NET Rankings Debut: Here’s Where Villanova Landed

The first NET rankings of the 2025-26 men’s basketball season came out on Monday, Dec. 1, with the Villanova Wildcats debuting at No. 64.

Used as one of the key factors in determining at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, the NET rankings judge teams based on strength of opponent, game location and offensive and defensive efficiency metrics. Teams typically need to rank within the top 40 in order to feel strongly about their chances of making the tournament field.

The NET rankings break wins and losses into four quadrants, with the highest quality games landing in Quad 1.

Through six games, Villanova holds an 0-1 record in Quad 1 games and a 5-0 record in Quad 4. The Wildcats rank sixth among Big East teams in the initial list, behind UConn (No. 8), Butler (No. 21), St. John’s (No. 23) and Seton Hall (No. 50). The Wildcats fare much better in the KenPom ratings, where they check in at No. 42. That may indicate their potential for growth, but they still have plenty of work to do.

Villanova could see their standing climb in the coming weeks, as after games against Temple (Dec. 1) and either Penn or Saint Joseph’s (Dec. 6), the difficulty of their nonconference schedule will ramp up considerably. With the Big East in a relative down year, the upcoming schedule could make or break the Wildcats’ season as they try to make the tournament in their first season under head coach Kevin Willard, and for the first time since 2022.