Villanova Metrics: Torvik Coming Around on the ‘Cats

If you’ve followed Villanova Men’s Basketball in recent months, you know that the Wildcats’ lack of ‘quality’ wins in a down season for the Big East could damage their standing as the NCAA Tournament approaches.

Villanova 23-7, 14-5 Big East) earned a 76-57 road win over DePaul on Wednesday, March 4, one that qualified as a Quadrant 2 opportunity… and promptly fell one spot to No. 34 in the NET rankings despite that showing. KenPom ranks the Wildcats at No. 32, while bracketologist Bart Torvik, who’s been more reluctant to move Villanova up, bumped them up one line to an eight seed in the tournament.

Now locked into the No. 3 spot in the Big East Tournament, it’s a remarkable turnaround in their first year under Kevin Willard, especially given the low expectations coming in. However, losing starting forward Matt Hodge to an ACL tear might’ve put a dent in Villanova’s tournament outlook: their struggles against teams with size even before Hodge went down don’t bode well for a deep tournament run.

Even with the strength of schedule criticism, the Wildcats control their own destiny. Making a run in the conference tournament and proving their bona fides could boost them up the NCAA Tournament field, securing a better seed and a more favorable path forward in the process.