Rick Pitino’s intriguing comments, Seton Hall success among Big East storylines

1. Villanova is still alive in this Conference

Given some of the great wins they went out and got earlier in the year, having this team on the outside looking in when it comes to the NCAA Tournament was not the expectation by this point of the year. However, this is still Villanova basketball, and it is hard to count them out even with all their struggles. Their blowout of Seton Hall was a glimpse of what this team could be if they had played a bit better in Big East play, and following that up with a good game against Georgetown also was great for them. 

They still have all the talent to be one of the better teams in this conference, and given their track record they could make some noise in the Big East Tournament, and they are still fighting for that top-five spot to get a bye. This is a team that will need to win the Conference to punch their ticket to March, and it would be a very Villanova thing to do if they shocked the world and won it. 

With the big bad Huskies in the way, it is quite a longshot for them to do so, but the Wildcats have shown they are still worth considering in terms of contenders to win that automatic bid. It is all unlikely, but these past couple of games have at least kept them alive, and that is all they could have asked for at this point given their struggles.