Was the 2012-13 Villanova Basketball team successful?

Entering the 2012-13 Villanova Basketball season the team had lost its two top scorers in Maalik Wayns and Dominic Cheek a year early. Fans were also coming to the realization that a freshman was looking to get the starting spot at point guard.

Mouphtaou Yarou, James Bell, and JayVaughn Pinkston would be returning, but could they carry an unexperienced team?

Coming off of a 12-17 season in 2012 where the Wildcats won only 5 BIG EAST conference games and didn't see the post-season, we asked our readers about their expectations for the upcoming season.

Over 500 people voted and 61% of the electorate didn't think Villanova would make the NCAA Tournament.

As a recap- the 2013 season saw the emergence of Yarou as a legit down low threat as a scorer and rebounder (increasing his professional stock along the way), Ryan Arcidiacono assumed the responsibility at running the point, Darrun Hilliard emerged as the scorer that Jay Wright saw at Liberty High, Bell became clutch, Pinkston became a reliable & consistent scorer, and Daniel Ochefu learned quickly as an understudy for his role at the go-to big man next year.

The team ended 2013 with a 20-14 record (10-8 in the BIG EAST), 3 wins over Top 5 teams, a win in the Conference Tournament, and a #9 seed in the NCAA Tournament where they erased a 20 point first half deficit to compete with North Carolina in the waning minutes.

So, was this a successful season for this basketball team?