Villanova a Tournament Team? Joe Lunardi Thinks So

After bouncing on and off the bubble throughout the offseason, Villanova Men’s Basketball landed among the tournament field in ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s preseason assessment, sneaking into the picture as his “Last Team In”. The Wildcats put on a strong showing in their exhibition games, blowing out VCU thanks to aggressive defense, then lost a heartbreaker at Virginia 75-72.

Freshman point guard Acaden Lewis looked prepared to take on a major role, and Villanova certainly gained the benefit of the doubt from pundits like Lunardi for firing on all cylinders despite the injuries they’re dealing with.

That said, injuries may be construed as a plus during the preseason — “they did this despite a handful of absences! — but once the games start to matter, the Wildcats won’t get many style points in the eyes of the selection committee for playing short handed. With key contributors like point guard Devin Askew and wing Zion Stanford out for weeks, Villanova will need to withstand the toughest out of conference schedule in the Big East in order to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022.

Lunardi thinks they can do it, but the Wildcats entered two of the past three years with tournament hype. Head coach Kevin Willard will need to get the best out of his young team to recognize that potential.

St. John’s, UConn, Creighton and Marquette were the other Big East teams to make the projected field of 68.

For a related story, here’s where the Big East’s head coaches expect Villanova to finish.