The upcoming college basketball season will give an accurate reading on Villanova Wildcats coach Kyle Neptune’s influence over the team after he took over last year from retiring coach Jay Wright.

Neptune had a tough first season with the team.  But this season, the Wildcats are loaded with upper-class talent and could be a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, writes Harry Allison for FastPhillySports.

A preseason Hoops Poll puts Villanova at No. 11 in the rankings.

Justin Moore should be at full strength this season, and Eric Dixon is back with his All-Big East caliber.

Neptune has added Hakim Hart, T.J. Bamba, and Tyler Burton, three all-conference quality older players.

The Wildcats have three physical drivers in Bamba, Moore, and Hart. All are dribble-pass-shoot threats, and they are switchable on defense.

This is the kind of roster mix that was under Jay Wright when the Wildcats thrived.

The question remains: Will Neptune have Moore run the show as lead guard, or will it go to Armstrong after his strong performance at the U19 World Cup this summer?

If Neptune gets the mix right, the Wildcats could win the Big East.

See if you agree with the full analysis of the Villanova Wildcats’ upcoming season at FastPhillySports.