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After defeating Army in their home opener, the Villanova Wildcats maintained their Top 10 ranking in the second week of the AP Poll. There was movement around them though, as Florida fell out of the Top 10 following a loss to unranked Florida State while Virginia jumped the ‘Cats on the strength of a road victory at Syracuse to make them 2-0. While Villanova may have stayed at #10. they did increase its point total in the poll from the preseason rankings.
The Wildcats will have their first big test of the season this week as they travel to #16 Ohio State on Wednesday as a part of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games which pits the Big East against the Big Ten. This will be Villanova’s first ranked opponent of the season, and the Buckeyes (2-0) have moved up two spots from their initial ranking at #18.
As for the Big East, Seton Hall also stayed put at #12 in the rankings. Despite the vote of confidence from the media, the Pirates will be without their All-American candidate, Myles Powell, for the foreseeable future after he suffered an ankle injury over the weekend. Xavier dropped two spots to #21 despite winning both of their games to open the season. Marquette (29th), Providence (31st), Georgetown (38th), and Creighton (41st) all remained in the “Others Receiving Votes” category.
2019-2020 AP Poll: Week 2
| Rank | Team (#1 Votes) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team (#1 Votes) | Points |
| 1 | Kentucky (64) | 1,622 |
| 2 | Duke | 1,538 |
| 3 | Michigan State | 1,451 |
| 4 | Louisville (1) | 1,425 |
| 5 | Kansas | 1,354 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 1,187 |
| 7 | Maryland | 1,166 |
| 8 | Gonzaga | 1,136 |
| 9 | Virginia | 1,134 |
| 10 | Villanova | 1,064 |
| 11 | Texas Tech | 888 |
| 12 | Seton Hall | 869 |
| 13 | Memphis | 828 |
| 14 | Oregon | 804 |
| 15 | Florida | 616 |
| 16 | Ohio State | 544 |
| 17 | Utah State | 507 |
| 18 | Saint Mary's (Cal) | 438 |
| 19 | Arizona | 415 |
| 20 | Washington | 373 |
| 21 | Xavier | 370 |
| 22 | Auburn | 247 |
| 23 | LSU | 237 |
| 24 | Baylor | 179 |
| 25 | Colorado | 151 |
Others Receiving Votes: VCU 137, Florida St. 112, Texas 95, Marquette 67, Tennessee 49, Providence 23, Purdue 21, Houston 18, Utah 14, Missouri 13, Arkansas 11, Mississippi St. 9, Georgetown 4, Liberty 3, San Diego St. 2, Creighton 1, Dayton 1, Northeastern 1, Vermont 1.
Polling History
Some interesting Villanova AP Poll facts from College Poll Archive and College Poll Tracker:
- 385th ranking in the AP Poll (17th All-Time)
- 5th consecutive week ranked in the AP Poll (10th longest active streak)
- 214th ranking in the Top 10 (14th All-Time)
- 2nd consecutive week ranked in the Top 10 (Tied for 6th longest active streak)
- Chris Murray is the highest on Villanova at #3
- Kevin McNamara is the lowest on Villanova at #15
Additional Polling Data
Some would argue these “experts” are more relevant than the AP Poll.
KenPom: Nova is 7th overall, 10th in Adj. Offense, and 10th in Adj. Defense
Sagarin: Nova is 11th overall, 10th in Predictor, 12th in Golden Mean, and 10t in Recent
Massey: Nova is 21st overall, 29th in Offense, 24th in Defense
NET: Not yet updated
Kendrick: If the Top 10 doesn’t move the needle for you, maybe you can get on board with one of Anna’s 10 second rants.
And if you’re looking for another set of rankings to care about, try reading Rankings 101.