Villanova Preseason Rankings: ‘Cats Make the Cut in Miyakawa’s Top 30

College basketball analyst Evan Miyakawa released the top 30 spots on his preseason team rankings for the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season on Wednesday, Sept. 16, and the Villanova Wildcats checked in at No. 30.

While Miyakawa and his co-hosts didn’t highlight Villanova specifically in their show breaking down the top 30, blasting through the last 12 teams and pointing out a couple of standouts like Arkansas and Virginia, they did note that players from overseas are difficult to plug into their analytic system.

As such, the full impact of Italian center Luigi Suigo joining the Wildcats won’t be felt until he starts playing actual Division I games… and they could rise or fall accordingly based on his performance. Offseason rankings only mean so much, but any spot in the top 30 once the season begins carries with it a strong chance of making the NCAA Tournament.

ESPN bracketologist and Saint Joseph’s alumnus Joe Lunardi has consistently ranking the Wildcats as a prospective No. 7 seed in the Big Dance this offseason, while Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports similarly keeps them on the edge of his Top 25. Villanova could earn some extra AP votes with a strong preseason, and they’ll likely begin the year on the cusp of a ranking for the first time since 2023.