2021–22_Villanova_Wildcats_men's_basketball_team
The 2021–22 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Jay Wright in his 21st and final year of coaching, 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 30–8, 16–4 in Big East play to finish in second place. They defeated St. John's, UConn, and Creighton to win the Big East tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region. They defeated Delaware, Ohio State, Michigan, and Houston to advance to the Final Four. There they lost to eventual national champion Kansas.
Quick Facts Villanova Wildcats men's basketball, Philadelphia Big 5 championsBig East tournament champions ...
| 2021–22 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
NCAA tournament, Final Four | |
| Conference | Big East Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 4 |
| AP | No. 6 |
| Record | 30–8 (16–4 Big East) |
| Head coach |
|
| Assistant coaches |
|
| Home arena | Finneran Pavilion (Capacity: 6,501) Wells Fargo Center (Capacity: 20,478) |
Seasons | |
Close
More information Conf, Overall ...
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Providence | 14 | – | 3 | .824 | 27 | – | 6 | .818 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Villanova † | 16 | – | 4 | .800 | 30 | – | 8 | .789 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 UConn | 13 | – | 6 | .684 | 23 | – | 10 | .697 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Creighton | 12 | – | 7 | .632 | 23 | – | 12 | .657 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seton Hall | 11 | – | 8 | .579 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marquette | 11 | – | 8 | .579 | 19 | – | 13 | .594 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Xavier | 8 | – | 11 | .421 | 23 | – | 13 | .639 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. John's | 8 | – | 11 | .421 | 17 | – | 15 | .531 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Butler | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| DePaul | 6 | – | 14 | .300 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgetown | 0 | – | 19 | .000 | 6 | – | 25 | .194 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2022 Big East tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Close
On April 20, 2022, head coach Jay Wright announced he was retiring effective immediately.[1] Former Wright assistant and Fordham head coach Kyle Neptune was named the new head coach.[2]
In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Wildcats finished the 2020–21 season 18–7 overall and 11–4 in Big East play to finish first place in the conference. As the No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals 72–71 to eventual conference tournament champions Georgetown.[3] In the NCAA tournament, the Wildcats received the 5 seed in the South Regional. They defeated Winthrop and North Texas to reach the Sweet 16, where they fell to eventual tournament champions Baylor 62–51.[4] Villanova finished #11 in the final Coaches Poll.[5]
Departures
More information Name, Number ...
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Robinson-Earl | 24 | F | 6'9" | 230 | Sophomore | Kansas City, KS | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 32nd overall by the Knicks, then traded to the Thunder.[6] |
| Cole Swider | 10 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Junior | Portsmouth, RI | Transferred to Syracuse[7] |
| Kevin Hoehn | 20 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Senior | Morristown, NJ | Graduated |
Close
2021 recruiting class
More information Name, Hometown ...
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Longino SG |
Fort Washington, PA | Germantown Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jul 23, 2020 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Nnanna Njoku C |
Hockessin, Delaware | Sanford School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Apr 19, 2020 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Angelo Brizzi PG |
Warrenton, VA | Highland School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Jul 27, 2020 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
Close
Coaching changes
Following the 2020–21 season, longtime assistant coach Kyle Neptune left the Wildcats to become the head coach at Fordham.[8] Wright subsequently promoted George Halcovage to Associate Head Coach and Dwayne Anderson from Director of Basketball Operations to Assistant Coach. Mike Nardi remained in his Assistant Coach position.[9]
More information Players, Coaches ...
| 2021–22 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Close
More information Date time, TV, Rank# ...
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 4:30 p.m., FS1 |
No. 4 | Mount St. Mary's | W 91–51 | 1–0 |
27 – Moore | 6 – Samuels | 7 – Moore | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| November 12, 2021* 11:30 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 4 | at No. 2 UCLA | L 77–86 OT | 1–1 |
20 – Samuels | 9 – Dixon | 3 – Tied | Pauley Pavilion (13,659) Los Angeles, CA | |||
| November 16, 2021* 6:30 p.m., FS2 |
No. 5 | Howard | W 100–81 | 2–1 |
23 – Slater | 7 – Dixon | 4 – Tied | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| November 20, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPNews |
No. 5 | vs. No. 17 Tennessee Hall of Fame Tip Off semifinals |
W 71–53 | 3–1 |
14 – Tied | 11 – Samuels | 6 – Moore | Mohegan Sun Arena Uncasville, CT | |||
| November 21, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ABC |
No. 5 | vs. No. 6 Purdue Hall of Fame Tip Off Championship |
L 74–80 | 3–2 |
19 – Moore | 5 – Samuels | 5 – Gillespie | Mohegan Sun Arena (9,100) Uncasville, CT | |||
| November 28, 2021* 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 |
No. 7 | vs. La Salle Philadelphia Big 5 |
W 72–46 | 4–2 |
13 – Gillespie | 8 – Dixon | 5 – Gillespie | The Palestra (5,841) Philadelphia, PA | |||
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ |
No. 6 | at Penn Philadelphia Big 5 |
W 71–56 | 5–2 |
26 – Gillespie | 11 – Moore | 3 – Daniels | The Palestra (6,255) Philadelphia, PA | |||
| December 4, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 6 | Saint Joseph's Holy War/Philadelphia Big 5 |
W 81–52 | 6–2 |
23 – Gillespie | 7 – Moore | 4 – Moore | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| December 7, 2021* 10:01 p.m., ESPN |
No. 6 | vs. Syracuse Jimmy V Classic |
W 67–53 | 7–2 |
18 – Moore | 9 – Samuels | 5 – Gillespie | Madison Square Garden (14,344) New York, NY | |||
| December 12, 2021* 3:00 p.m., ABC |
No. 6 | at No. 2 Baylor Big East–Big 12 Battle |
L 36–57 | 7–3 |
15 – Moore | 8 – Samuels | 1 – Tied | Ferrell Center (10,264) Waco, TX | |||
| December 17, 2021 8:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 9 | at Creighton | L 59–79 | 7–4 (0–1) |
16 – Gillespie | 9 – Dixon | 2 – Gillespie | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,208) Omaha, NE | |||
| December 21, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 23 | No. 18 Xavier | W 71–58 | 8–4 (1–1) |
17 – Moore | 8 – Dixon | 4 – Tied | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| December 29, 2021* 9:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 22 | Temple Philadelphia Big 5 |
Canceled due to COVID-19 protocols on Temple's team | Finneran Pavilion Villanova, PA | |||||||
| January 1, 2022 2:00 p.m., CBS |
No. 22 | at No. 15 Seton Hall | W 73–67 | 9–4 (2–1) |
21 – Gillespie | 11 – Samuels | 3 – Samuels | Prudential Center (13,625) Newark, NJ | |||
| January 5, 2022 8:30 p.m., FS1 |
No. 19 | Creighton | W 75–41 | 10–4 (3–1) |
22 – Moore | 7 – Samuels | 5 – Gillespie | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| January 8, 2022 5:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 19 | at DePaul | W 79–64 | 11–4 (4–1) |
29 – Gillespie | 7 – Moore | 4 – Gillespie | Wintrust Arena (3,839) Chicago, IL | |||
| January 12, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 |
No. 14 | at No. 17 Xavier | W 64–60 | 12–4 (5–1) |
21 – Gillespie | 10 – Dixon | 2 – Tied | Cintas Center (10,224) Cincinnati, OH | |||
| January 16, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 14 | Butler | W 82–42 | 13–4 (6–1) |
17 – Gillespie | 7 – Moore | 5 – Moore | Wells Fargo Center (17,009) Philadelphia, PA | |||
| January 19, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
No. 11 | Marquette | L 54–57 | 13–5 (6–2) |
15 – Dixon | 10 – Samuels | 4 – Gillespie | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| January 22, 2022 12:05 p.m., FOX |
No. 11 | at Georgetown | W 85–74 | 14–5 (7–2) |
28 – Gillespie | 8 – Dixon | 2 – Tied | Capital One Arena (11,872) Washington, D.C. | |||
| January 25, 2022 5:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 14 | DePaul | W 67–43 | 15–5 (8–2) |
16 – Moore | 10 – Dixon | 2 – 3 Tied | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| January 29, 2022 4:30 p.m., FOX |
No. 14 | St. John's | W 73–62 | 16–5 (9–2) |
17 – Gillespie | 7 – Tied | 4 – Moore | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| February 2, 2022 10:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 12 | at No. 24 Marquette | L 73–83 | 16–6 (9–3) |
18 – Slater | 6 – Tied | 5 – Moore | Fiserv Forum (12,782) Milwaukee, WI | |||
| February 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 12 | No. 17 UConn | W 85–74 | 17–6 (10–3) |
24 – Dixon | 12 – Dixon | 5 – Samuels | Wells Fargo Center (19,786) Philadelphia, PA | |||
| February 8, 2022 8:30 p.m., FS1 |
No. 15 | at St. John's | W 75–69 | 18–6 (11–3) |
16 – Tied | 10 – Gillespie | 3 – Tied | Madison Square Garden (9,712) New York, NY | |||
| February 12, 2022 1:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 15 | Seton Hall | W 73–67 | 19–6 (12–3) |
16 – Tied | 7 – Moore | 4 – Gillespie | Wells Fargo Center (17,803) Philadelphia, PA | |||
| February 15, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN |
No. 10 | at No. 8 Providence | W 89–84 | 20–6 (13–3) |
33 – Gillespie | 10 – Moore | 3 – Tied | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,636) Providence, RI | |||
| February 19, 2022 5:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 10 | Georgetown | W 74–66 | 21–6 (14–3) |
19 – Moore | 10 – Gillespie | 8 – Samuels | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| February 22, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 |
No. 8 | at No. 21 UConn | L 69–71 | 21–7 (14–4) |
17 – Gillespie | 6 – Dixon | 4 – Gillespie | XL Center (15,564) Hartford, CT | |||
| March 1, 2022 6:30 p.m., FS1 |
No. 11 | No. 9 Providence | W 76–74 | 22–7 (15–4) |
20 – Daniels | 6 – Moore | 5 – Gillespie | Finneran Pavilion (6,501) Villanova, PA | |||
| March 5, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX |
No. 11 | at Butler | W 78–59 | 23–7 (16–4) |
16 – Moore | 7 – Longino | 4 – Gillespie | Hinkle Fieldhouse (8,163) Indianapolis, IN | |||
| Big East tournament | |||||||||||
| March 10, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 |
(2) No. 8 | vs. (7) St. John's Quarterfinals |
W 66–65 | 24–7 |
19 – Daniels | 9 – Dixon | 3 – Gillespie | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY | |||
| March 11, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 |
(2) No. 8 | vs. (3) No. 20 UConn Semifinals |
W 63–60 | 25–7 |
21 – Samuels | 12 – Samuels | 10 – Gillespie | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY | |||
| March 12, 2022 6:30 p.m., FOX |
(2) No. 8 | vs. (4) Creighton Championship |
W 54–48 | 26–7 |
17 – Gillespie | 8 – Samuels | 5 – Gillespie | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY | |||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| March 18, 2022 2:45 p.m., CBS |
(2 S) No. 6 | vs. (15 S) Delaware First Round |
W 80–60 | 27–7 |
21 – Moore | 9 – Samuels | 6 – Moore | PPG Paints Arena (18,738) Pittsburgh, PA | |||
| March 20, 2022 2:40 p.m., CBS |
(2 S) No. 6 | vs. (7 S) Ohio State Second Round |
W 71–61 | 28–7 |
20 – Gillespie | 8 – Tied | 4 – Gillespie | PPG Paints Arena (18,506) Pittsburgh, PA | |||
| March 24, 2022 7:29 p.m., TBS |
(2 S) No. 6 | vs. (11 S) Michigan Sweet Sixteen |
W 63–55 | 29–7 |
22 – Samuels | 9 – Daniels | 4 – Moore | AT&T Center (17,357) San Antonio, TX | |||
| March 26, 2022 6:09 p.m., TBS |
(2 S) No. 6 | vs. (5 S) No. 15 Houston Elite Eight |
W 50–44 | 30–7 |
16 – Samuels | 10 – Samuels | 2 – Tied | AT&T Center (17,186) San Antonio, TX | |||
| April 2, 2022 6:09 p.m., TBS |
(2 S) No. 6 | vs. (1 MW) No. 3 Kansas Final Four |
L 65–81 | 30–8 |
17 – Gillespie | 8 – Slater | 3 – Tied | Caesars Superdome (70,602) New Orleans, LA | |||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Close
Source[10]
More information Week, Poll ...
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 6 | Not released |
| Coaches | 4 | 5* | 7 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 22 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 |
Close
*Coaches did not release a week 1 poll.
Big East Conference honors
All-Big East Awards
- Player of the Year: Collin Gillespie[11]
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Collin Gillespie[11]
All-Big East First Team
- Collin Gillespie[12]
All-Big East Second Team
National awards
- Bob Cousy Award: Collin Gillespie[13]
- Third Team All-American: Collin Gillespie (AP, NABC, Sporting News, USBWA)[14]
- "Villanova coach Jay Wright steps down, joining growing number who are walking away from a changing profession". CBSSports.com. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- "Wright retiring after 21 years as Villanova coach". ESPN.com. April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- Juliano, Joe. "Top seed Villanova upset by Georgetown, 72–71, in Big East quarterfinals". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- "NCAA Tournament 2021: No. 1 seed Baylor rallies in second half vs. Villanova to move on to Elite Eight". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- "College Basketball Rankings 2020-21 - Coaches Poll". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- "Thunder acquire No. 32 pick Jeremiah Robinson-Earl from Knicks". www.nba.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- "Villanova's Swider transferring to Syracuse". ESPN.com. April 6, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- Zagoria, Adam. "NCAA Coaching Carousel: Fordham Names Villanova Assistant Kyle Neptune Head Coach". Forbes. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- Juliano, Joe. "Villanova's Jay Wright announces coaching staff changes". www.inquirer.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". villanova.com. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
- Fitzpatrick, Mike (March 9, 2022). "Gillespie Big East POY again, Cooley 1st Friars coach to win". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- "Champagnie, Gillespie Repeat on All-Big East First Team". Big East Conference. March 6, 2022. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- Jensen, Mike (April 2, 2022). "Villanova's Collin Gillespie wins Bob Cousy award as nation's top point guard". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- All-American selections from:
- Skretta, Dave (March 15, 2022). "Big Ten lands three players on AP All-America first team". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- "USBWA names 2021-22 men's All-America team". United States Basketball Writers Association. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- "NABC Names 2022 Division I All-America Teams". National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 18, 2021. Archived from the original on April 4, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
- DeCourcy, Mike (March 7, 2022). "Sporting News 2021-22 college basketball All-America team". Sporting News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.