There is no doubt that the final five games of Villanova’s season will be the most important the team will play all year. The Wildcats (14-11 overall, 7-7 Big East) will face two top-25 opponents in No. 1 UConn (24-2, 14-1) and No. 15 Creighton (19-7, 10-5). Villanova will also see two teams on the NCAA tournament bubble with it, in Providence (17-9, 8-7) and Seton Hall (17-5, 10-5).
Throw in a lowly Georgetown (8-17, 1-13) squad and a game or two in the Big East tournament, and Villanova may have enough runway to pull up into the NCAA tournament field.
The ‘Cats can’t wait any longer to lift off. To avoid missing the NCAA tournament field in consecutive seasons since 2002-03 and 2003-04, they will need to string together wins over the last 15 days of the season.
The challenge starts with a trip to Storrs, Connecticut to face reigning National Champion UConn on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. The ‘Cats will then host Georgetown on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at the Finneran Pavilion at 6:30 p.m.
The Huskies are on a 14-game win streak and have lost two games all season. Both of their losses have come on the road. One loss came in December to then-No. 5 Kansas (20-6, 8-5 Big XII), while the other occurred at the start of conference play at Seton Hall.
The Huskies have five players averaging double-figures. Graduate guard Cam Spencer leads the team with 15.2 points per game. He’s followed by graduate guard Tristen Newton, who posts 15 per game. Newton is also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists.
Only Villanova and St. John’s (14-12, 6-9) have come within five points of beating the Huskies during their 14-game win streak.
Villanova fell one point short of the Huskies at the Wells Fargo Center on Jan. 20, 66-65.
If the ‘Cats want a chance to pull the upset in Storrs, they need to get off to a quick start. They will also need to limit the shooting efficiency of Spencer. In the Huskies’ win in South Philly, Spencer shot 27% from the field, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc.
A win against the No. 1 team in the nation on the road would do a lot for the ‘Cats NCAA tournament case, but the game against Georgetown is arguably more important to win. The ‘Cats will be heavy underdogs in Storrs, but will be heavy favorites back home against the Hoyas.
Losing the game to Georgetown would be a home loss to a team that does not crack the top-200 of NET ranking. It would be the worst loss of the season, and would take away any hope of making the NCAA tournament field.
The Hoyas are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak. They are led by sophomore guard Jaden Epps, who posts 17.2 points per game.
The ‘Cats handled the season’s first game against Georgetown in Washington, D.C. The ‘Cats won by 16, 70-54, behind an even scoring attack led by senior guard TJ Bamba. Bamba had 14 in the win.
The game on Saturday against UConn is set to tip at 8 p.m. on Fox. Tuesday’s game against Georgetown will tip at 6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
