Villanova’s depth, talent was easy to see in season-opening win over American University

Chris Arcidiacono got up from the Villanova bench and walked to the scorer’s table to check in with 12 minutes, 8 seconds left in the Wildcats’ 90-63 win over American University Monday night at Finneran Pavilion.

That alone said pretty much everything there is to know about the difference in Villanova’s depth this season compared to last. Arcidiacono, a fifth-year graduate student, played more than 22 minutes a game for the Wildcats last season, which ended with a 17-17 record and no NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.

Monday night, Arcidiacono was the 11th Villanova player to hit the floor. By the time he checked in, the game was all but over – Villanova led, 64-38, capping off a 23-7 run to open the second half.

This is nothing against Arcidiacono, who played a key role as a senior leader and steady presence on a Villanova team in transition last year under coach Kyle Neptune. But the Wildcats hit the transfer portal hard and rebuilt their roster. There is more talent and depth, all of that on display in droves during Monday night’s opener.

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Nine players saw 14 minutes or more. That didn’t happen once last season. It’s a new luxury for Neptune, who was active getting players in and out of the game all night. Newcomer Tyler Burton, a transfer from Richmond, started and tied for the team lead with 15 points and led the Wildcats with seven rebounds. He did that in 20 minutes of action. TJ Bamba, a Washington State transfer, also started and scored 13 points while adding five rebounds and three assists in nearly 22 minutes. Eric Dixon, Villanova’s star big man, scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds, and added four assists in 26-plus minutes.

Six players scored at least nine points. There’s another thing for the list of things that didn’t happen once last year: Villanova scored 90 points for the first time under Neptune.

All of this was easy to see with your eyes without staring at a box score. The way the ball moved. The way the offense wasn’t just Dixon and Justin Moore playing a two-man game or settling for one-on-ones. The way everyone looked energized at all times.

“We want to keep our guys fresh and be able to play as hard as we possibly can,” Neptune said after the game. “I just told the team in the locker room, it could be one guy’s night one night, the next night could be some other guy’s night. Some guy could play more minutes one day, the other guy could play less.”

This all goes back to a point Neptune made last week about his team’s depth: “Guys maybe can play a little bit less and play harder when they’re out there and everyone can feel like they’re going to contribute to our success,” he said.

There was a sequence early in the second half, right before Arcidiacono checked in, that really crystallized all of it. Villanova nearly forced a turnover in the backcourt and Burton, Bamba, and Nnanna Njoku all hit the floor to try to get the ball. American marched up court on what was essentially a four-on-one transition break, an easy layup was coming. But Dixon denied Matt Rogers’ attempt, and Burton drilled a three-pointer down the other end.

“That’s just Villanova basketball,” Burton said. “We got over it every day, talk about it every day, sacrificing yourself for the team and earning your honor with your teammates. That’s a Villanova basketball play.”

Spoken like a Villanova veteran. Burton was a 19-point-per-game scorer last year at Richmond. Bamba scored 16 points a game at Washington State. Neither will need to be the guy here. Monday night, it looked like the start of what could be a bunch of cohesive pieces.

“It’s great comfort to just go in there and play as hard as you possibly can, get on the glass, defend,” Burton said. “The points will come. You’re not out there hunting shots.”

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Dixon had a similar response when asked about how this new depth impacts him.

“It’s great comfort, being able to go out there and give everything up and then the next guy is going to come in and do the exact same thing,” he said.

Dixon might be one of the biggest beneficiaries of this new-look lineup. He played 32 minutes per game last season. Some nights the Wildcats needed him to play close to 40. Needing fewer minutes from him in November and December will only lead to a fresher player come February and March.

It’s plenty early, and Monday night’s opponent was an inferior one, but Villanova playing meaningful games in those months seems pretty likely.