Big East Basketball power rankings: Villanova drops lower, St. John’s rises

9. Villanova Wildcats – 9-10 (3-5)

Out of respect to what the program has accomplished in the past decade, I wasn’t ready to fully write off Villanova and its at-large chances for the NCAA Tournament. But with no sign of Justin Moore coming back anytime soon, I think it’s safe to write off the first year of the Kyle Neptune era.

The team had lost 5 of 6 games recently, with the lone win coming against lowly Georgetown. And the Wildcats had two final daggers in the heart of their at-large chances, losing on the road at both DePaul and Butler, with the Blue Demons setback being the first in a long time.

The program nearly went into an all-time low, trailing at home against Georgetown on Monday in the second half and getting outplayed by a team that had yet to win a Big East Basketball game. But whether you want to say that Villanova won it or that the Hoyas blew another winnable game, the Wildcats ended the 3-game skid with a 77-73 victory.

Five players were in double figures for the Wildcats, led by 16 points from Caleb Daniels. Brandon Slater had 15, while freshman guard Mark Armstrong had a big game off the bench, chipping in with 14 points.

Villanova has a rough stretch coming up, starting on the road at St. John’s. After that is Providence, Marquette, and Creighton, making the matchup with the Red Storm important to avoid another big skid.