College basketball week 8: 5 biggest takeaways

2. Villanova has a real chance to repeat as national champions

College basketball hasn’t seen a repeat national champion since the Florida Gators pulled off the feat in 2006 and 2007. Before that, you’d have to go back to Duke in 1991 and 1992. And before that, you’d need to reach back into the 1970s and UCLA. This season, though, the sport could see the rarity pulled off once again as the Villanova Wildcats look poised as title contenders.

The Wildcats entered Saturday’s road clash with the Creighton Bluejays undefeated with wins over the Purdue Boilermakers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish already under their belt. It already wasn’t difficult to imagine them hoisting the trophy again in March. With a victory over Creighton, though, Villanova solidified its title contender status as it answered one of the biggest question marks remaining on its resume. Entering the season, how sophomore point guard Jalen Brunson would replace departing senior Ryan Arcidiacono was a valid concern.

Brunson answered the call against the Bluejays by scoring 27 points and dishing out five assists in the 80-70 win. The 6-foot-2 guard doesn’t have the accolades of Arcidiacono and he’s playing alongside the consensus favorite to win National Player of the Year, Josh Hart, but he is capable of doing the things that are necessary to carry a team in March when others are struggling. His performance against Creighton made sure that nobody can question that.

Statistics via Sports-Reference.