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Bracketology 2020: Villanova, Michigan State among this week’s losers

By Andrew Dieckhoff

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats reacts against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats reacts against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first half at the Wells Fargo Center on December 21, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 21: Justin Moore #5, Collin Gillespie #2, Saddiq Bey #41, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 21: Justin Moore #5, Collin Gillespie #2, Saddiq Bey #41, and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree #21 of the Villanova Wildcats (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Villanova Wildcats (17-6, 7-4 Big East)

The Wildcats were one of two teams on this list that debuted in the NCAA’s Sneak 16 preview, with Jay Wright’s club earning the #3 seed out West as the Selection Committee’s 12th-best team. After releasing the top 16, the committee was quick to note that the decisions about teams were made midweek, and therefore, may have missed some important information about Villanova.

Specifically, the rankings didn’t seem to account for Nova’s loss on Wednesday against Butler.

The loss isn’t terrible, to be sure, but the Bulldogs were ranked just a few spots behind the ‘Cats, meaning that the midweek result probably would have flipped them. And any questions about whether or not Villanova would stay on the three-line were answered on Saturday against Seton Hall.

The Pirates came into town and walked away victorious, adding a 70-64 win over Villanova to an increasingly impressive resume. Seton Hall should be in the conversation for a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, especially with teams like West Virginia and Duke having struggled this week.

But while the win brought plenty of good fortune to their North Jersey rivals, Villanova is left with work to do to retain a top-four seeding in the Big Dance. They got a little help from some friends, whom we will discuss later in the piece, but they still made things harder for themselves.

The Wildcats came into the week with an impressive 5-4 mark in Quadrant 1 games, including a 3-3 record in the toughest of those contests (the so-called “Quadrant 1A” matches). It was a signal that this team belonged in the conversation for being in the Top 16.

Now, those two losses from this week drag the Wildcats below .500 in both Q1A and Q1 overall. They are still a virtual lock to make the tournament at this point, but they have some dangerous games left on the schedule. If they aren’t careful, this team could end up with a #5 seed in the tournament.

That would not only put them directly in the crosshairs of the dreaded #12 seed in their pod, but it would also hurt Villanova’s chances at ending up in Albany.

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