Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Should Villanova remain No. 1?

Record: 7-3

KenPom Rank: 6

NET Ranking: 9 (Q1: 1-3, Q2: 0-0, Q3: 2-0, Q4: 4-0)

Best non-conference win(s): vs Tennessee, vs Syracuse

Bad loss(es): None

Villanova is still Villanova. They have played an impressive slate of teams in the non-conference, but losing to top-10 teams should not and does not hurt you.

Nova might have looked overmatched against Baylor, but most teams in the country would look overmatched by them, so let’s not overreact. Nova has lost to UCLA, Purdue, and Baylor while beating Tennessee. You gain valuable experience playing against the kind of teams you’ll need to be able to beat in March.

If I have any concerns about Villanova it is their depth and lack of a frontcourt. The young guys just haven’t seen much action. Jay Wright is essentially rolling with 6 guys while playing a few others sparingly as needed. That’s a lot of minutes with limited rest.

Still, the Wildcats have Collin Gillespie (16.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.4 apg, 43.4% from three) who is going to help the win a lot of games. He was a preseason All-American and Big East preseason Player of the Year for a reason. The rest of the squad are all returners from last season and are stepping up into their new roles.

Justin Moore (15.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.9 apg, 38.1% from three) and Brandon Slater (11.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 35.7% from three) have taken big jumps. Jermaine Samuels (11.0 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Caleb Daniels (9.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 38.5% from three) are reliable, do-it-all workhorses for this team.

Does Villanova have a frontcourt? Eric Dixon (7.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 55.6% from three) and Dhamir Roundtree-Crosby are basically it when it comes to the frontcourt. The Wildcats weren’t even expecting DRC to play and he has only seen limited minutes so far.

The expectations for Villanova are so high that I think everyone agrees this team has some work to do. Per KenPom, they rank 6th nationally in adjusted offense (despite the Baylor game), and 21st defensively. Villanova has played the 13th hardest schedule in the country. This is how you get ready for March, win or lose, these early-season games against top-flight opponents help you learn a lot more about your team.

There is no doubt they will still be vying for the top spot in the Big East. Jay Wright teams are too well-coached to expect anything less. The Big East has a handful of teams with sweet-sixteen potential and Villanova is one of them.