Bracketology Winners: Iowa State, Alabama snag resume-defining wins

Bracketology Winners: Iowa State, Alabama snag resume-defining victories

AMES, IA - JANUARY 5: Tyrese Haliburton #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with George Conditt IV #4 of the Iowa State Cyclones after sinking a 3 point shot in the first half of play at Hilton Coliseum on January 5, 2019 in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /

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VILLANOVA, PA – JANUARY 02: Quinerly #1 of the Villanova Wildcats looks. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Villanova Wildcats

We still have no idea who this Villanova team is going to be this year. One of the most inconsistent teams in the nation, the Wildcats have definitely underachieved compared to expectations so far this season but they still stand at 11-4. Additionally, Jay Wright’s team is ranked at No. 24 in the country by KenPom and will absolutely be an NCAA Tournament team come March. With that said, though, we have no idea how successful they will be in Big East play and what seed will they get.

During this past week, Villanova showed their usual signs of weakness but managed to start conference play at 2-0. First, they defended their home court with a hard-fought victory over DePaul, who many expect to finish near the bottom of the league. Just a few days later, the ‘Cats once again pulled out a win, this time around the road against Providence. And while the team never looked “dominant” in these performances, these two wins marked a strong start for the team in conference play.

Sure, DePaul and Providence (without A.J. Reeves) are not great wins but they definitely jumpstart the schedule for Villanova. With tough matchups coming up against St. John’s (home), Creighton (away), Butler (away), and Seton Hall (home) in their next five games, we will hopefully continue to learn more about this team. For now, though, Villanova’s 2-0 start improves their NCAA Tournament seeding.

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