Villanova’s latest Blue & White scrimmage offered a glimpse of the puzzle ahead

Watching a college basketball scrimmage provides a snapshot, no more. Villanova’s Blue-White scrimmage on Thursday was a blurry shot at that.

Justin Moore, team leader, sitting out with an ankle injury, for example. It’s hard to guess how fast someone runs based merely on watching them walk.

That was kind of this. However, with that said, here goes.

The 2023-24 Villanova Wildcats should hang their hat on maturity. For all the transfers in, the ball should go through Moore and Eric Dixon. If folks who ventured into the Finneran Pavilion for a first look weren’t dazzled by eye-opening feats from any newcomers, they should have certainly noticed how these new folks know how to play the game.

This, to me, will be a ‘Nova team you’re going to respect.

“The ball’s moving better,” said a veteran high school coach sitting in the stands.

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The players are better, it was pointed out to him. You saw TJ Bamba, in from Washington State, where he had been the leading scorer, make a bunch of three-pointers, but when you’re Bamba trying to keep sophomore guard Mark Armstrong in front of him, you realized Bamba wasn’t just trying to play defense. He was playing defense.

You saw Tyler Burton also make his share of outside shots, and lead the night in rebounding. More than that, you saw the transfer forward from Richmond calling out defensive switches, and talking to his teammates about what was happening out there.

You saw Hakim Hart working hard, as he’s always done, at Roman Catholic or Maryland. A glue guy joining a team of glue guys is never a bad thing. Can never have enough glue.

“If you’re a transfer, you come into a new program, it’s tough,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said right afterward. “Because you have a lot of habits that you build up over years and years, being in a different place. So far, our new guys, I think they’ve done an unbelievable job of coming in and buying into what we do here and we’re really proud of where they are now. I think they’re only going to get better.”

The most impactful player on the floor was still Dixon, who continues to transform his body to do the things that make him so important. Dixon sets a screen, you’re not getting around it. His passing eye contributed to that sense of ball movement. His own movement, on point. Then he puts his shoulder into you, you’re adjusting through a little pain.

What else was noticeable? After a tough season health-wise, Jordan Longino looks ready to continue his upward trajectory. Nnanna Njoku is in far better shape and seems to be in the right places. Maybe there aren’t many minutes available this season, but you can now picture Njoku as a big man for the future. I don’t know where Chris Arcidiacono’s minutes will be, but his return only adds to the maturity.

Kentucky transfer Lance Ware was out with a hamstring problem, Trey Patterson was still out recovering from summer surgery, and freshman Jordann Dumont sat out with muscle soreness, so the frontcourt was down in depth. All told, 10 players played, so nobody got a rest for the four 6-minute quarters.

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That meant a snapshot of a different kind: Bamba hitting a fourth-quarter contested three. Armstrong scoring late off the dribble.

The biggest early impression-maker was Brendan Hausen. The sophomore proved as a freshman that his shooting skills are, in fact, elite. An off-season video of Hausen making 80-something threes in a row — truly elite. On Thursday night, Hausen showed off his seemingly unlimited range, hitting a string of early threes. For him to get minutes, his defense can’t be a deficit, but if he keeps improving on that end, minutes will need to be found.

At day’s end, making shots is still the name of the game.

A starting lineup? I mentioned to Neptune afterward that he probably wouldn’t tell us if he knew, but does he at least know?

“I wouldn’t tell you,” Neptune said, smiling. “But I also don’t.”

He shouldn’t yet. This group seems too competitive to have roles defined a month before the season opener.

Nevertheless, let’s make a guess on starters. Dixon and Moore are givens. Bamba and Burton seem like givens. Bamba led Washington State with 15.8 points a game. Burton led Richmond with 19 points and 7.4 rebounds.

That leaves a spot. The two most obvious candidates are Armstrong and Hart. Hart was a full-time Terps starter for the last 2 ½ seasons, and scored 15 points last season in a first-round NCAA tournament win over West Virginia. He’s tested.

But I’d go with Armstrong. Not just because of his elite quickness. His work with the ball is solid, his decision-making is on point. This will be his team in many ways after this season. Can’t hurt to take the long view and show that confidence in him right now.

Sure, an argument can be made that Armstrong’s providing that extra gear with Longino off the bench applies even more pressure on the opposition. A sixth man is typically a sixth starter in these situations. I just think when you figure in all the psychological factors, Armstrong deserves that show of confidence. And Hart off your bench means he could go in for any position, the team getting bigger or smaller based on the sub out.

I’ve been wrong before, though. (I thought Donte DiVincenzo would start over Eric Paschall in 2017-18 … the other way seemed to work OK for Villanova that season.)

No team would mind a starting lineup with Armstrong or Hart or Longino or Ware, which means the decision-making will go much deeper than filling out a starting lineup. Practice competition must be intense.

“Every year is a different challenge,” Neptune said. “It’s always a puzzle. Last year, we kind of struggled with numbers. This year, we’ve got a good amount of numbers. Every year is different. You’ve just got to figure it out as you go.”

It was pointed out to Neptune that the 6-foot-7 Burton didn’t shoot the ball as well last season at Richmond. Neptune said it was a different role for Burton than earlier in his career. He was the main guy last season. It’s a good point. Defenses were designed to stop him. Now, he’s probably back to being a big part of the mix, but not the first item on the scouting report.

This blend of talents has expectations up, with various preseason rankings including Villanova in the Top 20. Seems right.

Regular-season game, would the injured guys be playing?

“I think so,” Neptune said.

Asked more about the incoming transfers, Villanova’s coach said the group has “done an unbelievable job of meshing with our older guys. There’s a happy medium that I think these guys have – a lot of respect for the program and the guys who are here, but also, they’re competitors. I think they’ve done a perfect job of blending the two.”

So there’s your blurry snapshot, no red flags spotted from the cheap seats.

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