NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Tennessee, MSU vie for top spot

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 21: Admiral Schofield #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers and the rest of his team's bench react after a foul is called on Louisville Cardinals during the first half of the game during the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center on November 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – JANUARY 18: Booth #5 of the Villanova Wildcats reacts. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

18. Villanova Wildcats

Record: 14-4 (5-0 Big East)

Last Week: No. 22

Has Villanova figured it out? After stumbling out of the gates this season, the Wildcats have finally emerged as the Big East that we thought they could be heading into the year. Head coach Jay Wright’s team is playing an elite level and at a deliberate pace. They have started conference play a 5-0 and recorded strong road wins over Providence and Creighton along the way.

Villanova’s seniors, Eric Paschall and Phil Booth, have led the way during this recent stretch as the team is letting it fly from deep and playing efficient basketball. Villanova might live and die by the 3-pointer a bit too much but they have the shooters to win their fair share of games that way. In addition, their defense does a nice job with rotations and rebounds missed shots quite well.

The Wildcats have fallen quite a bit in predictive metrics since the beginning of the year but it is reasonable to say that they have started to realize their potential. Villanova might not be a national title contender like they have been in the past but they could win the Big East and snag a high seed in the Big Dance. We could learn more about the team soon, though, with a road matchup against Butler up next.

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