Villanova Roundup: Wildcats Squeaking Onto AP Poll Ballots

Villanova Men’s Basketball went 1-1 last week, putting on a dominant defensive performance against Georgetown before leading on the road for the vast majority of their overtime loss at the hands of No. 2 UConn. Now 3-3 in their last six games (albeit with two of those losses coming against ranked teams), the Wildcats (15-5, 6-3 Big East) fell from the first team out of the AP Poll to barely picking up votes.

The latest poll, published on Monday, Jan. 26, saw Villanova pick up just two points (No. 25 votes from two voters or one No. 24 vote), good for the No. 36 spot. The NET rankings (No. 34) and KenPom ratings (No. 28) both like the Wildcats better, but they’ve got an upward hill to climb to make it back into serious consideration for voters.

Of Villanova’s next six games, five will come against teams with a losing record in the Big East, giving them a chance to build major momentum heading into their return game against UConn on Saturday, Feb. 21. Traveling to Creighton (12-8, 6-3 Big East) is the biggest challenge for the Wildcats during that stretch, although Seton Hall (14-6, 4-5 Big East) remains dangerous.

Villanova currently holds the No. 4 seed in the Big East, falling behind Creighton on tiebreakers, so that game against the Blue Jays may prove pivotal for their seed heading into the conference tournament.