7. Villanova Wildcats (12-10, 5-6 Big East)
There was a point when Villanova looked like it was going to turn around its season after the disastrous non-conference play. It’s signature win of the early part of the season, a win over then No. 14 Cincinnati, has aged horribly and it hasn’t shown up after defeating then No. 9 UConn on its home court.
Since its victory over the Huskies, Villanova has lost five of its last six games and its only win during that time was a 2-point win over Providence at home.
There are no breaks in the schedule for the Wildcats after its trip to DePaul this week with matchups looming against Xavier, St. John’s, Providence, UConn, and Marquette.
The NCAA Tournament is a pipedream right now for Villanova, but Kyle Neptune needs a strong end to the regular season for a multitude of other reasons.
THIS WEEK: at DePaul (Wednesday) and vs. Xavier (Sunday)
8. Providence Friars (11-11, 5-6 Big East)
To the credit of Kim English, Providence fights in every game.
They trailed St. John’s by 19 points with eight minutes to play on Saturday and rallied to tie the game in the final seconds before St. John’s walked away with a 2-point win.
Its loss against Creighton was the only game that the Friars have not been very competitive in since its whooping at home by Marquette on New Year’s Eve.
English got dealt a tough hand this season with the injury to Bryce Hopkins and his delayed return coupled with a setback that now has him out for the season. His front court is weak but his guards can keep the team hanging around in games with its 3-point shooting, like it did against the Johnnies.
THIS WEEK: vs. Creighton (Wednesday) and at Butler (Saturday)