Villanova Reaction: Lukewarm Response to Top Ten Win

Villanova Men’s Basketball picked up their second top ten win of the season on Wednesday, Feb. 12, knocking off St. John’s in front of a home crowd that included Eagles Defensive Coordinator and Super Bowl Champion Vic Fangio and a student section packed with bananas.

While the 15-10 (8-6 Big East) Wildcats would need a massive push to cover up for their early season struggles and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022, beating the No. 9 ranked Red Storm provided the exact type of win Villanova could use to breathe life into their season. Despite the thrilling win — one which drew praise from St. John’s head coach Rick Pitino and much of the rest of the college basketball landscape — many Wildcats fans remain unconvinced.

With their tournament odds currently sitting at just 10.2 percent, Villanova would practically need to win out (whether in the regular season or through a Big East Tournament championship) in order to punch their postseason ticket, the type of thing one needs to see to believe. After seeing the Wildcats’ top ten win over UConn turn into a 1-5 skid that crushed any positive momentum, it’ll be harder for fans to sell themselves on Villanova’s chances moving forward.

Here’s what Villanova (and college basketball) fans, media and even coaches had to say following the upset win.

Johnnies fans, forget refereeing mistakes. I've seen them for 50 years. Tough game to officiate. We lost because of our defense and Villanova’s excellent play. Excuses are a sign of weakness. All the credit goes to them. Coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes and refs make…

— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) February 13, 2025

Villanova when it’s on absolute life support for an NCAA bid in the Kyle Neptune era (up until the game that might actually put them over the hump): pic.twitter.com/FvkXbtKIw6

— Chris – F40 (@ChrisFull40) February 13, 2025

"I'm really proud of our guys' effort. That's a very tough team. I give them a lot of credit – they're fighters. I thought we played extremely tough early and played through some things we knew we would have to deal with going into the game. We settled in and got to it… pic.twitter.com/Ky2eV50aBc

— Villanova MBB (@NovaMBB) February 13, 2025

Villanova's Wooga Poplar. This dude can FLY. pic.twitter.com/8yhyI9T7Ah

— Ryan Cassidy (@ryancassidycbb) February 13, 2025

The Heroes Villanova Deserves pic.twitter.com/mkRWGeLZ4l

— Barstool Villanova (@BarstoolNova) February 13, 2025

Bananas are our new favorite fruit! 🍌 pic.twitter.com/kY0oJ3xP5h

— Villanova Athletics (@NovaAthletics) February 13, 2025

👏 Eagles DC Vic Fangio big smile and big ovation at the Villanova game pic.twitter.com/pj6lMpK65I

— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) February 13, 2025

If all the too Big East teams need to sacrifice a loss to ensure Kyle Neptune is Villanova coach for life then well ya gotta do whatchu gotta do. It takes a village.

— Mister Hot Balls ☄️☄️ (@MisterHotBalls) February 13, 2025

Great win for Villanova and what a shot from Tyler Perkins. Impressive that he kept his confidence thru his slump.

Loved the defensive tactic of “convince a team that’s not good at shooting 3s to take 40.”

Can’t afford a slip at Providence. Gotta prove this time is different.

— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) February 13, 2025

Shoutout to the Villanova students dressed up as bananas.🍌

Allegedly they were moved out of their section due to a railing malfunction. Didn’t stop them from migrating to the other side of the student section.

If Nova wants to make a March run, they can’t afford to slip up 🍌

— Patrick Scanlon (@patrickscanlon_) February 13, 2025

Watching a 24 year old at Villanova get ready to pass Scottie Reynolds on Nova’s all time scoring list. pic.twitter.com/34144YUAhs

— Uncle Danny (@uncledanny24) February 13, 2025