Villanova University has fielded a basketball team since the 1920-21 season. Nicknamed the
"Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 29 times, the 8th highest total in NCAA history. They made the Final Four in 1939, 1971, and 1985, and were National Champions in 1985. Villanova has appeared in the NIT 17 times, winning in 1994, and won the Big East Tournament in 1995. Villanova enters the 2007-2008 season with an all-time winning percentage of .637, placing the Wildcats 20th among all NCAA Division I basketball programs.
Villanova began its varsity basketball program in 1920. Michael Saxe coached for six seasons, from 1920-1926, compiling a 64-30 record (.681). John Cashman coached three seasons, from 1926-1929, compiling a 21-21 record (.447). George Jacobs coached seven seasons, from 1929-1936, and had a 62-56 record (.525).
The team played its first game in 1920 in Alumni Hall on Villanova's campus, beating Catholic University 43-40. In the early years, Villanova's home courts were Alumni Hall and West Catholic High School. The Wildcats moved into the Villanova Field House (now known as the Jake Nevin Field House) in 1932. Villanova also played many home games at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania beginning in 1929. The Wildcats played home games in both the Villanova Field House and the Palestra until 1986.
The inaugural NCAA Tournament featured eight teams from throughout the country. Villanova, representing the Middle Atlantic States, beat Brown, representative of the New England States, 43-40 before a crowd of 3,500 at the Palestra. The following night, the Wildcats lost to Ohio State 53-36 in the Eastern Division Championship
The 2007-08 campaign was an erratic one for the young Wildcats, a team with no seniors. After a promising 9-1 start, Villanova had a rough start to its Big East season. In mid-season, the Wildcats lost five consecutive games by double digits and lost 6 of 7 games during a 3-week span in the middle of the season, as the freshmen struggled to adjust to the college game, and the experienced players encountered difficulties in adjusting to leadership positions. In February and March, as the players became more comfortable within Coach Wright's system, and with improved defense, the team began to win.
A win against Syracuse in the Big East Tournament was good enough for the Wildcats to secure one of the final at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament. Villanova proved it was worthy of the bid with an upset over Clemson and a victory over Siena put them in the final 16 teams in the tournament, where they lost to eventual National Champion Kansas.
Coming off of a 22-13 (9-9) record in the 2008 season, Villanova returns all but one from their entire roster that made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Following the 2008 Season, freshman guard Macolm Grant transferred to the University of Miami. The team has two new additions, although neither will play this season. Maurice Sutton is a 6ft 11in freshman center from Largo, MD who has been designated as a red shirt for this season. The other addition is Taylor King, a 6ft 6in sophomore forward who must sit out this season per NCAA rules after transferring from Duke University.
Team Website: http://villanova.cstv.com
School Website: www.villanova.edu
