Villanova Metrics: Niches Forming With One Month To Go

Villanova Men’s Basketball’s 80-73 win at Georgetown on Saturday, Feb. 7 provided them with a Quadrant 2 win, but they remained steady in both the NET and KenPom ratings after the fact. 

The Wildcats (18-5, 9-3 Big East) checked in at No. 33 and and No. 28, respectively, on the morning of Feb. 8, right where they were before beating the Hoyas. They’ve picked up traction in the AP Poll during their ongoing three game winning streak, and could continue to climb toward the top 25 when the next poll drops on Feb. 9, but at this point in the season, most teams are settling into a well-established niche in the metrics rather than jockeying for position.

Key factors for Villanova down the stretch include a rebound from Creighton, who upset them at the Finneran Pavilion in January and then went on a four game losing streak, dropping that game into Quadrant 3. The Wildcats’ games against UConn and St. John’s provide their only remaining Quad 1 opportunities, so a win in one or both of those games would provide a critical résumé booster.

Teamrankings.com puts Villanova‘s tournament odds at 99.7 percent with eight regular season games remaining: barring a catastrophic swoon, they’ll return to the Big Dance for the first time since 2022… but picking up a quality win or two down the stretch could put them in a more favorable matchup once the tournament starts.

The Wildcats will return to action at the Finneran Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, another Quad 3 matchup in a down year for the Big East.