2005–06 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team

2005–06 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
2005–06 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Big East regular season co-champions
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Big East Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 3
Record	28–5 (14–2 Big East)
Head coach	Jay Wright (5th season);
Assistant coaches	Brett Gunning; Ed Pinckney; Pat Chambers;
Home arena	The Pavilion
	Seasons ← 2004–05 2006–07 →

2005–06 Big East men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 2 Connecticut	14	–	2	.875	30	–	4	.882
No. 3 Villanova	14	–	2	.875	28	–	5	.848
No. 22 West Virginia	11	–	5	.688	22	–	11	.667
Marquette	10	–	6	.625	20	–	11	.645
No. 23 Georgetown	10	–	6	.625	23	–	10	.697
No. 16 Pittsburgh	10	–	6	.625	25	–	8	.758
Seton Hall	9	–	7	.563	18	–	12	.600
Cincinnati	8	–	8	.500	21	–	13	.618
No. 21 Syracuse†	7	–	9	.438	23	–	12	.657
Rutgers	7	–	9	.438	19	–	14	.576
Louisville	6	–	10	.375	21	–	13	.618
Notre Dame	6	–	10	.375	16	–	14	.533
DePaul*	5	–	11	.313	12	–	15	.444
Providence*	5	–	11	.313	12	–	15	.444
St. John's*	5	–	11	.313	12	–	15	.444
South Florida*	1	–	15	.063	7	–	22	.241


† 2006 Big East tournament winner As of April 3, 2006^[1] Rankings from AP Poll *Did not qualify for 2006 Big East tournament.

The 2005–06 Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team represented Villanova University in the 2005–06 college basketball season. This team is typically credited with re-establishing Villanova as a national powerhouse after nearly two decades of underwhelming performances.

Villanova, led by head coach Jay Wright, spent most of the season competing with Duke and Big East rival Connecticut for possession of the top spot in the college basketball rankings. Utilizing a starting lineup that consisted of four guards (seniors Randy Foye and Allan Ray, junior Mike Nardi, and sophomore Kyle Lowry) and a center (junior Will Sheridan), Villanova played a fast-paced style of basketball that became a common topic of intrigue among analysts. Villanova entered the NCAA tournament as a number one seed and made an Elite Eight appearance before losing to eventual champion Florida.

Four players from the 2005-06 Villanova Wildcat team currently have played in the NBA: Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry, and Dante Cunningham. As of 2022, only Kyle Lowry remains in the NBA.

Class of 2005

^[2]^[3]^[4]

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dwayne Anderson SF	Oakdale, Connecticut	St. Thomas More School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 12, 2003
Dwayne Anderson SF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Bilal Benn SG	Chatham, Virginia	Hargrave Military Academy	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Feb 25, 2005
Bilal Benn SG	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Dante Cunningham PF	Washington, D.C.	St. Johns College HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Oct 5, 2004
Dante Cunningham PF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A
Frank Tchulsi PF	Newark, New Jersey	St. Benedict Prep	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Nov 18, 2004
Frank Tchulsi PF	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall Recruiting Rankings: Scout – NR Rivals – NR ^[5] ESPN –

Roster

Villanova Basketball 2005–06 Roster
G	23	Dwayne Anderson	FR	Washington, D.C. (St. Johns College HS)
F	44	Marcus Austin	SR	Irvington, New Jersey (St. Patrick's HS)
G	3	Bilal Benn	FR	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Cardinal Dougherty HS)
F	21	Chris Charles	SR	Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Crispus Attucks HS)
F	20	Shane Clark	FR	Chatham, Virginia (Hargrave Military Academy)
G	4	Ross Condon	JR	Springfield, Virginia (Potomac School)
F	33	Dante Cunningham	FR	Washington, D.C. (St. Johns College HS)
G	22	Baker Dunleavy	JR	Portland, Oregon (Lawrenceville Prep)
G	2	Randy Foye	SR	Newark, New Jersey (East Side HS)
F	20	Jason Fraser	SR	Amityville, New York (Amityville Memorial HS)
G	1	Kyle Lowry	SO	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Cardinal Dougherty HS)
G	12	Mike Nardi	JR	Elizabeth, New Jersey (St. Patrick's)
G	14	Allan Ray	SR	Bronx, New York (St. Raymond's HS)
F	50	Will Sheridan	JR	Hockessin, Delaware (Sanford School)
F	34	Curtis Sumpter	SR	Brooklyn, New York (Bishop Loughlin)
F	42	Frank Tchuisi	FR	Douala, Cameroon (St. Benedict's)

Coaching staff

Jay Wright – Head Coach

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 18, 2005* 7:30 p.m.	No. 5	Stony Brook	W 78–35	1–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
November 27, 2005* 7:30 p.m.	No. 4	Lehigh	W 84–47	2–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
November 30, 2005* 7:30 p.m.	No. 4	Rider	W 86–57	3–0	Sovereign Bank Arena (7,255) Trenton, New Jersey
December 3, 2005* 5:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	No. 5 Oklahoma	W 85–74	4–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
December 6, 2005* 7:00 p.m., ESPN3	No. 4	at Bucknell	W 79–60	5–0	Sojka Pavilion (4,433) Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
December 10, 2005* 7:30 p.m.	No. 4	vs. Longwood	W 90–77	6–0	Boardwalk Hall (7,007) Atlantic City, New Jersey
December 13, 2005* 8:00 p.m., CN8	No. 3	at Penn Philadelphia Big 5	W 62–55	7–0	The Palestra (6,839) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
December 22, 2005* 7:30 p.m.	No. 3	La Salle Philadelphia Big 5	W 98–57	8–0	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
December 31, 2005* 4:00 p.m., CN8	No. 3	vs. Temple Philadelphia Big 5	W 75–53	9–0	The Palestra (8,722) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 5, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 3	at No. 9 Louisville	W 76–67	10–0 (1–0)	Freedom Hall (20,058) Louisville, Kentucky
January 8, 2006 12:00 p.m., ESPN Plus	No. 3	No. 24 West Virginia	L 87–91	10–1 (1–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
January 11, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus	No. 3	at Rutgers	W 84–78 ^OT	11–1 (2–1)	Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,043) Piscataway, New Jersey
January 14, 2006* 1:00 p.m., CBS	No. 3	at No. 8 Texas	L 55–58	11–2	Frank Erwin Center (16,755) Austin, Texas
January 17, 2006 7:30 p.m., ESPN Classic	No. 8	Seton Hall	W 73–64	12–2 (3–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
January 21, 2006 6:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 8	No. 20 Syracuse	W 80–65	13–2 (4–1)	Wachovia Center (20,581) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
January 24, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN3	No. 6	at South Florida	W 49–46	14–2 (5–1)	USF Sun Dome (5,643) Tampa, Florida
January 28, 2006 6:00 p.m., ESPN2	No. 6	at Notre Dame	W 72–70	15–2 (6–1)	Joyce Center (11,418) South Bend, Indiana
January 30, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	Louisville	W 79–73	16–2 (7–1)	Wachovia Center (19,448) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 4, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN Plus	No. 4	Marquette	W 72–67	17–2 (8–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
February 7, 2006* 7:30 p.m., ESPN2	No. 4	vs. Saint Joseph's Philadelphia Big 5	W 71–58	18–2	The Palestra (8,722) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 11, 2006 2:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	at DePaul	W 61–51	19–2 (9–1)	Allstate Arena (14,906) Chicago, Illinois
February 13, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 4	No. 1 Connecticut	W 69–64	20–2 (10–1)	Wachovia Center (20,859) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 19, 2006 12:00 p.m., ESPN Plus	No. 4	No. 17 Georgetown	W 75–65	21–2 (11–1)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
February 23, 2006 9:00 p.m., ESPN	No. 2	at Cincinnati	W 74–72	22–2 (12–1)	Fifth Third Arena (13,176) Cincinnati, Ohio
February 26, 2006 2:00 p.m., CBS	No. 2	at No. 3 Connecticut	L 75–89	22–3 (12–2)	Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, Connecticut
March 1, 2006 7:30 p.m., ESPN3	No. 4	at St. John's	W 65–52	23–3 (13–2)	The Pavilion (6,500) Villanova, Pennsylvania
March 5, 2006 12:00 p.m., CBS	No. 4	at Syracuse	W 92–82	24–3 (14–2)	Carrier Dome (33,633) Syracuse, New York
Big East Tournament
March 9, 2006 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	(2) No. 2	vs. (10) Rutgers Quarterfinals	W 87–55	25–3	Madison Square Garden (19,594) New York, New York
March 10, 2006 9:00 p.m., ESPN	(2) No. 2	vs. (6) No. 15 Pittsburgh Semifinals	L 54–68	25–4	Madison Square Garden (19,594) New York, NY
NCAA tournament
March 17, 2006* 2:50 p.m., CBS	(1 M) No. 3	vs. (16 M) Monmouth First Round	W 58–45	26–4	Wachovia Center (19,900) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 19, 2006* 5:00 p.m., CBS	(1 M) No. 3	vs. (8 M) Arizona Second Round	W 82–78	27–4	Wachovia Center (20,050) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
March 24, 2006* 7:10 p.m., CBS	(1 M) No. 3	vs. (4 M) No. 7 Boston College Sweet Sixteen	W 60–59 ^OT	28–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (22,293) Minneapolis, Minnesota
March 17, 2006* 5:05 p.m., CBS	(1 M) No. 3	vs. (3 M) No. 11 Florida Elite Eight	L 62–75	28–5	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (21,613) Minneapolis, Minnesota
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Awards and honors

Randy Foye, Consensus first-team All-American
Allan Ray, Consensus second-team All-American
Randy Foye, Big East Player of the Year
Randy Foye, First-team All-Big East
Allan Ray, First-team All-Big East
Kyle Lowry, Second-team All-Big East
Randy Foye, Robert V. Geasey Trophy

References

^ "2005-06 Big East Conference Season Summary: Standings" sports-reference.com. Retrieved 11-14-2013.
^ Villanova Class of 2005 – Rivals
^ Villanova Class of 2005 – Scout
^ Villanova Class of 2005 – ESPN
^ "2005 Team Recruiting Rankings – Rivals". Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

[standings-1] "2005-06 Big East Conference Season Summary: Standings" sports-reference.com. Retrieved 11-14-2013.

[2] Villanova Class of 2005 – Rivals

[3] Villanova Class of 2005 – Scout

[4] Villanova Class of 2005 – ESPN

[rivals1-5] "2005 Team Recruiting Rankings – Rivals". Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	Jake Nevin Field House (1932–1986) William E. Finneran Pavilion (1986–2017, 2018–present) First Union Spectrum (alternate; 1967–2009) Wells Fargo Center (alternate; 1996–present)
Rivalries	Saint Joseph's
Culture & lore	Will D. Cat City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 Big 5 Classic Robert V. Geasey Trophy "V for Villanova"
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics