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Villanova Basketball holds at #14 in latest AP Poll

Both Big East teams stayed put as Saturday showdown looms

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NCAA Basketball: Georgetown at Villanova Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

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.