# 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.

## Previous season

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. As a result, the Wildcats received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the South region. There they defeated Saint Mary's before losing to Purdue in the Second Round.
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
### Departures

| 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

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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 |
| Recruiting 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

| 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. |

## Schedule and results

| 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

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 10 | 17 | 22 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 10 |
| Coaches | 10 | 10* | 15 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 9-T |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings ^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.