Eight Years Later, Virginia and Villanova Meet Under Different Circumstances

William Smythe | Nov 13, 2024

Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Virginia and Villanova’s heavyweight fight in Philadelphia nearly eight years ago featured ten future NBA players. A No. 1-ranked Wildcat team edged out the twelfth-ranked ‘Hoos with a buzzer-beating putback layup from the following year’s Final Four MVP — Donte DiVincenzo. The Wildcats’ Jay Wright had just won one of two national titles the year prior, while the Hoos’ Tony Bennett would go on to win his championship two years later. Both Virginia and Villanova enjoyed enormous success and reached the pinnacle of college basketball under the watch of two great minds of the game. 

Now, with wide-sweeping changes dominating the college basketball landscape, both Wright and Bennett have called it quits — the former in April of 2022 and the latter on October 18th of this year. Moreover, they did it on their own terms. Wright shocked the nation by retiring shortly after the Wildcats fell admirably against eventual national champion Kansas in the Final Four. Bennett hung it up two weeks before this season began. Villanova’s all-time wins leader retired at the age of 60, while Virginia’s at 55.

The former’s decision looks eerily similar when considering the nature of his reasoning to leave Villanova, where he coached for 22 seasons. “I started to feel just like I didn’t have that edge that I’ve always had, so I just started evaluating it.” said Wright. Moreover, he cited that his coaching staff had a keen understanding of NIL matters, which would only help the decision to pass along the program to a younger, in-house coach. Bennett, of course, mentioned in his farewell presser that he didn’t consider himself to be the best person to lead the Virginia men’s basketball program anymore. An evolving state of college athletics eventually overwhelmed Wright and Bennett, who also applauded his staff for their knowledge of how to navigate uncharted waters. 

Following Bennett’s recent announcement, Wright put out a tweet: “Tony is one of the most talented and toughest coaches we ever competed against…A class guy — inspirational — spiritual and an incredible competitor!” Coincidentally, ESPN’s college basketball insider, Jeff Borzello, had interviewed Virginia’s longtime coach a week prior and had asked about the possibility of a Jay Wright-esque departure from the sport. Bennett remarked that “I gotta call [Wright] and see what he says, right?”

A retirement announcement followed shortly after; however, we don’t know if the two had a conversation in the interim. Bennett referenced departures from standout coaches across college sports such as Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and Nick Saban at Alabama, as well.

A mutual respect between the younger guard of the nation’s most accomplished coaches perhaps influenced Bennett’s decision to hand off the baton to his successor, interim head coach Ron Sanchez. Following Wright’s retirement, eight-year assistant Kyle Neptune jumped back over to the Main Line from Fordham after one season as the head coach. Both Sanchez — who led Charlotte from 2018-2023 — and Neptune left their assistant gigs to pursue a head coaching position at mid-major schools. Sanchez did, however, return to Virginia one year prior to receiving the interim tag this offseason, while Neptune left Fordham to secure the prized title of Wright’s successor at Villanova. For both national championship-winning coaches, establishing continuity within their respective programs seemed to be paramount to external pressures.

Following the footsteps of Wright has proved to be an uphill battle for Neptune. A 90-80 loss to the Ivy League’s Columbia and a 83-76 defeat on Tuesday night at St. Joseph’s are the most recent defeats in the assistant’s third year as head coach. The Wildcats (2-2) have now lost to four of the “Big Five” Philadelphia schools — Drexel, Temple, Penn and St. Joe’s (twice) — and Neptune has yet to make the NCAA Tournament despite boasting a top-five transfer class in 2023 and a top-25 recruiting class the year prior. This is a drastic fall for a program which tallied two national championships and two Big East tournament titles in a three-year span. 

While Sanchez has only coached two games for Virginia (2-0) thus far, it’ll be near-impossible for ‘Hoo fans to put the nostalgia behind them. A strong season from the interim head coach will give him a fighting chance at wresting the job from external suitors, but Sanchez will need to prove to the athletic department that he can carry Bennett’s torch sans issue. It is all but guaranteed that Villanova will move on this offseason; whether they will look elsewhere or stick to an internal program hire remains a question. Both athletic departments are staring down the barrel of a major decision. Is it better to move away from the shadows of two legends and blaze a new trail?

Virginia vs. Villanova: Players to Watch

Fifth-year forward Eric Dixon (26.3 PPG, 8.3 RPG), senior guard Jordan Longino (10.0 PPG), and senior forward Nnanna Njoku (3.3 RPG) are the only relics — player-wise — of the Wright era. Dixon is also undoubtedly Neptune’s best piece on the roster. In the Wildcats’ loss to Columbia, the 6’8, 265-pound forward starred with 33 points, six rebounds, and three steals on a 71.4% clip from behind the arc, and he followed that up with 22 and 24-point outings against NJIT and St. Joe’s, respectively. Dixon is unique in that he can use his physical frame to outmuscle opponents down low, but his stretch shooting ability has allowed him to keep defenses honest. This will be a tall test for junior forward Elijah Saunders, freshman forward Jacob Cofie, and sophomore center Blake Buchanan. It all depends on on-court personnel, yet these three are more well-suited than most to contain one of the Big East’s premier players.

Buchanan will presumably be occupied with Villanova’s 6’11 big man Enoch Boakye (6.0 PPG, 5.8 RPG). Frankly, Boakye might not see more than ten minutes against the ‘Hoos. The Fresno State transfer only played seven minutes against St. Joe’s due to early foul trouble and registered zero points, a block, and a steal, so Dixon might fill in as a quasi-center Friday night. He and senior guard Wooga Poplar (15.3 PPG) — a Miami transfer — are accounting for nearly half of Villanova’s scoring production, unsurprising considering their experience playing at a high-major level. 

Poplar isn’t a stranger to Virginia as an opponent, having played against the ‘Hoos four times in his career as a Hurricane. While fielding plenty of options in the portal, the senior chose to come back to his hometown of Philadelphia to boost a Wildcat guard room bereft of all but one of its returners in Longino. Poplar is an athletic, taller shooting guard who is highly capable of getting downhill to generate a high-percentage shot around the rim. 

Unfortunately, Virginia no longer has the services of an elite perimeter defender in Jalen Warley, and the assignment to cover Poplar might have to be delegated to junior Isaac McKneely — a Pack-Line veteran. Sophomore wing TJ Power wouldn’t be an ideal matchup for Villanova’s second-most dangerous weapon, and senior guard Taine Murray really struggled against Coppin State Monday night.

Virginia vs. Villanova: Keys to the Game

Backcourt steadiness, whether it’s Andrew Rohde or Dai Dai Ames — or a mix of both

Virginia will go as far as its point guard room takes them in 2024-25.

Who knows if junior guard Andrew Rohde will return to the lineup Friday, as he was a late scratch Monday night. Sophomore Dai Dai Ames — a Kansas State transfer — played 30 minutes in Rohde’s stead against Coppin State and looked the part of a starter, posting 13 points, three assists, and two blocks while converting two of three attempts from behind the arc.

Look, I know many people aren’t clamoring for Rohde to remain the starting point guard. It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if Sanchez splits minutes between the two. Both Virginia’s interim head coach and Saunders spoke highly of the junior in each of their press conference appearances, even despite a 13-point performance from Ames. A matchup against ‘Nova’s Jhamir Brickus — a 5’11 guard — could be an opportunity for Rohde to showcase signs of shot creation from his days at St. Thomas (MN). Brickus, who exploded for 22 points against St. Joe’s, will likely be tasked with whichever of the two is on the court, yet both Rohde and Ames have a size advantage on the fifth-year from La Salle. 

However, the matchup might be more ideal for Ames. Brickus has a lightning-quick first step, and Rohde might look flat-footed against ‘Nova’s primary point guard. Ames, hopefully confident following his standout minutes against Coppin State, is also a preferred option defensively. St. Joe’s frequently denied Brickus the ball last night and forced the Wildcats’ off-ball guards — Longino and Poplar — to create the offense, which led to some stagnant possessions.

Rohde didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet against Campbell, with a one-point, five-assist, and four-turnover performance somewhat reflective of what we saw throughout the course of last season. If Sanchez does keep him firmly entrenched in the rotation, the junior needs to be steadier with power-conference teams on the horizon. This means fewer turnovers, fewer lapses on the defensive end, and a higher % conversion of open three-point attempts. The leash will be short as Ames comes into his own. Moreover, the Kansas State transfer will have to prove that his team-leading offensive efficiency numbers against Coppin State weren’t a fluke.

Pack-Line needs to come to play in the frontcourt

Virginia’s frontcourt unit of Saunders, Cofie, and Buchanan needs to set the tone early against Dixon and Boakye. Dixon is an interior bruiser whose play down low reminds me of ex-North Carolina center Armando Bacot, and his three-point shooting prowess (10 of 19 through three games) will put some pressure on the Achilles’ heel of the Pack-Line. I believe that Saunders stands the best chance of stymying the preseason All-Big East First Team selection. Albeit conceding 25 pounds to Dixon, his experience in a defensive-oriented system at San Diego State and a physical presence give him the edge. Sanchez just needs Saunders to beware early foul trouble.

If you restrict Dixon’s ability to score around the rim, you cut off Villanova’s primary channel of offense. It’s inevitable that ‘Nova’s leading scorer will put up plenty of attempts from behind the arc, as well, considering his 40% three-point clip against St. Joe’s on ten attempts. Poplar can’t generate enough offense by himself to keep the Wildcats humming; however, Brickus proved he isn’t just a pass-first guard, compensating for the Miami transfer’s inefficient shooting night — 27.3% FG on 11 attempts.

Everything comes down to Sanchez’ plan to contain Dixon, though. Crashing the paint and forcing Villanova’s guards to win the game from three-point range may be a suitable strategy. The Wildcats also struggled to evade the Hawks’ pressure-oriented defense on the perimeter, which Ames and potentially McKneely can replicate. Cofie, who tallied four steals and three blocks in a Ryan Dunn-esque performance against Coppin State, can further disrupt passing lanes and contribute to Villanova’s turnover-laden trend this season.

This game lacks the moxie it had eight years ago. Nonetheless, Virginia and Villanova will both search for a momentum-building win as each of their coaches fights tooth and nail to retain the jobs left by Bennett and Wright, respectively. Tip-off is scheduled for 5pm ET, and the game will be televised on TNT. 

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