Villanova back in AP top 25 after big week in the Bahamas

The Wildcats went from unranked to No. 18 in this week's Associated Press men's college basketball poll.

Villanova's Mark Armstrong fights for the ball with Maryland's Jahmir Young on Nov. 17.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

Published Nov. 27, 2023, 1:16 p.m. ET

Following a perfect performance in the Bahamas last week, the Villanova men’s basketball team is back in the Associated Press top 25 poll at No. 18.

The Wildcats (6-1) earned three wins in three days against teams inside the KenPom top 50. First, they beat Texas Tech by 16 points. Then they knocked off then-No. 14 (now No. 17) North Carolina in overtime behind a dominant, 34-point performance from senior big man Eric Dixon, who earned Big East player of the week honors.

Villanova then blasted Memphis, which was essentially No. 26 in last week’s AP poll. Villanova led by 28 at halftime and cruised to a 79-63 win to earn its third Battle 4 Atlantis title.

The Wildcats, who began the season ranked 22nd in the AP poll, have won four straight, a stretch that started Nov. 17 with a stifling defensive effort during a 57-40 win over Maryland.

Purdue — which won the Maui Invitational by beating Gonzaga, Tennessee, and Marquette — was a nearly unanimous choice for the top spot in this week’s media poll. Arizona, Marquette, Connecticut, and Kansas round out the top five.

Villanova has become an analytics darling over the last two weeks. The Wildcats entered Monday rated 14th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric and eighth overall in Torvik’s power rating. They’ve been pretty balanced, too. KenPom rated Villanova’s offense 14th in offensive efficiency and 30th in defensive efficiency as of Monday morning.

Next up for Villanova is a Big 5 battle with rival St. Joseph’s on Wednesday at the Finneran Pavilion (6:30 p.m., FS1). The game is essentially a Big 5 Classic semifinal, the winner moving on to play in Saturday’s championship game at the Wells Fargo Center.