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Villanova Bracketology

Villanova Bracketology: Providence Win Doesn’t Turn Any Heads

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Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune

Although Villanova managed to snap a two game losing skid when they defeated the Providence Friars on Friday, Jan. 17, the two point home win over a Quadrant 3 opponent did little to improve their tournament chances. Indeed, it might’ve hurt them.

Villanova entered the game ranked No. 53 in the NET rankings and No. 46 in the KenPom ratings. As of Saturday morning, they’ve dropped to No. 55 and No. 49 respectively. The NET system, which plays an important role in determining the field of at-large bids for the NCAA Tournament, takes things like strength of schedule, margin of victory and game location into account. As such, a narrow home win over a comparatively weak opponent turned into a two spot drop in the rankings.

Villanova Bracketology Woes

ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi remained similarly unimpressed. Following their loss to Xavier, Lunardi moved Villanova to the last spot in his tournament bubble rankings, what would be the No. 80 spot in the 68 team field: out of the mix, but close enough to have a legitimate shot at creeping their way back in. Two more days of game results in the interim dropped the Wildcats out of that precarious spot entirely… and this win didn’t return them to the category. Lunardi currently puts them in the No. 81 spot as part of the ‘Considered’ category.

Even worse, Villanova now has a Quadrant 4 loss, as Columbia has dropped down to No. 163 in the NET rankings. The Wildcats now sit at 1-4 in Quadrant 1 games, 2-1 and 3-1 in Quad 2 and Quad 3, respectively, and 6-1 in Quad 4. Their win over Cincinnati and loss to St. Joseph’s continue to drop in standing as those teams struggle… and continue to haunt the Wildcats as a result.

Up next for Villanova is a Monday, Jan. 20 home game against Georgetown, a prospective Quad 2 matchup that could help them get back into the postseason picture.

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