Despite there already being two invitational tournaments, last spring marked the first time that the NCAA officially sponsored one in women’s basketball. The Villanova Wildcats earned one of the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament’s four No. 1 seeds behind their 18-12 record at the time. One season removed from Maddy Siegrist’s departure, Villanova almost made history.
Head coach Denise Dillon’s Wildcats handled business at home during the tournament’s first three rounds. Lucy Olsen’s scoring touch and Christina Dalce’s defense propelled Villanova into Hinkle Fieldhouse and past the Penn State Nittany Lions in the semifinals.
But instead of becoming the tournament’s inaugural champions, the Wildcats became the inaugural runners-up. Three players scored 15+ points for the Illinois Fighting Illini, who shot 45.8% from the field in their 71-57 championship victory. While Villanova left Indianapolis without a title, they possessed talent on both sides of the ball to stick with anybody.
Most of those stars entered the transfer portal or graduated during the offseason, however. Olsen and Dalce departed for Iowa and Maryland, respectively. Zanai Jones joined the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Southern Methodist Mustangs. Bella Runyan opted not to exercise her final year of eligibility.
Those departures, devastating as they all were, should not automatically dismiss any chances the Wildcats have at competing with the Big East Conference’s best.
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Big East All-Freshman Team Selection Maddie Webber should continue Villanova’s decade-long line of prominent scorers. There is more than meets the eye with Webber’s 7.7 points per game; she had 11 double-digit outings and scored 15+ points four times. Although she played in only one WBIT game, the 2023 Pittsburgh Post Gazette Player of the Year earned her place in the postseason starting lineup.
Webber’s collegiate game should continue its upward trajectory with graduate student Maddie Burke in the Wildcats’ backcourt. Burke experienced a senior slump, crossing double figures just twice and grabbing 5+ boards only once last season. If the former Nittany Lion rediscovers her shooting, scoring and rebounding prowess, Villanova could possess one of the league’s scariest guard tandems.
Senior Kaitlyn Orihel tacks on to the Wildcats' multifaceted attack at the guard position. Orihel posted career bests in points (6.0) and rebounds (2.5) while twice flirting with a double-double as a junior. Villanova’s longest-tenured player regularly delivered whenever she released the ball; she shot nearly 50% from the floor and 36.7% from downtown.
Forwards Brynn McCurry and Denae Carter could both become starters for the Wildcats. Although she averaged 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds as a first-year student, McCurry shot 45.6% from the floor and recorded 42 assists. Carter, who did not play last season, collected six double-doubles and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game in two seasons with the Mississippi State Bulldogs. While both forwards have starting-caliber skillsets, one of them may have to come off the bench.
Graduate forward Lara Edmanson shot sensationally last season. The Santa Clara transfer backed up her 47.3% mark from behind the arc with a 53.9% rate from the entire floor. The Big East’s tough reputation should help Edmanson bounce back after she experienced a dip in her scoring and rebounding averages as a senior. With more open looks, the Australian native could potentially collect 20-point performances as often as she did during her junior campaign.
Dillion’s dive into the portal also yielded three guards who could give Villanova one of the league’s deepest backcourts. Vanderbilt transfer Ryanne Allen, a Philadelphia native, shined in the transition game with 13 assists and eight steals in only 6.7 minutes per game. Do not be surprised if the Wildcats turn to Allen to take the potential game-deciding shot in crunch time.
Southeast Missouri transfer Jaliyah Green should thrive in a backup point guard role following back-to-back campaigns with 50+ assists and 30+ steals. Green can also command the floor when Villanova’s starting point guard, likely Orihel, needs a breather. Holy Cross graduate transfer Bronagh-Power Cassidy won consecutive Patriot League titles and gives the Wildcats a third three-point threat.
Villanova’s hopes of competing for a Big East crown, regular season or postseason, nearly went off the rails when their leading stars left. Harry Perretta’s successor, Dillon, remained calm amidst the chaos and kept the Wildcat locomotive on the tracks.
Conference play and the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, more than anything, will define Villanova’s March Madness chances. The blend of talent the Wildcats have should secure one of the conference’s top three spots in the standings and solidify their NCAA Tournament return.
How the Huskies can defeat Villanova next season
Only one team had more rejections than the UConn women’s basketball team’s 151 last year. Villanova, who played four fewer contests, finished ahead of the Huskies with 4.8 blocks per game and 168 total. Even without their co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year, the Wildcats will always have someone eager to host a block party in the post.
Burke, Orihel and Edmanson each swatted 10+ shots last season. Carter crossed double figures in both of her seasons in Starkville, Mississippi. McCurry and Power-Cassidy will also likely contribute toward replacing Dalce’s defense down low. Stopping any of those six does not necessarily mean blocking them more often. Rather, slowing Villanova’s defense down will mean keeping their players away from the ball.
Connecticut has playmakers who can do just that. Redshirt junior Paige Bueckers and sophomore KK Arnold can pass the ball around multiple times before someone takes a shot. Sophomore Ashlynn Shade and redshirt junior Azzi Fudd, at full strength, can shift one way prior to launching a three-point attempt. Only once out of her 14 games last season did sixth-year redshirt senior Aubrey Griffin turn the ball over more than two times.
The Wildcats rejected just three shots when they upset the Huskies at the XL Center in 2022. Sure, UConn may have held the edge statistically without blocking machine Olivia Nelson-Ododa, but Villanova still played with a much tighter defense. If the Huskies want to avoid experiencing that unthinkable reality again, they will need to block like crazy.
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