I Bleed Blue and White

Jason King, a writer for Yahoo! Sports, posted his Big East preseason power rankings today.  From my point of view, nothing really too shocking with this list.  Villanova comes in at #1, as King states:

“Most would consider the Wildcats the favorite to win the league title and advance to the Final Four for the second year in a row and just the fourth time in school history.  The decision of point guard Scottie Reynolds to withdraw from the NBA draft was huge for Villanova, which returns its top six perimeter players (although standout Reggie Redding will be ineligible until the spring semester).  The biggest question mark is in the paint, where Duke transfer Taylor King and touted freshman Mouphtaou Yarou will have to make up for the loss of leading scorer Dante Cunningham.”

Enjoy the weekend.

As part of Yahoo! Sports, Rivals.com writer Mark Huguenin has projected the NCAA field. As he notes, his analysis is not how it would look if the season ended today. In his article, Huguenin says Villanova will land a 2 seed (which would most likely put them in Philadelphia).

“The buzz: Louisville has lost two of its past four, but the Cardinals are in good position to win the Big East. Michigan State is 8-1 vs. teams in the RPI top 50, and a strong finish keeps the Spartans in the hunt for a No. 1 seed. Villanova has the third-best RPI in the Big East (ninth) and could win out in the regular season. Duke’s lack of an inside presence has manifested itself: The Blue Devils have lost four of their past six. Still, Duke is hoping to be able to play in Greensboro, N.C., in the first and second rounds.”

It’s important to note that he has UConn and Pittsburgh receiving #1 seeds, Louisville getting a 2 seed and Marquette receiving a 3 seed. Clemson and Wake Forest are also marked for 3 seeds.

…I don’t love ‘Nova’s schedule as much as Huguenin does, because there are some very dangerous games…but the possibility to win out is certainly there…At this stage, it’s almost not about what seed we get, because I think we’re pretty solid for a Top 4 seed, or at worst a 5…as much as it is finishing ahead of 2 of Duke, Clemson and Wake…

…I’d sign up for a 2 seed right now though…sheesh…

Jason King of Yahoo! Sports is back again this week. If you remember, last week King called ‘Nova one of the most overrated teams in the country, saying that they hadn’t earned their ranking.

Now, King gives us a look at his Big East Power Rankings. This week, King ranked Villanova as #5 in the conference, which I totally agree with. The ‘Cats are playing great basketball right now, and it appears as though King has changed his tune from last week.

“The Wildcats gained some momentum by beating Pittsburgh last week. The key now is to sustain it. Wednesday’s game at Providence seems like a massive trap before No. 20 Syracuse and No. 8 Marquette comes to town. Dante Cunningham leads the team in points (16.7) and rebounds (7.1). Previous Rank: 7.”

You know, I thought that the Cincinnati game was the “trap” game. Providence is a pretty good team and Villanova had better be taking them seriously, they have a better conference record at the moment! Syracuse is a big rivalry and Lord knows we’re all looking forward to Marquette at The Pavilion but I really doubt that the team will take Wednesday’s game lightly.

Jason King of Yahoo! Sports calls out Villanova in his Winners and Losers column. King believes Villanova hasn’t lived up to the billing, saying:

Villanova vs. ranked opponents – There might not be a more overrated team in the country than the No. 20 Wildcats, who have lost all four of their games against schools in the Top 25. Not saying that Jay Wright’s team isn’t any good, but teams are supposed to earn their spot in the Top 25, and Villanova hasn’t.

King also comments on UConn’s big win, and Buzz Williams’ success taking over for Tom Crean at Marquette, among other things.

…Not that King is wrong by saying Villanova hasn’t beaten anybody, but I think “overrated” is a little strong…I mean it isn’t like they’ve gotten blown out in any of their games, and they went punch for punch with UConn at their place…I agree with his general sentiment though that ‘Nova needs to knock off one of the big boys soon…