Villanova Bracketology
Villanova Falls Off Lunardi’s Latest Offseason Bracket
After two straight months sneaking into the picture, Villanova Men’s Basketball fell on the outside looking in at ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest offseason rankings.
The Wildcats, looking to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, checked in at the No. 75 spot during the months of May and June, outside of the 68 team field but close enough to make some waves. Instead, another Big East team, Georgetown, supplanted them.
Offseason rankings only matter so much, but in a sport where a team’s tournament fate can fall to the decision of a selection committee, subjective opinions do play a role. During their two decades under Jay Wright, Villanova earned the benefit of the doubt… even landing in the preseason AP Poll during their first two seasons under subsequent coach Kyle Neptune.
Now, Kevin Willard and company will need to rebuild that national reputation, giving themselves some breathing room as they put together a tournament resume.
Other Big East teams included on Lunardi’s July 29 bracket include UConn (No. 2 seed, projected to win the Big East), St. John’s (No. 2 seed) and Creighton (No. 9 seed). Marquette (No. 71 overall) and the Hoyas (No. 75 overall) both snuck onto the bubble.
The Wildcats’ season will open on Monday, Nov. 3 in Las Vegas against BYU, a likely top ten matchup.
