Villanova Earns a Handful of Votes in First AP Poll

The Associated Press released their preliminary poll for the 2026-27 season and, although the Villanova Wildcats didn’t earn a spot in the top 25, they did receive a handful of votes.

With six points in all — one No. 22 vote and two No. 25 votes — the Wildcats ranked as the No. 38 team of the 44 who received at least one vote. Missouri, the first team out of the top 25, picked up 168 votes, so Villanova will have plenty of climbing to do in order to earn a number next to their name. Preseason rankings from KenPom (No. 32), Torvik (No. 30) and Jon Rothstein (No. 28) like the Wildcats more than the voters do, but still don’t have them as a top 25 team right now.

Last season the Wildcats spent several weeks on the edge of the top 25, but ultimately lost decisive games to Creighton, UConn and St. John’s just as they seemed on the cusp of making their way into the rankings. Other Big East teams to receive votes include No. 4 UConn and No. 13 St. John’s; Marquette (three points, good for No. 40) was the only other team in the conference to see their name listed.

Villanova’s final preseason game against Virginia (No. 9) could help them generate some buzz, but the Wildcats will ultimately need regular season games to boost their ranking.