The Villanova Wildcats have a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament in year two under Kyle Neptune. What needs to happen at the Big East Tournament for them to make it?
Life after Jay Wright has not been kind to the Wildcats, as former Fordham head coach and longtime Wright assistant Neptune has had a tough adjustment period to the Big East.
This is a very talented roster that has been tested time and again in the loaded Big East and by a competitive non-conference schedule, but popular opinion comes down heavily against power conference teams with a high volume of losses, even as the committee does tend to reward such teams.
Fans may not want to see Villanova make the tournament, but most teams on the five or six lines probably wouldn't want to line up against this team either.
With the Big East tournament this week, has Villanova done enough to earn a bid, or do they need to do more work at Madison Square Garden?
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NCAA Tournament Resume: Villanova Wildcats
KenPom Ranking: 29
NET Ranking: 32
Quad Records: 4-10 vs. Q1, 5-1 vs. Q2, 3-3 vs. Q3, 5-0 vs. Q4
The metrics are all in the right place for Villanova, which counts neutral court wins over North Carolina and Texas Tech as well as road wins over Providence and Creighton as its quad 1 victories.
Their rankings of 32 in the NET and 29 in KenPom are more than reflective of a tournament team, and yet there is a strong chance that the Wildcats don't hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
The sheer volume of losses plays a big role in that feeling, as 14 would be a lot of losses for an at-large team, even one that has played as tough a schedule as Villanova has.
If just one of those 10 quad 1 losses was a fifth win in the category, this team would likely be a lock. The win over the Tar Heels, a possible number one seed, has aged fantastically.
Villanova is the sixth seed in this week's Big East tournament, which means it gets the free space of playing hapless DePaul in the first round. If they survive DePaul, the Wildcats get a crack at three-seed Marquette. A win over Marquette would likely lock the Wildcats into the tournament, while a loss would have them sweating it out on Sunday and rooting against any and all bid-stealers.
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