We’re just over a month out from the Blue-White scrimmage and the return of Villanova basketball! With the release of the full schedule this past week, we know what the Wildcats’ path to another Big East title and NCAA Tournament berth will look like. Here, we want to highlight our initial takeaways from the schedule.

Non-Conference Schedule

Obviously, there’s one game that absolutely leaps off the page when glancing at the schedule: December 21 against Kansas. The ‘Cats have played some epic games with the Jayhawks over the past few years, from the upset of second-ranked Kansas at the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2013, to the instant classic in the Elite 8 on the way to the 2016 national title, to last year’s hard-fought three-point loss in Lawrence. Of course, Kansas was also a Villanova victim on the way to the 2018 title, although that game lacked drama. In December, the teams will add another chapter to this recent history as the ‘Cats have an opportunity for a big-time statement win.

The Jayhawks aren’t the only marquee opponent on the non-conference schedule, however. When ‘Nova travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State, the Buckeyes will likely be in or very near the top 25. A true road win over a team of Ohio State’s caliber would be huge for the resume.

The ‘Cats will also look to add yet another early-season tournament title to the list of accolades when they participate in the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Success at these events has become a staple of the incredible run Villanova is on, and it will look to continue that trend. A win over Middle Tennessee State in the opening game would earn the ‘Cats a date with the winner of Mississippi State and Tulane. But the real intrigue comes from a potential title game matchup with Baylor, who should be a top 25 team.

The state of the rest of the Big 5 schools has served to remove some of the shine from those matchups recently, but the intensity of those games remains constant.

Big East Play

There is a fairly strong consensus regarding the top teams in the conference this season: Villanova, Seton Hall, and Xavier. After those three, opinions vary widely as to how the rest of the conference will shake out. The transfer of the Hauser brothers moved Marquette from a potential top 10 team to one with a whole lot of questions. However, the presence of Markus Howard keeps the Golden Eagles threatening. Some, including me, are rather high on Creighton. Georgetown should be improved and looking to announce its return to relevance. Butler and Providence always seem to be pesky regardless of projections. With all the uncertainty in mind, we’ve highlighted three key stretches for the ‘Cats based on the first look at the schedule.

‘Nova starts off conference play with a tough three-game stretch. The Wildcats will host Xavier to kick things off, and the Musketeers will have designs on a conference title and will want to send a message at the start of conference play. From there, two daunting road games loom.

First, a trip to Milwaukee to take on Marquette. The atmosphere was electric at Fiserv Forum last season, and despite the loss of the Hausers, Markus Howard is the kind of player that can steal games. After Marquette, it’s a visit to Creighton to take on the Bluejays. As we mentioned, we expect Creighton to be a factor in the conference as they return a strong group. The CHI Health Center, formerly the CenturyLink Center, is one of the most difficult venues to play in in the Big East. We should learn a lot about the ‘Cats in the first three games of the conference schedule.

Another tough three-game stretch looms in the middle of the season, from February 5-12, when the ‘Cats will travel to Butler before hosting Seton Hall and Marquette.

Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse is always daunting, and the Bulldogs are never an easy out. Seton Hall appears to be the top threat to Villanova’s place at the top of the conference, with Myles Powell highlighting a strong roster. We already discussed the problems posed by Markus Howard and Marquette. You could argue that the February 1 game against Creighton should be included here, making it a four-game gauntlet. The good news is three of the four games are at home, but this stretch will go a long way in determining what the final standings look like.

Finally, the ‘Cats end with a tough two-game road swing. They’ll end the season by traveling to Seton Hall and Georgetown. We just discussed Seton Hall, and it’s not a stretch to think that this game could determine the regular-season champion. As we mentioned earlier, the Hoyas are poised for a return to the NCAA Tournament, and they’d like nothing more than to bolster the resume with a season-ending win over Villanova. The rivalry factor plays a role in the matchup as well.

Overview

The non-conference schedule is solid and presents the opportunity for several marquee wins. The conference schedule presents the usual gauntlet as the conference looks to bounce back from a bit of a down year in 2018-19. The relatively wide-open feel entering the season should heighten the drama and the increasing strength of the conference should allow for further resume building. The way things shake out once the ball goes up will likely serve to create some other key matchups in conference play, but for now the three stretches we highlighted stand out. It should be fun to see how it all shakes out.