Villanova Men’s Basketball Falls Off AP Poll Ballots

After picking up votes in each of the past two weeks, Villanova Men’s Basketball fell off the board for the AP Poll published on Monday, Dec. 22.

The Wildcats (9-2) went 1-0 on the week, blowing a late lead against Wisconsin but hanging on to win in overtime, but that wasn’t enough to garner any votes. Interestingly enough, their blowout loss to Michigan the week prior wasn’t enough to knock them out of consideration.

At the same time, the Wildcats landed at the No. 28 spot in the KenPom Ratings and at No. 29 in the NET Rankings.

Villanova forward Matt Hodge earned Big East Freshman of the Week honors for his performance against the Badgers, where he racked up 15 points and six rebounds, helping the Wildcats win on the glass against a team that should’ve had a substantial size advantage.

Hodge’s honor marks the fourth time this season the Wildcats have had their conference’s top freshman, with point guard Acaden Lewis taking home the award the other three times. Villanova will play their conference opener on Tuesday, Dec. 23, when they travel to face a resurgent Seton Hall (11-1).

While the Pirates and Red Storm each picked up votes, UConn was the only Big East team to land in the top 25 this week.