Villanova Basketball: Toughest Matchup Each Starter Will Face in 2014-15

When you take a glance at the regular-season schedule of the Villanova Wildcats, you will realize there are a decent amount of big names on it.

The Wildcats will face VCU, Syracuse, all of their Big Five rivals and either Michigan or Oregon during nonconference play, while foes like Georgetown and St. John's await in Big East play. 

Throughout the season, Jay Wright's team will run into plenty of terrific players, who will cause matchup issues for the starting five.

Here is a look at the toughest matchup each starter will face in the 2014-15 season.

Ryan Arcidiacono vs. Briante Weber

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Villanova's first trip to New York this season will see it take on VCU in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 

The game on November 24 will be the first big test of the season for the Wildcats, who will have to deal with Shaka Smart's famed Havoc defense. 

Ryan Arcidiacono will face a ton of pressure in that game, which will see him go head-to-head with Briante Weber. 

Weber is one of the best defenders in the nation, and he will certainly see the matchup with Arcidiacono as his first chance to showcase his talents on a national stage this season. 

The VCU senior is a decent option on the offensive end, as he earned an average of 9.4 points per game last season, but the best asset of his game is defending. Last season, Weber recorded 121 steals, which equates to 3.5 per game. 

While Arcidiacono's point production went down last season, he was able to cut his turnovers per game in half. If he can keep a steady hand as the floor general against VCU, the Wildcats should come out victorious.

Darrun Hilliard vs. Caris LeVert

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Assuming Villanova gets past VCU, which is far from an easy task, the Wildcats will take on the winner of the clash between Michigan and Oregon the next day in Brooklyn. 

Although the game between the Wildcats and Wolverines is not set in stone, it would hand Darrun Hilliard his toughest matchup of the season.

With all due respect to Trevor Cooney, who Hilliard and Villanova will face in December, Caris LeVert is the best shooting guard the team will face in nonconference play if everything works out right. 

LeVert is expected to be one of the top players in the Big Ten—and the nation, if he lives up to his potential—which is a big title to lay on the junior. 

The Michigan guard is a versatile threat, who can cause damage from plenty of different points on the court, which means the emphasis in this potential game for Hilliard will be on his defending. 

If he can succeed early in shutting down LeVert on the defensive side of the ball, Hilliard will be able to open up the game more on offense, which he might be relied on to do more than people think this season.

Dylan Ennis or Josh Hart vs. Treveon Graham

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Regardless of which player starts at the beginning of the season, Dylan Ennis and Josh Hart will both face a difficult task against Treveon Graham in the Legends Classic. 

Just like Weber, Graham is a player who has excelled in Shaka Smart's system over the last two seasons, averaging over 15 points per game in both. 

Graham will be the first player on the schedule to challenge Ennis or Hart for the entire 40 minutes, which is something either player might not be ready for as a starter. 

We should expect to see both players on the court at some point, but regardless of their respective roles, they may not be able to shut down Graham. 

The final result in the game against VCU will hedge on the ball-handling ability of Arcidiacono, but it will also require one or both of the young stars on the Wildcats roster to thrive against Graham.

JayVaughn Pinkston vs. Rakeem Christmas

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There is no doubt that when JayVaughn Pinkston and Rakeem Christmas battle it out in the paint on December 20 at the Wells Fargo Center, it will be a must-see matchup.

Against Syracuse last season at the Carrier Dome, Pinkston was held to four field-goal attempts and three points, both of which were season lows. 

Although he didn't play much in the meeting between Villanova and Syracuse last season, Christmas did get a taste of the action by playing 15 minutes.

Christmas will be thrown into the fire of the rivalry this season, as he looks to replace the production of C.J. Fair, Baye Moussa Keita and Jerami Grant in the frontcourt. 

With a ton of pressure on his shoulders to perform this season, Christmas will be forced to step up in key games, which is why his performance against Pinkston is so important. 

If Pinkston gains an upper hand early in this individual battle, the Wildcats could be able to control the paint for most of the game.

Daniel Ochefu vs. Chris Obekpa

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St. John's could easily emerge as the top contender to the Wildcats' Big East throne this season, but there are a lot of things that have to come together for the Red Storm for that to happen. 

One of those factors is the play of center Chris Obekpa, who could potentially pose a big challenge to Daniel Ochefu down low when the teams meet in conference play. 

The 6'10" center for St. John's has a ton of potential, but he hasn't proven it yet in his first two seasons with the Red Storm, which could make his junior season a breakout one. 

Ochefu is looking to build on his 5.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game from a year ago, and one of the ways he can boost those totals is strong play in big games. 

If the Villanova junior is able to increase his production throughout nonconference play, he could hold the advantage against Obekpa when they first meet on January 6 in New York. 

When the two sides meet in the final game of the regular season, a lot could be on the line in regards to the postseason fate of the two teams, which would just add more intensity to a potentially strong matchup at the center position. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.