Wright must adjust rotation without Moore

By KEN DAVIS

Villanova starting guard Justin Moore had surgery Monday morning to repair the torn Achilles tendon he suffered Saturday in a win over Houston that lifted the Wildcats into the Final Four.

It was instantly obvious that Moore would not be able to play in the Final Four.

Now Villanova coach Jay Wright begins the process of altering his lineup and rotation as the Wildcats prepare to play Kansas in a national semifinal game in New Orleans.

Wright began that discussion with the national media during a national Zoom press conference Monday.

“I want try to address … just what an incredible player Justin is, how unique he is in our program,” Wright said. “He can defend any position. He’s one of the best rebounding guards in the country. He plays every position for us offensively except [center]. And he’s a leader out there.

“He’s probably our most valuable player. I just want everybody to know I think he’s underrated. He’s truly one of the most complete players in the country.”

Moore, a 6-foot-4 junior, was a second-team All-Big East selection. Wright would argue he belonged on the first team. Moore leads Villanova in minutes, is second in scoring and defines the toughness of the program. He averages 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

That’s a lot to replace, especially for a team has six players who average at least 25 minutes. Collin Gillespie, Eric Dixon, Jermaine Samuels and Brandon Slater are Wright’s other starters. Caleb Daniels gets the majority of the minutes off the bench and will asked to do even more with Moore unavailable.

“Other guys can step up, and we can be a good team without him,” Wright said. “I didn’t want to say that first because I don’t want to undervalue what this guy is.”

Daniels played almost 37 minutes against Houston. Chris Arcidiacono was the only other Wildcat to come off the bench and he played under three minutes. In Villanova’s win over Michigan in the Sweet 16, Daniels payed 35 minutes, Arcidiacono logged under a minute, and Bryan Antoine played less than three minutes.

In addition to those three, Wright may give minutes to freshman forward Trey Patterson.

“All of our guys off the bench will play more minutes,” Wright said. “Even Eric Dixon, who starts, will play more minutes There are opportunities for them. . . . With that said, know how good Kansas is. They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason.”

Moore is so good, it’s possible he would have guarded KU All-American Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun or Remy Martin, who has been an energizer off the bench for Kansas in the NCAA tournament.

During the regular season, Moore missed a game against Connecticut with a sprained ankle. Villanova still won 85-74. Arcidiacono played 26 minutes in that game.

Villanova has been down this road before. Gillespie sat out the 2021 postseason after injuring his knee and having surgery. Villanova advanced to the Sweet 16 without the Big East player of the year and battled eventual national champion Baylor before losing.

Wright, inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last year, is known for his ability to adjust to any situation. The loss of Moore doesn’t mean Kansas will be able to breeze past the Wildcats into the national championship game.

“It’s something our guys are going to have to understand,” Wright said. “We’ve been through this, we played well without a great player, and it’s what a program is about.”