Bubble trouble? Villanova Wildcats - IN or OUT?

Villanova Resume:

• Overall: 18-11

• Big East: 8-9

• RPI: 59

• Strength of Schedule: 55

• Key Wins: Pittsburgh, West Virginia, UConn, George Mason

• Key Losses: NC State, DePaul, St.John’s, Rutgers

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Villanova Outlook:

With only four upperclassman on the roster (four juniors, zero seniors), Villanova came out blazing, starting the season 13-3. Then the sky fell on the Wildcats, as Villanova lost five straight and six of seven games. In the midst of their slide, Villanova lost ugly to Rutgers (80-68) and had their hands handed to them, losing by 22 to Big Five rival St. Joe’s, 77-55. Every team experiences peeks and valleys during the year, but this was especially tough for the Wildcats. With such a young and inexperienced squad, head coach Jay Wright can’t draw up X’s and O’s for maturity and experience. While their mid-season dry spell will go a long way in helping Villanova deal with adversity in the future, that poor stretch may have cost the Wildcats a tournament invite.

Villanova’s play has improved recently as the regular season draws to a close, winning four of their last six games. The Wildcats are right at the cutoff line in the Big East standings. At 8-9, Villanova sits in 8 th place in the Big East. Villanova needed to take care of South Florida, which they did 72-59 earlier this week. Facing a trip to Providence on Saturday in the season finale, the Wildcats need a win to secure a .500 record in conference, but with the Friars fighting for their Big East Tournament lives, Providence won’t be looking to help out Villanova or do the Wildcats any favors.

Pending on the outcome against Providence and how deep Villanova plays into the Big East Tournament next week, the Wildcats will be among the bubble talk come Selection Sunday, but how much they’ll be brought up in the conversation is a bit of a mystery. They’ve held their own against the top half of the conference, boasting a 3-5 mark versus teams in the top eight of the Big East. Villanova suffered a pair of heartbreaking losses to NC State and Georgetown, due to some questionable, head-scratching calls in the final moments of each contest. George Mason is Villanova’s top out of conference win, but were thrashed by Big Five rival and bubble-companion St. Joe’s. Jay Wright must implore his players to focus on the task at hand this Saturday against Providence and not worry about other things the Wildcats can’t control. All they can do is control how well they’re prepared and concentrated on beating Providence. A victory over the Friars can’t put an end to Villanova’s tournament hopes, but a loss just might.

by Frank Minniti
BigEast-fans.com Director of Content

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