Top 5 Reasons Why Villanova May Disappoint As College Basketball Pick This Season
Posted by Henry Watkins on Thursday,February 16, 2017 12:14, EDT in
We are now only a few short weeks away from the start of March Madness predictions, and as the regular season draws to a close, we now have a pretty solid idea of which teams will serve as the #1 seeds in the bracket. One of those teams will almost certainly be the Villanova Wildcats, a team that is currently #2 in the nation, and which has what looks to be a manageable schedule the rest of the way. They have only dropped 2 games all season long, so it’s no real surprise that they are so highly ranked, but we believe there are 5 reasons why they may not be a good bet in the Tournament.
Top 5 Reasons Why Villanova May Disappoint As College Basketball Pick This Season
Strength of Schedule
I think it’s pretty fair to say that the Big East is not exactly a powerhouse conference, and that it’s one that Villanova would have been expected to win this season. You can’t take away the 25-2 record this team has put together this season, but you can question the quality of teams they have played. The highest seeded tea they have faced all season was when Creighton were at #10. They won that game 80-70, and Creighton have since slipped all the way down to #20. Much better teams to come as opposition.
Too Small
One of the losses that Villanova took this season as against a Butler team that was bigger and a good deal more physical than the Wildcats. They were unable to hang with that sort of strength, and while no other team has really been that physical against this group, the blueprint on how to beat them is there for all to see.
Poor Offensive Rebounding
There is going to come a time in the Tournament when this team is behind and needs to make some offensive plays. That is hard to do when you don’t really have an effective offensive rebounding game. This team needs to be near perfect in taking the right shot, as missing on a regular basis and not being able to rebound is a recipe for disaster.
Parity in the NCAA
There are a lot of good teams in the NCAA this season, but there isn’t really one that stands out as great. Yes, Gonzaga are still unbeaten this season, but as solid as they have been, no-one is comparing them to the great teams of the past. When you get down to March Madness where the best teams start to go head to head, you get in a situation where anyone can win on any given day. Getting through that unscathed is close to impossible.
History is Against Them
Going all the way back to 1991, there have only been two occasions where the defending champion has gone on to repeat. The Duke Blue Devils won in 91 and 92, while the Florida Gators did he double in 06 and 07. Other than that, we have had a new champion crowned every single year, which does not play into the favor of the defending champion Villanova Wildcats.
