I've had more than a hunch for a little while now that Villanova is better than some people outside our region think. It's fair to say that Georgetown and Louisville stand out above the rest of the big east, but I'm willing to put the Wildcats a little higher than others in that big pack below the Hoyas and Cardinals.
Then again, I've also thought that this young Wildcats team would be will served to not have too much attention thrown at it earlier in the season, the better to surprise folks later on (though you can be sure that the other coaches in the conference won't be surprised one bit).
But it looks like the secret's out, and that the coaches opened the door. Villanova is ranked No. 25 in the first ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll of the season, one of five Big East teams in the poll.
The Pac-10 has the most ranked teams with six. The ACC, SEC and Big 12 all have three, and the Big Ten has two.
And it's notable that St. Joe's got two votes. I have a suspicion that number goes up early in the season, even if it's too obvious to say it would jump in a hurry with a win at Syracuse.
Xavier led the A-10 with 38 votes.
In the CAA, Virginia Commonwealth had five votes, Old Dominion three and George Mason two. Keep an eye on Mason, folks. They were picked No. 1 in the conference and have a strong non-conference slate.
Finally, North Carolina is ranked No. 1, and while I usually put more stock in the AP poll, wouldn't it be nice if the Tar Heels are still No. 1 when they come here?
Comments (1)
Does Saint Joe's really have the talent and experience this year to jump into the rankings?
Posted by fd | October 29, 2007 12:27 PM
Posted on October 29, 2007 12:27