Villanova basketball game preview: 3 things to watch vs. Lafayette

The Villanova Wildcats are ready to kick off the new season on Monday night when they take on Lafayette.

The Wildcats are scheduled to host the visiting Leopards at Finneran Pavilion at 8:00 p.m. ET.

The game will also be available on Fox Sports 1 and the Fox Sports app. Since it's the season opener for most Big East teams, Fox Sports 1 is bringing back its comprehensive coverage with live insights, similar to NFL Red Zone on opening night.

If you just want to watch the Villanova-Lafayette game, without interruptions or cuts for other Big East teams, you'll need to download the Fox Sports app on your phone, computer or smart TV to watch the game in full .

In the meantime, here are three things to keep an eye on Monday night:

Lafayette's one-two punch

The Leopards went 11-21 last season in coach Mike McGarvey's first season with the team. Despite their struggles, they were able to retain much of their core from last year.

Lafayette likes to sit deep on the bench and used a 10-man rotation last season. The Leopards have seven of those players back and after a year of familiarity with McGarvey's system, they are hoping for a better year.

Guard Devin Hines and 7-foot center Justin Vander Baan are back. They were the Leopards' top two producers last season and will reprise their role as leading duals.

Hines averaged 9.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 37.2% overall. Vander Baan was a solid rim protector and rebounder as well as a solid passer from the low block. He had 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.2 blocks per game.

Also keep an eye on Chris Rubayo. The 6-foot-10 forward is primed for a larger role following the departure of Kyle Jenkins, who transferred to Fairfield after being one of Lafayette's top options last year.

Last year, Lafayette was more of a defensive-oriented team, and with Vander Baan under center, the Leopards were able to hold their opponents inside to a 46.6% shooting percentage, good for 34th in the country.

They struggled offensively, ranking 347th in offensive efficiency according to KenPom. They also finished 300th or worse in various shooting categories. It will be interesting to see if Lafayette improves in its second year under McGarvey, with a good portion of the returnees coming back, or if it stays more of the same.

Villanova's three-point shot

The jury is still out on whether Villanova will be able to shoot all three, but looking at Robert Morris' performance, it feels like last year – Eric Dixon and/or another player can do it from long range , and the rest of the team struggles to capitalize on open looks.

This was just one game and it's still very early, so hopefully we can see some of those open threes fall.

Villanova shot 33.8% as a team last year, a percentage boosted by Brendan Hausen (38.1%), Eric Dixon (34.6%) and TJ Bamba (36.9%). Only Dixon remains, and he's already attracting a lot of attention from opposing teams.

The Wildcats are at their best when they can threaten with multiple shooters on the sidelines, but when Dixon and just one other player are the only threats that opponents have to respect from distance, it definitely limits Villanova's offensive options.

Against Robert Morris, Dixon was 5 of 9 from deep and seemed to pick up where he left off last year, leading the Cats with 28 points. Jordan Longino had a great offensive performance, scoring 21 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 3-for-4 from long range.

The rest of the team shot 0:19 from distance. It's hard to imagine another type of game like this in back-to-back games.

Hopefully these looks will start to diminish, especially now that it's real this time and the regular season is starting.

With Dixon suspended for one game, there are chances for everyone

Dixon is serving a one-game suspension, but you already know what to expect from Dixon and his ability to lead the 'Cats. I remain more curious about how all the new pieces play their roles and fit together.

Is this the year Longino can be healthy and finally show his true potential?

Jhamir Brickus can definitely help after recording ten assists and just one turnover against Robert Morris, but will he show more of his finishing and scoring side?

How will Wooga Poplar bounce back after a hard night of filming at the exhibition?

Can Enoch Boakye extend his double-double against sizes closer to his size? (Robert Morris's tallest player was 6-foot-1, while Lafayette has the 7-foot-1 Vander Baan and 6-foot-1 Rubayo.)

Kyle Neptune said Nnanna Njoku will play in the season opener. How will this change the starting lineup and rotation? What will he look like in his first appearance since knee surgery? Does this mean fewer minutes for Josiah Moseley?

In the Robert Morris exhibition, Kris Parker, Tyler Perkins and Moseley were the main contacts on the substitutes' bench. Freshmen Malcolm Thomas and Aleksandar “Sasha” Gavalyugov were lower on the depth chart and only played a few minutes. Will that change in any way on Monday evening?

There's a lot to consider in this first game, even if it's Lafayette, especially as we slowly begin to learn more about the redesigned Cats.

Oh, and how can we forget – will the Wildcats avoid the dreaded slow start right out of the gate?