Villanova kicked off the 2023-24 season with a comfortable, convincing win over American. Here are four takeaways from the win as we get familiar with the new look 'Cats.

Chemistry/commitment not a problem

Two of the biggest questions entering the season was whether or not the team would have any chemistry issues early in the season with four transfers taking on significant roles with the team and whether those transfers would have any issues buying into what Villanova basketball does. Both questions were answered in resounding fashion against American.

In terms of chemistry, there were no issues. The ball movement was good, the defensive rotations were generally solid and Villanova got contributions from up and down the roster. 11 Wildcats played on Monday night, with 10 of them scoring and recording at least one other stat.

Villanova assisted on 19 of 32 made buckets and committed just seven turnovers, with eight of the 11 'Cats to play having a turnover-free game. The Wildcats looked connected and played a cohesive game.

As far as commitment goes, the question was answered early and often, and even more encouragingly, oftentimes it was the transfers leading the way. TJ Bamba was on the court after loose balls at least four times, while Tyler Burton hit the deck at least three times. Hakim Hart was patient, scoring nine of his 11 points in the second half, while Lance Ware embraced his role beautifully, providing toughness and defense. Burton expounded on "Villanova basketball" in his postgame press conference, and it was obvious that everyone has bought in to the culture.

Depth/versatility could be major plus for 'Cats

Building off something we mentioned above, depth and versatility could prove to be significant advantages for Villanova this season.

As we said, 11 Wildcats played on Monday with 10 of them scoring. Five 'Cats reached double figures while another had nine points. Six different 'Cats hit a three-pointer, while nine recorded a rebound and eight recorded an assist.

One advantage here is that opponents won't be able to zero in on one or two players in an attempt to slow the 'Nova attack. On any given night, any number of Wildcats can carry the scoring load.

In addition, Villanova did it's offensive damage in a variety of ways. The 'Cats hit 10 three-pointers, shot 22-32 on two-point attempts and added 16 points from the free-throw line in 19 trips. Villanova displayed a multi-dimensional offense that won't allow opponents to focus on a single aspect. Pack the lane? 'Nova is capable of winning the game with threes. Sell out to guard the perimeter? The 'Cats can attack the rim or work the post game. The depth and versatility of this team will make it very difficult for opponents to game plan for Villanova.

Finally, the depth should allow the 'Cats to play 40 minutes of Villanova basketball. No Wildcat played more than 28 minutes and nine played at least 14 minutes. That should allow the Wildcats to stay fresh and keep up the defensive intensity for the full 40 minutes. It's a factor that Burton, Eric Dixon and Coach Neptune all discussed after the game on Monday.

'Cats looking to get downhill

We touched on this above, but it appeared there was a concerted effort to attack the rim on Monday night. A majority of the time, the first move of a player who received a pass on the perimeter was towards the basket. Sometimes it was as subtle as a jab step, other times it was a full-on drive.

Those efforts were reflected in the stats, as 'Nova piled up 38 points in the paint and earned 19 trips to the free-throw line.

'Cats playing faster

Another clear change was Villanova playing faster.

This doesn't necessarily mean the Wildcats were looking to fast-break at every opportunity or chucking up shots with 20 seconds on the shot clock. The offense generally looked like a normal Villanova offense, moving the ball and looking for the shot it wants.

However, it was impossible not to notice that after almost every defensive rebound, one of two things happened. Either there was a quick outlet pass, or the rebounder took off up-court on his own.

This led to Villanova having the chance to probe for an offensive opportunity before the defense was able to get set, but more importantly it allowed the 'Cats to get into their offense faster.

Again, Villanova wasn't necessarily playing with blazing speed, but it did score seven fast-break points. More interestingly, Villanova's average possession length was 16.8 seconds, per KenPom, ranking slightly faster than average nationally at No. 135. For reference, 'Nova ranked in the 300s in possession length each of the last three years.

Of course, this was only one game. It could have been an anomaly, or it could have been a factor of game flow or the way American was playing or an opponent-specific adjustment by Neptune. We'll have to watch the trend as the season progresses. Regardless, there was a clear effort to get the ball up-court more quickly on Monday night.