Here are the five key moments that punched Villanova’s NCAA Tournament ticket for the second-straight season

In her three seasons at the helm, Villanova head coach Denise Dillon has continually established the Wildcats on the national stage.

In her first season, a trip to the quarterfinals of the women’s National Invitational Tournament. In her second season, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a first-round win. And now, Villanova has earned in the NCAA Tournament and is one win away from 29, which would tie a program record.

In the penultimate Associated Press poll of this season, the No. 10 Wildcats achieved their highest ranking in program history. The ranking also marked the 14th week that Villanova was ranked, which set a program record for weeks spent in the top 25 during a single season.

As the Wildcats head to their second straight NCAA Tournament, here is a look at five of the biggest moments of this season.

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In just the second game of the season, Villanova traveled to Princeton to take on the No. 24 Tigers. Behind 32 points from senior Maddy Siegrist, the Wildcats closed the game on a 12-0 run to pick up their second win, 69-59.

Three days later, Villanova climbed into the rankings, earning its first top 25 spot since 2018. The win caused people to take notice and consider Villanova on the national stage from an early point in the season.

Often, the initial break into the rankings is the hardest obstacle to overcome, and with Villanova achieving that in the first week, the Wildcats put themselves in a strong position moving forward.

On Jan. 20, Villanova stormed into the D.J. Sokol Arena, defeating Creighton, 73-57. The win avenged an earlier 67-46 loss at the Finneran Pavilion in Villanova’s first conference game on Dec. 2.

This win was one of the Wildcats’ best all-around performances. Sophomore Lucy Olsen and junior Maddie Burke combined for 34 points. The Wildcats have been significantly more successful when their second and third-leading scorers have big games, and this was a prime example.

The dominant victory showcased the improvement Villanova had seen since the first meeting in December. In its meeting at the Pavilion, it was clear Creighton was the better team, but in Omaha, the Wildcats proved that they can play with just about anyone, including the Bluejays, which were ranked as high as No. 13 in December.

In the win, Siegrist scored 23 points and surpassed 2,409 career points, making her the all-time leading scorer in Villanova history. This was a milestone that many expected to come this season, but to do it in a big a win made it even more significant.

Prior to Selection Sunday, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee released two top 16 reveals, one on Feb. 9 and the second on Feb. 23. The Wildcats were the No. 15 overall seed in the first release, and No. 14 in the second.

The first reveal was significant. It established that the Wildcats were in the running to be a top 16 seed and host the first two rounds of March Madness. The second was significant because, despite a loss to UConn at home, Villanova was not only able to hang on, but move up a spot.

In a 99-65 rout of Seton Hall on Feb. 11, Siegrist had a historical performance. The senior finished with 50 points and 10 rebounds for her 50th career double-double. More impressively, Siegrist’s 50 points came on 20-of-26 shooting and just six free throws.

Siegrist’s performance broke Villanova, City 6 and Big East women’s basketball single-game scoring records and moved her into first place all-time on the Big East regular-season scoring list.

Villanova’s 99 points were a team-high for the season, getting contributions from nine different players while shooting a combined 64.4% from the field.

In the big picture, Siegrist’s performance drew extensive national attention both to her as an individual and to Villanova as a team. The Wildcats had been named in the first top 16 reveal just two days earlier and this win showed why they belonged.

Entering the Big East Tournament, the second-seeded Wildcats could confidently say that they would see their name called on Selection Sunday regardless of the outcome. The bigger question was whether they would do enough to maintain their spot in the top 16.

While a win in the championship would have all but guaranteed Villanova its spot, the belief was that an appearance in the title game would be enough.

The Wildcats, who are 7-2 in games decided by five points or less, pulled out two close wins in the quarterfinals and semis — defeating DePaul, 71-70, on Saturday and Creighton, 63-61, on Sunday.

Villanova fell to top-ranked UConn, 67-56, on Monday night. With multiple other top-16 teams falling in their conference tournaments, the loss was not enough to knock the Wildcats out of the running to host the first two rounds of March Madness.