning true point man. But he’ll have support from McDonald’s All-American Scottie Reynolds, who opted to attend Villanova and not Oklahoma. Three others will get time at guard—sophomores Dwayne Anderson (1.5PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.1 APG, 41.2 FG%, 50.0 FT%) and Bilal Benn (1.3 PPG, 0.8 RPG, 0.5 APG, 45.0 FG%, 70.0 FT%) and first-year man Reggie Redding, a very smart player.

Curtis Sumpter, who averaged 15.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 2004- 05, wore a medical redshirt for the 2005- 06 season. He’s a team leader in the locker room and on the court, and he can put up numbers consistently. Senior Will Sheridan (5.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 0.6 APG, 43.2 FG%, 70.8 FT%) was a real sparkplug last season, making the Wildcats extremely explosive. Dante Cunningham (2.2 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 0.8 APG, 46.8 FG%, 39.4 FT%) and Shane Clark (2.2 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.3 APG, 40.9 FG%, 58.6 FT%) can also put in quality minutes this season.

Coach Jay Wright (104- 58 in 5 years at Villanova) has amassed a talented group of smart players. After losing three key guys, he’s left to determine exactly what combinations will work this season. He’s hoping his anchor Sumpter is healthy and ready to play. That will be a big help for Wright.

Nova lost to Florida in the regional finals. Florida eventually won it all. The Wildcats will be bound for the March tournament again, but they probably won’t go as deep as they did in 2006. Sumpter really is the wild card here. Plus there’s the question of exactly how much this team can accomplish after losing so many experienced players.

If you want more info on the 2006 Villanova Wildcats College basketball team check out the NCAA's official basketball team page of the program or check out some rival previews from Maddux Sports of schools like the Connecticut Huskies and Louisville Cardinals.