Well, Villanova’s got some issues.
Villanova’s Issues
It was Villanova’s second loss of Big East play and fifth loss of the season, and while the five losses are largely envy-inducing, if you have to lose five (they’ve lost at UCLA and Baylor and to Purdue on a neutral floor), two of them are now to bubble teams, and last night’s came at home. Marquette came to the Main Line and exited a shocking victor, rallying from nine down in the final eleven minutes and four down in the final two before Justin Lewis’s three-pointer gave the Golden Eagles what turned out to be the final lead. It’s a massive win for Shaka Smart’s team, which is now firmly on the happy side of the bubble, while for Villanova, it’s back to an uncertain place.
The Wildcats missed eighteen threes and let Marquette overcome 36% two-point shooting with three after three of their own, highlighting two glaring vulnerabilities in this year’s Jay Wright team: they shoot a lot of threes, and so do their opponents. That introduces randomness, and it also opens the door for things like Baylor holding Nova to 36 points. If you can defend the perimeter effectively, you can effectively defend Villanova, because these guys do not get it done inside. The three-point-only thing on offense is not by choice.
Now, every team has some glaring vulnerabilities. Baylor can go all sorts of cold. Gonzaga’s been pushed around a couple times. Purdue has failed to appear at multiple games. But Villanova’s are probably a little more significant than those. Not hugely more significant, but enough to hold them in a different assortment.
Talking Kentucky
Into the top four on KenPom, meanwhile, comes Kentucky, who survived a trip to College Station, currently the SEC’s bubble headquarters. It was dicey at times and an ugly performance overall, but these Wildcats won it, and the team who’s only lost to Duke in New York and LSU/Notre Dame on the road should probably be getting more attention, odd as it may feel to say. Huge trip to Auburn on Saturday.
Purdue, Round Two
Purdue is back atop the ladder, or at least near the top, and tonight’s game in Bloomington is, in addition to being their biggest game of the season from a rivalry perspective, an opportunity to solidify their place up there alongside Gonzaga and Baylor (and, again, perhaps Kentucky). It’s clear the Boilermakers can. What’s not clear is if they will. This one’s on FS1 at 7:00 PM EST.
