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The Villanova Wildcats held onto their #14 rank this week, but closed the gap between them and now #13 ranked Kansas. The Wildcats extended their winning streak to 10 games over the weekend, and came up just 8 points shy of overtaking the Jayhawks to move up in the standings.
Villanova will certainly have an opportunity to move up this week, as well as grab a statement win on the road. First they’ll host Creighton and their high powered offense on Wednesday, a game they’d be wise not to overlook. But the media and the fan base have their eyes on Saturday’s showdown at #10 Marquette. Not only is this an important game for building an NCAA Tournament resume, but it will be Villanova’s first opportunity to add some cushion to their one game lead for the Big East Regular Season Title.
Villanova and Marquette remain the only two Big East teams ranked this week.
2018-19 AP Poll: Week 14
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (#1 Votes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (#1 Votes) |
| 1 | Tennessee | 20-1 | 1,579 (48) |
| 2 | Duke | 19-2 | 1,532 (12) |
| 3 | Virginia | 20-1 | 1,478 (4) |
| 4 | Gonzaga | 21-2 | 1,423 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 18-3 | 1,310 |
| 6 | Nevada | 21-1 | 1,228 |
| 7 | Michigan | 20-2 | 1,217 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 17-4 | 1,167 |
| 9 | Michigan State | 18-4 | 1,051 |
| 10 | Marquette | 19-3 | 1,029 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 18-3 | 948 |
| 12 | Houston | 21-1 | 838 |
| 13 | Kansas | 17-5 | 809 |
| 14 | Villanova | 18-4 | 801 |
| 15 | Purdue | 16-6 | 697 |
| 16 | Louisville | 16-6 | 561 |
| 17 | Iowa State | 17-5 | 545 |
| 18 | Texas Tech | 17-5 | 482 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 16-6 | 462 |
| 20 | Iowa | 17-5 | 242 |
| 21 | LSU | 17-4 | 205 |
| 22 | Florida State | 16-5 | 180 |
| 23 | Buffalo | 19-3 | 153 |
| 24 | Maryland | 17-6 | 144 |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 19-3 | 142 |
Others Receiving Votes: Washington 135, Mississippi St. 133, Auburn 128, Kansas St 114, Baylor 44, Wofford 15, Lipscomb 5, Syracuse 3.
Polling History
Some interesting Villanova AP Poll facts from College Poll Archive and College Poll Tracker:
- It’s Villanova’s 378th ranking in the AP Poll (Tied for 17th All-Time with Notre Dame)
- It’s Villanova’s 4th consecutive week in the AP Poll (Tied for 16th longest active streak)
- The only AP voter to rank Villanova all season has been Jeff Call
Additional Polling Data
Some would argue these “experts” are more relevant than the AP Poll.
KenPom: Nova is 18th overall, 8th in Adj. Offense, and 88th in Adj. Defense
Sagarin: Nova is 13th overall, 16th in Predictive, 12th in Golden Mean, and 8th in Recent
Massey: Nova is 14th overall, 14th in Power Rating, 35th in Offense, and 17th in Defense
NET: Nova is 19th overall, previously 20th.
Kendrick: Anna Kendrick’s #14th highest grossing movie to date is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a personal favorite.
And if you’re looking for another set of rankings to care about, try reading Rankings 101.