8. Villanova Wildcats (6-4)
Well, well, well…it’s not so easy to kill the ‘Cats, is it?
Villanova certainly turned heads with its victory over Cincinnati on Tuesday and was able to follow that up with a commanding win over Temple. It was a week that Kyle Neptune desperately needed and provides him with plenty of practice time to make sure his team is ready for the start of Big East play.
The middle of the conference is wide open, can Villanova make a charge up the standings?
9. DePaul Blue Demons (7-1)
DePaul proved a lot despite a 14-point loss on the road against Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders opened the game on a 14-0 run and previous Blue Demon teams would lose that game by 40 points. Instead, this version of DePaul battled back and took a lead inside the final three minutes of the half.
A similar situation unfolded to begin the second half with Texas Tech starting on a big run and DePaul couldn’t muster another comeback, but it still showed that this team won’t be a pushover under Chris Holtmann.
DePaul has a real chance to send an early message this season with a win Tuesday night against Providence.