After Michigan smashed Villanova at Villanova on Wednesday, Matt Norlander and I recorded a new episode of the Eye On College Basketball Podcast during which I told him I thought the surprising outcome said more about Villanova than it did about Michigan.
Three days later, it appears I was right.
Because, on Saturday, Furman also won at Villanova. The final score was 76-68 in overtime. So now the reigning national champions are 2-2 with home losses to Michigan and Furman. And Jay Wright quite clearly has some things, perhaps lots of things, to get worked out in advance of the AdvoCare Invitational that starts Thursday inside the HP Field House on the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Florida.
"We're a young team still trying to find our way," said Villanova senior Phil Booth.
I'll just write here what I said on Friday's podcast -- which is that the hype surrounding Villanova in the preseason was largely centered around the Wildcats returning two starters from a title-winning team and enrolling three top-55 prospects. But what happens when the newcomers give you basically nothing? Then, more or less, you're left looking like a team that lost its top four scorers and added little. And, right now, that's what Villanova looks like -- like a team that lost its top four scorers and added almost nobody who can help right now.
Jahvon Quinerly was ranked 29th in the Class of 2018. He scored a total of 10 points in Villanova's first three games and didn't get off the bench against Furman. Cole Swider was ranked 44th in the Class of 2018. He's averaging 2.8 points per game. Brandon Slater was ranked 53rd in the Class of 2018. He scored a total of two points in Villanova's first three games and didn't get off the bench against Furman.
Obviously, that's a problem.
To be clear, there's still plenty of time to get things right; it's not even Thanksgiving yet. But if the first few weeks of this season have reminded us of anything, it's that overcoming the loss of four NBA players can be difficult. And, on that note, yes, Villanova is out of Sunday morning's updated Top 25 And 1. The spot the Wildcats vacated in the rankings was filled by Iowa -- which means there are now nine Big Ten programs in the Top 25 And 1.
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zion Williamson scored 21 points and grabbed nine rebounds in Wednesday's win over Eastern Michigan. He's taken 39 shots this season and made 32 of them. | -- | 27-9 |
| 2 |  | Lagerald Vick and Dedric Lawson combined for 52 points in Friday's win over Louisiana. Vick is averaging a team-high 22.3 points. | -- | 23-11 |
| 3 |  | Grant Williams scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Tuesday's win over Georgia Tech. The Vols are 3-0 for the second consecutive season. | -- | 27-9 |
| 4 |  | Rui Hachimura finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's win over Texas A&M. Next up for the Zags is the Maui Invitational. | -- | 27-8 |
| 5 |  | Jordan Caroline finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's win over Little Rock. Jordan Brown added 12 points and 11 rebounds. | -- | 26-8 |
| 6 |  | De'Andre Hunter finished with 20 points on nine shots in Friday's win over Coppin State. He's averaging 14.3 points and 5.0 rebounds. | -- | 23-11 |
| 7 |  | Luke Maye finished with 15 points and eight rebounds in Friday's win over Tennessee Tech. The All-American is averaging 15.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. | -- | 29-8 |
| 8 |  | Charles Matthews got 25 points on 13 shots in Saturday's win over George Washington. Jordan Poole added 22 points. | -- | 8-24 |
| 9 |  | PJ Washington scored 25 points on 13 shots in Wednesday's win over North Dakota. He was 4-of-5 from 3-point range. | -- | 23-10 |
| 10 |  | Austin Wiley scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench in Wednesday's win over Mississippi College. Horace Spencer added 14 points and 17 rebounds. | -- | 27-8 |
| 11 |  | Cassius Winston finished with 23 points, five rebounds and four steals in Wednesday's win over Louisiana-Monroe. Xavier Tillman added 11 points off the bench. | -- | 20-15 |
| 12 |  | Xavier Sneed finished with 16 points and four rebounds in Friday's win over Eastern Kentucky. Dean Wade added 14 points and five rebounds. | -- | 19-15 |
| 13 |  | Nickeil Alexander-Walker finished with 20 points and seven assists in Friday's win over Northeastern. He's averaging 20.7 points and 5.3 rebounds. | -- | 19-15 |
| 14 |  | Terance Mann finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Sunday's win at Tulane. The Seminoles shots 48.3 percent from the field. | -- | 17-16 |
| 15 |  | Quinndary Weatherspoon scored 21 points in Friday's win over Long Beach State. Tyson Carter added 17 points off the bench. | -- | 21-14 |
| 16 |  | Moses Brown finished with 23 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's win over Saint Francis of Pennsylvania. The freshman big is averaging 19.7 points, 13.7 rebounds and 4.0 blocks. | -- | 16-17 |
| 17 |  | Tremont Waters scored 15 points in Friday's win over Louisiana Tech. He's averaging 13.0 points and 6.3 assists. | -- | 17-16 |
| 18 |  | Desmond Bane finished with 23 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's win over Fresno State. He's averaging a career-high 19.7 points and 6.3 rebounds through three games. | -- | 21-13 |
| 19 |  | The Buckeyes already own two wins on the road over top-45 KenPom teams. C.J. Jackson is averaging a career-high 14.7 points per game. | -- | 22-14 |
| 20 |  | Bruno Fernando finished with 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench in Friday's win over Hofstra. The sophomore forward was 8-of-8 from the field. | 1 | 16-17 |
| 21 |  | Marcquise Reed finished with 26 points, five rebounds and three assists in Wednesday's win over Sam Houston State. The Tigers shot 53.1 percent from the field. | 1 | 24-12 |
| 22 |  | Romeo Langford finished with 22 points, five rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks in Wednesday's win over Marquette. Fellow freshman Rob Phinisee added 12 points and eight assists. | 1 | 19-14 |
| 23 |  | James Palmer scored 29 points in Wednesday's win over Seton Hall. Isaac Copeland added 18 points and 10 rebounds. | 1 | 23-11 |
| 24 |  | Carsen Edwards scored 29 points in Friday's win over Davidson. He's averaging 26.8 points while shooting 45.2 percent from 3-point range. | 1 | 34-5 |
| 25 |  | Ethan Happ finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in Saturday's win over Houston Baptist. The 6-10 senior is averaging 18.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 7.7 assists. | 1 | 22-14 |
| 26 |  | The Hawkeyes beat Oregon and Connecticut to win the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden. Tyler Cook is averaging 16.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per game. | NR | 19-15 |
IN: Iowa
OUT: Villanova
