Villanova Bracketology: Wildcats On Edge of Bubble Before Seton Hall Rematch

The Villanova Wildcats fell two spots in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest rankings, published on Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Villanova (16-12, 9-8 Big East) checked in at No. 75 on Lunardi’s previous rankings, dated to Tuesday, Feb. 25, the third team in his “Next Four Out” category. Now they’re down to No. 77, the first team in Lunardi’s “Next” category, on the very edge of the bubble field. If the NCAA Tournament began today, the Wildcats would not make the field… and just because Lunardi includes them on his bubble doesn’t mean the selection committee will feel so forgiving towards Villanova’s up and down season.

Supplanting them was Cincinnati —who Villanova owns a head to head advantage over, defeating the Bearcats at the Finneran Pavilion back in December — by virtue of a close home win over Baylor on Feb. 25.

The Wildcats currently occupy the No. 50 spot in the NET rankings and the No. 55 slot in the KenPom ratings, and there will be plenty more shakeup in the hours to come. Villanova will face Seton Hall on the road beginning at 8:30 p.m.

Other teams on the bubble set to play today include Vanderbilt (No. 61), Oklahoma (No. 63), Texas (No. 65), Arkansas (No. 66), Ohio State (No. 67), Wake Forest (No. 68), Indiana (No. 70), SMU (No. 72), Boise State (No. 74), George Mason (No. 76) and San Francisco (No. 79), so the field could look quite different in a mere 24 hours.