Villanova's Willard Aims for March Madness

0:00On March 15, Villanova's first year basketball coach, Kevin Willard, is steering the wildcats back to March Madness after a three-year absence. According to bracket matrix, which pulls from 117 bracket experts, they're the last number eight seed projected. ESPN's Joe Lennardi sees them as a number nine. Willard knows this territory well. His previous teams landed in eight nine matchups four times, splitting those two wins and two losses. Seaton Hall fell short early in 2017, advanced once in 2018 before bowing out, got crushed in 2022, and Maryland, had a similar quick exit in 2023. Fans and analysts see this as a solid debut for Willard, especially after the struggles under former coach Kyle Neptune. The wildcats exceeded preseason expectations, climbing from a predicted seventh in the big east to a third place finish. That turnaround has folks optimistic despite seeding limitations. Their 24 and eight record and number 35 net ranking looks strong on paper, but a two and six mark against top competition held them.

1:06Back from climbing higher. Projections point to possible first round foes like Clemson, Ohio State, or even UCLA, with sites like Tampa in play. We'll get the official seed and matchup on Selection Sunday March 15th at 6 p.m. on CBS, setting the stage for what could be another tight. Opener Under Willard.