NCAA Basketball: UNC, Villanova, Arkansas and Memphis takeaways from Battle 4 Atlantis

1st place – Villanova Wildcats

Positive takeaway: Pressure is off Kyle Neptune

Between the offseason talk and losing at Penn to open the season, there was a vocal concern about whether Coach Neptune was going to be the guy who could’ve lasted all season. But by winning the Battle 4 Atlantis and in dominant fashion in the finals, no one can critique the coach and the team for the time being.

Between the right rotation decisions being made when certain transfers were struggling and getting the overtime win over UNC, Coach Neptune had a great week. There’s plenty of talent on this roster and there’s still some room for them to grow, which means that Villanova belongs closer to the top of the Big East, instead of the clear middle tier.

Negative takeaway: Too much inconsistency with the newcomers

Besides the great talent of Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, what gave Villanova top-15 hype was the four transfers, guards TJ Bamba and Hakim Hart, along with forwards Tyler Burton and Lance Ware. But so far, we’ve seen next to nothing from Ware and Hart off the bench, while both Burton and Bamba have been inconsistent at best.

Bamba did had 13 points in the win over Memphis and Burton almost had a double-double, although the game was over quickly. The Wildcats are going to need them to start being double-digit contributors on a daily basis because Moore and Dixon can’t save them all the time like they did against UNC.