College basketball is a rollercoaster, no doubt about it. Just look at Villanova, who has gone from Big East favorite to overrated and now, back to Big East favorite. That’s life in the NCAA.
Perhaps it’s because they don’t have quite the NBA talent of days passed, but Villanova doesn’t get the same benefit of doubt as they normally do under head coach Jay Wright. But here they are, sitting at 3-0 and once again on top of the Big East Standings after a 72-63 win over Seton Hall.
Their offensive potency is well documented, with four players averaging at least 11 points per game, while none of them are shooting worse than 43-percent from the field, and not a single player averaging two turnovers per game. In fact, their collective play has them averaging 17 assists to just 10 turnovers per game. For a team that plays with their pace, that’s incredibly impressive.
But it’s not just the offensive numbers that have them playing their best basketball of the season, thus far.
They rank ninth in the country in points allowed at just 60.5 per game. Since their loss to Virginia, with the competition having taken more than a few steps up, they have yet to surrender more than 71 points. In three Big East games, they’re allowing just 66 points per game, including just 64 to Xavier, who has been one of the country’s best offensive units throughout the season.
While this is doubtfully the last time we’ll talk about a new favorite in this conference, Villanova figures to still be a major factor, as defending champions so often do.
