Villanova lost four of its first 11 games, which included a humiliation at the hands of Baylor and a 20-point loss to Creighton in the Big East opener.
It wasn't the best of starts.
But, at this point, it's pretty clear the Wildcats have figured out most of the things they needed to figure out. They're now on a six-game winning streak thanks to Sunday's 82-42 destruction of Butler.
"We're starting to be able to do this for 40 minutes," Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright told reporters afterward.
Such was certainly the case Sunday.
Incredibly, Villanova shot 59.6% from the field, 63.2% from 3 and 93.3% from the free throw line in Sunday's 40-point beatdown, which qualified as the largest margin of victory for the Wildcats in any Big East game in history. (FYI: Villanova has played 700 Big East games!) In other words, it was some kind of performance -- one that improved the Wildcats to 13-4 overall and 6-1 in the Big East. KenPom now projects them to win the league by multiple games. If it happens, Villanova will take at least a share of the Big East regular-season title for the eighth time in a nine-year span.
It's obviously impressive.
The Wildcats remain No. 10 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn is still No. 1 for the sixth consecutive day thanks to the fact that the Tigers are 16-1 overall, 5-0 in the SEC and in possession of the best strength of record in the nation. They're 4-1 in Quadrant 1 and 4-0 in Quadrant 2 -- or 8-1 in the first two quadrants, which represents the sport's best winning percentage in the first two quadrants. The Tigers are also the only Division I team that hasn't lost in regulation, and their 13-game winning streak is tied with Davidson's for the longest in the nation.
Itching for more college hoops analysis? Listen below and subscribe to the Eye on College Basketball podcast where we take you beyond the hardwood with insider information and instant reactions.
Top 25 And 1 Rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Walker Kessler finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 80-71 win at Ole Miss. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | -- | 11-1 |
| 2 |  | Drew Timme finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 115-83 win at Santa Clara. The Zags' next game is Thursday against San Francisco. | -- | 9-3 |
| 3 |  | Brad Davison finished with 25 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 78-68 win over Ohio State. The Badgers' next game is Tuesday at Northwestern. | -- | 10-3 |
| 4 |  | Baylor missed 20 of the 28 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 61-54 loss to Oklahoma State. The Bears' next game is Tuesday at West Virginia. | -- | 7-3 |
| 5 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 85-59 win over West Virginia. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday at Oklahoma. | -- | 9-2 |
| 6 |  | Zach Edey finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Friday's 92-65 wn over Nebraska. The Boilermakers' next game is Monday at Illinois. | -- | 8-4 |
| 7 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 82-64 win over Utah. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday at Stanford. | -- | 6-5 |
| 8 |  | Gabe Kalscheur finished with 22 points and two steals in Saturday's 79-70 win over Texas. The Cyclones' next game is Tuesday at Texas Tech. | -- | 10-1 |
| 9 |  | Kyler Edwards finished with 29 points and three assists in Saturday's 66-64 win at Tulsa. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against South Florida. | -- | 8-3 |
| 10 |  | Collin Gillespie finished with 17 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 82-42 win over Butler. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday against Marquette. | -- | 8-5 |
| 11 |  | LSU had 16 turnovers and just 11 assists in Saturday's 65-58 loss to Arkansas. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday at Alabama. | -- | 10-2 |
| 12 |  | Paolo Banchero finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 88-73 win over NC State. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday at Florida State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 13 |  | TyTy Washington finished with 28 points and five assists in Saturday's 107-79 win over Tennessee. The Wildcats' next game is Wednesday at Texas A&M. | -- | 10-2 |
| 14 |  | Johnny Juzang finished with 24 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 81-65 win over Oregon State. The Bruins' next game is Thursday at Utah. | -- | 10-2 |
| 15 |  | Michigan State turned the ball over 17 times in Saturday's 64-62 loss to Northwestern. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Wisconsin. | -- | 10-2 |
| 16 |  | Colby Jones finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 80-73 win over Creighton. The Musketeers' next game is Wednesday at DePaul. | -- | 8-5 |
| 17 |  | USC finished with 13 turnovers and just 12 assists in Saturday's 79-69 loss to Oregon. The Trojans' next game is Thursday at Colorado. | -- | 9-4 |
| 18 |  | E.J. Liddell finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 61-56 win over Penn State. The Buckeyes' next game is Tuesday against IUPUI. | -- | 8-4 |
| 19 |  | Nate Watson finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 83-73 win over St. John's. The Friars are on a COVID pause. | -- | 7-6 |
| 20 |  | Kofii Cockburn finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Friday's 68-53 win over Michigan. The Illini's next game is Monday against Purdue. | -- | 8-3 |
| 21 |  | Texas Tech missed 13 of the 17 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 62-51 loss at Kansas State. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Iowa State. | -- | 9-2 |
| 22 |  | Lucas Williamson finished with 17 points and two steals in Saturday's 64-56 win at Indiana State. The Ramblers' next game is Tuesday at Evansville. | -- | 9-4 |
| 23 |  | Alex Barcello finished with 18 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 71-69 win at San Francisco. The Cougars' next game is Thursday against San Diego. | -- | 9-2 |
| 24 |  | Texas finished with 20 turnovers and just 13 assists in Saturday's 79-70 loss at Iowa State. The Longhorns' next game is Tuesday against Kansas State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 25 |  | Adama Sonogo finished with 26 points and 18 rebounds in Friday's 86-78 win over St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Butler. | -- | 10-3 |
| 26 |  | Michael Jones finished with 29 points and four rebounds in Friday's 87-84 win at Richmond. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at VCU. | -- | 9-3 |
