Analyzing the NCAA impact of Villanova’s early Big East tournament exit

Thursday night time had turned to Friday morning when Villanova coach Kevin Willard sat in the press convention room at Madison Square Garden and talked about turning the web page.

It was one other quarterfinal exit from the Big East tournament, however in contrast to the earlier three seasons below Kyle Neptune, extra significant basketball awaited.

“We’ll let this one sting,” Willard stated after third-seeded Villanova fell, 78-64to the convention’s last-place staff, Georgetown. Instead of going through UConn in the second of two Big East semifinals Friday night time, the Wildcats had been off and deliberate to take one other relaxation day Saturday.

Then, Willard stated, it is going to be again to the follow ground on Sunday. There can be quite a bit to work on and, after studying their seeding destiny and their first-round NCAA Tournament opponent throughout the NCAA’s choice present, movie research to go over.

“It’s a whole new season,” Willard stated.

Even earlier than Thursday’s outcome, it was arduous to think about that the new season would final greater than a sport or two. Now? The loss may have some fallout, and it is even much less seemingly Willard’s Wildcats handle to sneak into the second weekend.

» READ MORE: Villanova’s bad Big East tournament loss shouldn’t mar Kevin Willard’s good work. Just ask Dan Hurley.

Seeding change

It was one of these video games that could not provide help to when you received and solely harm you when you misplaced.

The impact was simple to see on the numerous bracket projections in the aftermath. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi was slated to have the Wildcats on the No. 9 line by Saturday morning, simply two days after they had been in line for a seven seed.

Beat Georgetown, lose to UConn, and that No. 7 spot seemingly would have remained.

Now, each half of the first weekend simply bought tougher for Villanova. Even if the Wildcats are on the eight line, it is nonetheless a first-round sport in opposition to a greater staff than a No. 10 seed, and a victory in Round 1 would imply going through one of the venerable No. 1 seeds in Round 2.

What may that seem like? Lunardi had Villanova as a No. 7 seed and heading to Buffalo simply two days in the past. A win over a No. 10 seed (like NC State, for instance) would arrange a date with second-seeded Michigan State.

Buffalo may nonetheless be the vacation spot for Villanova, however the seed dropping may imply a second-round date with top-seeded Michigan.

The Wolverines beat Villanova, 89-61, in December.

The vivid lights

Quite a bit has modified since that Dec. 9 matchup in Ann Arbor, Mich., however quite a bit remains to be true of this Villanova staff.

There is one thing to be stated for profitable the video games you are imagined to win. The Neptune was yielded no NCAA Tournament berths partially as a result of there have been too many losses in these such video games.

This Wildcats staff nonetheless has some of the profile it had in December. Good staff, not nice. Capable of enjoying NCAA Tournament groups shut, but additionally a staff that was run off the ground in current video games in opposition to St. John’s and UConn.

Thursday did nothing to shake that fame. Georgetown just isn’t St. John’s, however the Big East tournament is an enormous stage, and Villanova was overwhelmed as much as the tune of a 46-25 rebounding drawback.

Thirty-two video games into the season, you kind of are what you’re at this level. It’s March, and any staff has a shooter’s probability, but it surely’s arduous to think about this shorthanded Villanova staff being succesful of flipping the script in a hypothetical rematch vs. Michigan.

» READ MORE: Steve Donahue thought he’d never be a head coach again. Then he won Atlantic 10 coach of the year.

Using what you have got

The NCAA Tournament committee will take context under consideration, which suggests there is a zero probability the shorthanded nature of Villanova’s rotation has an impact on its seeding.

Starting energy ahead Matt Hodge suffered a season-ending ACL damage two weeks in the past at St. John’s, and whereas the Wildcats closed their common season with somewhat snug wins over DePaul and Xavier in the two video games that adopted, the lack of depth is obvious.

More seemingly, that is solely an inside subject and never one that may have any impact on Villanova’s seeding.

Willard acknowledged after the sport that he nonetheless has some work to do with the tinkering of enjoying time and rotations.

Backup wing Malachi Palmer has performed nicely after being inserted into the beginning lineup, however Villanova hasn’t found out many solutions for its lack of dimension when Palmer is not on the ground. It did not assist that Zion Stanford, who, like Palmer, is 6-foot-6, left the team when the Wildcats could have used him more than that they had been. They are down to 2 rotation gamers who’re taller than 6-6, they usually’re each facilities who’ve but to share the ground.

Deploying that two-big look or determining easy methods to play higher when the small-ball unit is on the ground is a few of what Willard can be learning.

It could also be too little, too late, however for the first time since 2022, the significant half of the season did not finish in New York.