Villanova Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Wildcats

SAN ANTONIO, TX - APRIL 02: Jalen Brunson #1 of the Villanova Wildcats raises the trophy and celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Michigan Wolverines during the 2018 NCAA Men's Final Four National Championship game at the Alamodome on April 2, 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. Villanova defeated Michigan 79-62. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

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SAN ANTONIO, TX – APRIL 02: The Villanova Wildcats student section cheers. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

Non-conference schedule breakdown

Villanova might be the preseason favorite to win the Big East heading into this season but their performance in non-conference play could seriously impact their potential NCAA Tournament seed down the road. Even though bracketology is changing this year due to the new NET rating system, securing quality wins and avoiding bad losses will still play a vital role in seeding. So, with this being said, here are some of the top games on Villanova’s non-conference schedule:

Nov. 14: vs. Michigan Wolverines (H)
Nov. 22-25: Advocare Invitational (N)
Dec. 11: at Penn Quakers (A)
Dec. 15: at Kansas Jayhawks (A)
Dec. 22: vs. UConn Huskies (H)

On the surface, this might not seem like the most difficult non-conference schedule. Matchups against Michigan (H) and Kansas (A) are going to be extremely enticing to the eye but they are the only guaranteed potential Quadrant 1 games. In the Advocare Invititation, the Wildcats could add a neutral-site battle against LSU or Florida State and that would help but there are not a ton of elite-level non-conference games.

In my opinion, though, what makes Villanova’s non-conference slate so interesting is the lack of “cupcake” games. Even if there are not a ton of Quadrant 1 games, Villanova will face off against plenty of competitive teams that may contend for NCAA Tournament bids this season. With this being said, the non-conference schedule is quite balanced with a few top-tier matchups.