In a packed slate Tuesday night, the Villanova Wildcats pulled off the upset at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, improving the Wildcats chance at earning a bid in the NCAA tournament. This goes down as one of Kyle Neptune‘s best wins as head coach in his first year, as it is their only ranked win of the season, surprisingly. Justin Moore, senior guard for the cats, led the way Tuesday night in Ohio, dropping 25 points, shooting above 75% and above 50% from three.
Cam Whitmore, the freshman star and projected lottery pick, was the only other player to drop double figures in the game, scoring 11, but shooting below 40% from the field. The second chance opportunities were the main reason for Villanova squeaking out with a narrow 1-point win, having 5 more opportunities than Xavier. They were outrebounded, out-shot from the field and from the arc, but they did the little things that kept them in the game, they won the turnover battle. Xavier committed twice as many turnovers (14) as Villanova (7). Xavier had four scorers in double figures, but their bench did not show up when they needed a lift. Villanova gets a much needed win at the Cintas Center!
What Villanova Needs to Do for an At-Large Bid
It’s more likely for Villanova to get an automatic bid, which would be winning the Big East Tournament, but for Villanova to get an at-large bid, they would definitely at the very least have to win out the remaining regular season schedule, which means beating No. 19 Creighton, Seton Hall (at the Prudential Center), and No. 18 UConn.
Then they would have to go to the championship game at the very least and make it competitive against whoever they may face, whether that it Creighton, Providence, UConn, Marquette, or Xavier. That would put them at 20-15, with a loss in the championship game. Now, obviously if they win, they would be in, but this is what they need to do for an at-large bid. I still think they would be left out, so, they need to win the Big East Tournament, and nothing less.
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