Villanova Wildcats: How Dangerous Can They Be?

Can the Villanova Wildcats (24-2), a private Catholic university of 10,000 students twenty minutes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, make some serious noise come March Madness? If the Wildcats (not to be confused by another pretty talented group of Wildcats from Kentucky) continue to dominate the rest of the Big East, there is no reason not to believe in this Villanova team.

Following a 68-65 win on the road against the Butler Bulldogs and a convincing victory against Seton Hall, Villanova improved to 11-2 in conference play and took control of their own destiny for the Big East crown. The Villanova Wildcats have been nearly as impressive in their respective conference as their namesake team in Kentucky, as they have swept their two most potent Big East rivals in Providence and Butler.

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Though ranked 6th in national rankings, Villanova appears to be getting overlooked once again this season. Last season, the Wildcats came into the NCAA tournament with similar underrated resume, winning the Big East regular season title before losing to eventual NCAA Champion Connecticut in March. And even with the loss of their 2013-2014 leading scorer James Bell, Villanova returned all four other starters for the 2014-2015 season.

Led by senior guard Darrun Hilliard II, the Wildcats feature a balanced attack featuring a starting line-up that all score over nine points a game. Jay Wright’s squad also has nine wins against RPI Top 50 opponents, giving them the #4 RPI ranking behind only Virginia, Kentucky, and Kansas. Villanova is also unbeaten at home and has no bad losses, both L’s coming on the road against quality teams in Georgetown and Seton Hall. So why is this Villanova Wildcats team once again not getting the national recognition they deserve?

Though seniors Hilliard and JayVaughn Pinkston have provided great stat stuffing play and leadership, neither is a true star player with national recognition. The Wildcats do have an above average offensive scheme, ranking 44th in points scored, but are by no means an elite offensive team. The same is true for Villanova’s defense and rebounding. An overall weak year for the once mighty Big East conference also does not help the Wildcats case.

Regardless of national recognition, the Villanova Wildcats will likely be a top seed going into the NCAA Tournament. If the Wildcats find a way to continue their seven game winning streak and win out, even the greatest of skeptics will be hard-pressed not to give Villanova a deserved #1 seed.

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