Villanova: NCAA Tournament's Jekell & Hyde Team

Villanova all but punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament, but which Wildcat team will show up? (nytimes.com)

The better of the two Villanova teams defeated Georgetown Tuesday and, barring a very early and ugly exit in the Big East Tournament, punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament. I said one of the two because it feels like there are two Villanova teams (a Jekell & Hyde, if you will) that could show up to any game either making the team look like a Big East contender or rebuilding project.

Villanova (19-12) will most likely be on the right side of the bubble come Selection Sunday because the Wildcats have risen in big games with a handful of key victories. However, Villanova wouldn't even be on the bubble if not for inconsistent play and bad losses. The highlight wins are impressive and the worst losses are ugly. Just take a look at these:

Key wins: Louisville and Syracuse (back-to-back), Marquette, Georgetown

Key losses: Columbia, Providence (2x), at Seton Hall

The other eight losses weren't horrible because of the level of opposition, but a season with double-digit losses, while trying to get a ticket to the big dance, isn't ideal. It also doesn't help that Villanova lost the biggest non-conference games on the schedule (Alabama, at La Salle and Temple).

The Wildcats are seventh in the Big East, yet have beaten four of the six teams ahead of them in the rankings (except for Notre Dame and Pitt). It's amazing Villanova was able to knock off three teams who were ranked in the top five in the country at the time, yet can't close out games to Seton Hall and Providence.

The latest ESPN Bracketology has Villanova as a No. 14 seed and people would have to consider the Wildcats as a possible upset pick. How could you not when they've upset so many great teams who would be of equal talent level to a No. 3 seed the Wildcats would face? It also would not be shocking to anyone for Villanova to be on a plane back to Philadelphia after one game.

Villanova epitomizes how this college basketball season has unfolded. The Wildcats are impossible to figure out. Just when you think they are on the upside, another bad loss sets them back and makes you question what you thought about the team. Then as Nova looked as if it would end the regular season on a three-game losing streak, the Wildcats beat Georgetown to end on a high note and make you question once again.

Depending on which Villanova team shows up to the tournament, Jekell or Hyde, it could make for an interesting weekend for one of the last teams to make the field.

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Villanova's Amazing Week Could Turn Season Around, But There's More Work To Do

After knocking off No. 5 Louisville and No. 3 Syracuse in back-to-back games, Villanova is looking more like a NCAA Tournament team than it did a week ago. (ncaa.com)

Last week wasn’t just a good week for Villanova basketball. It was one of the best weeks they could have asked for in a time when a chance at the NCAA Tournament was falling out of reach.

This was the type of week that can turn around a season. At 11-7 and facing three straight Big East losses, Villanova was sinking to the bottom fast. On Jan. 22 Nova found new life with a 73-64 upset of No. 5 Louisville, whom many have picked to win a national title this year. It was a huge win for the resume, but still in the season as a whole, looked more like luck than what was meant to happen.

Then Saturday came with another matchup with a top-five team in No. 3 Syracuse. It took a little bit of magic in a game-tying 3-pointer by Ryan Arcidacono to send the game into overtime, but again Villanova found a way to win 75-71.

Not many teams even get the chance to play top-five opponents in back-to-back games, let alone come away with two victories. The feat is so impressive many are now asking if the team that lost to Columbia by nearly 20 points earlier this year could now be in the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Jay Wright has won his share of big games with Nova, so it’s a little less surprising to see this happen with him as the coach. He deserves much of the credit for getting his team prepared for such formidable opponents. This is a very young team who might finally be finding its identity. But the work is not over yet.

Last week was the momentum shift, but this week will prove what kind of team Villanova really is. The Wildcats still have 11 Big East games remaining, where they could either spring off this confidence boost or fall back into the losing pattern of the first half of the season. The next test is Wednesday, when Nova travels to No. 24 Notre Dame.

Both of the top-five wins were at home, and the Wildcats have struggled on the road (4-3) thus far. It’s easy to point at those signature wins as evidence, but those will only help if Nova continues to win. Only two currently ranked teams remain on Villanova’s schedule, so the Wildcats can’t afford any bad losses.

It’s a great story if Nova can write it; a young team struggles early, postseason dreams seemingly out of reach before turning it around midway through the season and reaching the NCAA Tournament. But wins over Louisville and Syracuse won’t get the Wildcats to their goal alone.

A road win at Notre Dame would sure help in making this great week evolve into a season Nova fans didn’t think would be possible a week ago.