Jay Wright saw it coming long before anyone. Saw that Villanova, lessthan three years removed from going to the Final Four, less than twoseasons after being ranked No. 2 in the country at mid-season, was aboutto hit hard times."I saw it coming the year before," said Wright,whose 2012 Wildcats open the season Friday night vs. Division IIDistrict of Columbia. "Not to the extent we struggled, which was becauseof injuries. Even without them, I think we could've been only a littlebetter."Instead, it turned out worse than anyone could haveimagined. After going 30-8, 25-8 and 21-12, the 'Cats tumbled to 13-19.One player who has seen them topple from the heights to the depths isstunned how quickly it can go wrong."It's crazy," said fifth-yearsenior Maurice Sutton, who was red-shirt on that 2009 Final Four team."It's like cleaning your room and then tearing it up five minutes later.We went away from our game. We didn't take it seriously."The roadback won't be easy. Wright will blend three returning starters -- centerMouphtaou Yarou, forward JayVaughn Pinkston and swingman James Bell --with sophomore guard Darrun Hilliard, Sutton, Wake Forest transferTony Chennault and freshman Ryan Arcidiacono. While no one expects themto challenge in a loaded Big East that has Louisville (2) and Syracuse(9) ranked among the elite, he feels they should be improved come March."Wehave a lot of work to do, but I like the direction we're going," saidWright. "I think -- I hope -- last year was a great learning lesson. As acoach you know it fragile."What that adds up to in terms of wins and losses is anyone's guess. But, after last year, anything figures to be an improvement.
