Cats get Justin Moore back but again come up short in a close game, falling to Providence 70-65.

Big news Sunday morning, as Villanova has announced that Justin Moore will be dressed and available on Sunday against Providence for the first time since tearing his Achilles late in the Elite 8 win over Houston last season. This is obviously huge news and also a testament to the work Moore has put in rehabbing from the significant injury.

A well-deserved honor for one of the program's most decorated players.

More work on the 2024 class as the Cats have gotten an offer out to F/C Thomas Sorber. Sorber is a local prospect playing at Archbishop Ryan. He is 6-9 and a four-star prospect currently ranked 89th in his class by Rivals. Sorber has been having a fantastic junior season at Ryan, highlighted by a 29-point, 17-rebound effort in a win over O'Hara last week. Sorber joins a long list of 2024 offers in what is an incredibly important class for the Wildcats. For now, another name to keep an eye on.

An ugly win but a win nonetheless and we're not going to be picky at this point.

Any updates on players visiting this weekend?

A much-needed win for the Cats on Monday afternoon.

A quick catchup on the Hoyas with Hoya Report's Ron Bailey plus some thoughts on Monday's matchup.

Welp, things have gotten pretty bad.

Nova's tough season continued Friday night.

We posted yesterday about bracing for potential bad news on Jordan Longino's injury, as Kyle Neptune indicated that the school would be issuing a statement on the situation in the coming days. On Tuesday, we got that statement, and it wasn't as bad as expected. The school called Longino's injury a "left hamstring strain" after an MRI and said he would be re-evaluated in two weeks. Now, that still means Longino stands to miss at least three weeks, and there is no guarantee that he will be able to return upon his next evaluation. However, when word of a statement came out, the vibe was much more ominous. I noted that the school rarely issues statements on injuries unless surgery/season-long absences are involved, and this is a situation where I am happy to have been wrong. Again, no guarantee that Longino will return in two weeks, but to have word come that nothing is torn or broken is encouraging.

Villanova's coyness with injuries continued Monday as Kyle Neptune shared a confusing update on Jordan Longino. Neptune, who called Longino "day to day" following Saturday's loss to Xavier, declined to give a clear update on Longino's status Monday but confirmed he would be out for this week's two road games. However, another part of Neptune's comments were much more ominous. Neptune said the school would be putting out an update in the next few days. It would not be in character for the school to issue a statement on a short-term injury, and while I hate to speculate, in my experience the school rarely, if ever, releases official statements on injuries unless surgery is involved. Now, considering how the school usually handles injury updates (Neptune has taken the already established precedent of limited info, vague updates and a willingness to produce contradictory updates to a whole new level) I wouldn't be surprised if no such statement emerges this week. However, if it does, it will likely not be positive and since Neptune was willing to state publicly that an official update was coming from the school, it's probably wise to prepare for bad news on the Longino injury front.

Nova's tourney hopes take a devastating blow in another close loss.

Cats pull away in second half to take down Georgetown.

Getting some insight on Wednesday's opponent from Rivals' resident Hoyas expert.

A frustrating and damaging loss for the Wildcats on Saturday.

In a bit of surprise news, Villanova redshirt freshman Angelo Brizzi has entered the transfer portal and is no longer with the team. Brizzi had fallen out of the rotation over the past few weeks and overall was averaging 2.0 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 10.8 minutes per game.

Personally, I find the news quite disappointing. I had high hopes for what Brizzi could become at Nova. He already showed some of it with his ability to get steals and compete on the defensive end, and he looked like he had already mastered the Villanova shot fake. It was clear he was paying attention and learning during his redshirt year. He also gave Nova another player who could attack off the dribble, and while his three-point shooting hadn't transferred to the collegiate level just yet in his limited minutes, there was reason to be optimistic about that part of his game. Now, we'll never know.

In the short-term, this has very little impact on Nova as we noted he had fallen out of the rotation. But with a light recruiting class coming in 2023 and the likely early departure of Cam Whitmore, the move creates further roster uncertainty and depth concerns over the next year or two and Villanova loses what could have been a valuable skill set for the next three years.

An unusually sloppy performance with the ball costs Nova the chance to upset No. 2 UConn.

Looking at four games, outside of the obvious upsets of teams like UConn or Xavier, that could ultimately determine Villanova's postseason fate.

Villanova kicked off an important Big East slate with a convincing win over St. John's.

Another 2024 name to keep an eye on has emerged in point guard Ahmad Nowell. Nowell is local product who plays at Imhotep Charter, who recently participated in the Kentucky Play-by-Play Classic. Nowell was highlighted by Rivals' national analyst Travis Graf as a standout at the event, and he mentioned Villanova as one of the main programs involved in his recruitment at the moment when talking to Graf at the event. Nowell also noted Tennessee, Louisville, Seton Hall and Kansas. He holds offers from Kansas, Tennessee, Auburn and Memphis.

Nowell is currently ranked 32nd in his class by Rivals.

Cats beat St. Joe's 71-64.

Nova moves to 3-0 with Cam Whitmore in the lineup.

Cats get second win in a row with a victory over Penn.

A step in the right direction for the Cats.