Villanova Bracketology: Buffalo Trip in March?

Now amidst a five game winning streak, Villanova Men’s Basketball is climbing up ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s NCAA Tournament projection for the first time since early January. Lunardi slotted the Wildcats (20-5, 11-3 Big East) as a No. 7 seed in his latest tournament assessment, published on Tuesday, Feb. 17, predicting that they’ll face off against No. 10 seed Georgia in the West Regional hosted in Buffalo, N.Y.

Strength of schedule is a concern for Villanova in a down year for the Big East — even UConn, a bona fide national championship contender, might not hold onto a No. 1 seed — but they’ve managed to take care of business to date. Games against the Huskies and St. John’s in the final stretch of February will give the Wildcats a chance to boost their reputation and perhaps even move up in the tournament field. A favorable seed can mean the difference between an early exit in March and a chance to string some wins together.

Teamrankings.com sees Villanova, off to its best start since the 2018-19 campaign, as a 100 percent lock with six games left in the regular season.

Villanova Women’s Basketball remains as a No. 9 seed according to Charlie Creme of ESPN. Winners of six games in a row heading into a duel with No. 1 UConn, the Wildcats (21-5, 14-3 Big East) face a similar challenge to the men’s team in a down year for the conference. They’ve inched up in the field since mid-January but have yet to receive any AP Poll votes this season: playing the Huskies tough on Feb. 18 could help improve their national perception.