So, I went to mass Saturday evening. Uncharacteristically, the pastor was standing in front of the church as people filed into the church. When the place was filled, he said he had a special message for all of us. The message was that all the churches had received a message from the bishop that he had received a warning that the churches had been targeted for attack. While it was a non-specific warning, the bishop said it was real and needed to be addressed. I didn't agree with our pastor's plan if it happened. He said if our church were attacked during mass, we should all kneel down and say the rosary. In thinking about it, I realized churches are such easy targets it's surprising one or more haven't already been attacked. Now, I'm sure there will be the usual responses from posters on here trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to be funny. But, the real point is how has the world come to this point? Yeah, I know, I'm one of those scared old people! When jihadism reaches into your church, we are in a very sad state of affairs and the government (both parties) has failed all of us miserably!

Justin Moore stepped up for Villanova on Saturday with 16 points and five rebounds, hitting 6-13 shots from the floor and 4-5 from 3. For Moore, it was a bit of a breakout game after some tough offensive performances coming out of the pause. In Villanova's first two games out of their pause, Moore had shot just 10-24 overall and 1-9 from 3. On Saturday, we learned a possible reason for the struggles.

In his postgame press conference, Jay Wright revealed that Moore has been dealing with a sprained thumb that has been affecting his shooting. Wright said that Moore shot with assistant coaches on Friday and the assistants reported that he looked good, so Wright was hopeful that Moore was starting to feel better and getting back to his normal self. It looks like he was right.

Hopefully Moore is moving past the injury now.

Nova keeps rolling with win over Pirates.

A look at the Pirates ahead of Nova-Seton Hall round two.

Patterson has only been with the team for a few days but has already caught Jay Wright's attention.

Jay Wright met with the media today for what was supposed to be a pregame session ahead of the UConn game. Obviously, the tone of the session changed now that the UConn game has been postponed.

First, Wright expressed disappointment and sympathy for UConn. “Obviously this is disappointing," Wright said. "I feel bad for Connecticut. It’s tough to tell the kids.” Wright said that while the players were disappointed, they were grateful that they were at least able to practice and look forward to (hopefully) another game on Saturday. Wright said he tried to make practice more of a fun one this afternoon in light of the disappointing news and that the team did more scrimmaging than usual.

As for the schedule, Villanova remains down four games at this point with plenty of uncertainty looming over how the last six weeks of the season will play out. Nova still hasn't reached the 13-game threshold required for NCAA tournament eligibility, and the program had hoped to play as close to the 27-game maximum as possible. Wright said he is unsure if any or all of the missed games so far will be made up, but that the team would be willing to play three games in a week to try to make up as many games as possible. “We would agree to play a third game in a week, we just have to be careful about how we do it, how much travel," Wright said. "We have to look forward and see where can we fit a game in. I’m sure they’ll be a week where we play three, if not a couple weeks.”

Wright also said that the program attempted to find a replacement game for tomorrow night but nothing could be worked out. First it checked with the Big East, and then with the local schools, but teams had either just played or were about to play.

Bryan Antoine is healthy and is just trying to play catch up at this point. Wright didn't want to take any possibilities off the table, but it sounds like Antoine is still pretty far away. Wright praised Anotoine's mental toughness and work ethic and said he is completely confident Antoine will get where he needs to be.

Thursday's Nova-UConn game has been postponed due to a positive COVID test among the officiating crew that worked Tuesday's UConn-Butler game. No makeup date has been announced. 'Cats next scheduled to play Saturday afternoon at Seton Hall.

Four things we noticed in Saturday's win.

The Wildcats ended up earning a fairly comfortable victory in what was a strange Saturday afternoon at the Pavilion.

A look at the Friars ahead of Saturday's matchup.

Some pretty big news this Friday evening, as the school announced that 2021 commit Trey Patterson has graduated HS early and will be enrolling at the university for the spring semester, at the start of which he will be added to the 2020-21 roster. The four-star recruit is ranked 40th in his class by Rivals.

A pretty impressive showing from the Wildcats considering the circumstances.

The postponed matchup between Villanova and UConn, which was originally scheduled for Jan. 15, has been rescheduled for Jan. 28. The game is slated for a 9 p.m. tipoff on FS1.

Villanova basketball is back! Here's a look at the Pirates, what we'll be watching, and some thoughts from coach Wright and Collin Gillespie.

More good news out of Jay Wright's Monday press conference, as Bryan Antoine will dress for the first time this season after suffering a shoulder injury.

The excitement is tempered somewhat by the fact that Antoine isn't likely to jump right into things. "He’s still a long way from being ready to play in terms of having practiced and knowing what we’re doing but he is completely healthy for the first time," Wright said.

Still, it's great news to hear that Antoine is fully healthy and available to play if need be or if an opportunity presents itself. Either way, this is a big step towards getting Antoine back on the court consistently.

Jay Wright revealed on Monday evening that everyone who has been active to this point in the season will be available for Tuesday's game against Seton Hall.

Jermaine Samuels and Caleb Daniels completed their myocarditis tests and got clean results. Daniels' calf is also okay, and Eric Dixon's banged up Achilles won't prevent him from being able to play.

Samuels and Daniels just returned to full practice on Monday, so while they've been doing individual work, it's unclear how in shape they are. Their minutes will be something to monitor Tuesday night, but for a while it appeared Villanova might be down all three players, so this is certainly encouraging news as the 'Cats try to get back in the swing of things.

As both the program and the conference attempt to get the full 20 game conference schedule in, Wright is focusing on what is right in front of his team while the conference explores all options on how to make the rest of the season work.

Not a huge surprise here, but one of Villanova's 2022 targets is off the board after Corey Floyd Jr. committed to UConn Thursday night. Villanova got in late with its offer, and while it was enough to get the 'Cats added to Floyd's previously released cut list, it wasn't enough to overcome longtime favorite UConn.

Villanova is still waiting on a decision from 2021 prospect Trevor Keels and will continue to pursue 2022 targets like Jalen Duren, Justice Williams, and Mark Armstrong, among others.

Another injury update from Jay Wright's Thursday media availability regarded Caleb Daniels and Eric Dixon. Daniels, who is also still awaiting clearance from his myocarditis tests, tweaked his calf in the one practice the Wildcats had between pauses. Likewise, Eric Dixon dinged his Achilles in that same practice.

Neither injury sounds particularly severe. Wright said he would have a better idea of availability for Tuesday against Seton Hall on Monday, but it sounded like he considered the bigger impediment to Daniels playing Tuesday was getting his heart test results in time. As for Dixon, Wright said if he had to guess right now, he would say that Dixon will be able to play on Tuesday, but they will monitor the situation over the next few days.

Another important tidbit from Jay Wright's Thursday media availability is that Bryan Antoine has returned to practice. There is a possibility that Antoine could pay on Tuesday against Seton Hall, but if not his return will likely happen sooner than later. Great news for both Antoine, who has just had an incredibly tough time since arriving at Villanova, and for the team.

On Thursday, Villanova returned to practice after a second COVID-19 pause, and Jay Wright met with the media and covered a wide range of topics which we will get you caught up on.

One of the most pressing notes is the fact that Jermaine Samuels and Caleb Daniels have not been cleared for a full return to the court yet. Each player still needs to get their myocarditis test before being fully cleared. Wright is hopeful that the tests and results will be in hand by Monday, opening the possibility of both players being available Tuesday against Seton Hall. Wright said he is considering moving Monday's practice to later in the day in the hopes that the results will be returned and the pair can get a practice in assuming the tests come back clean.

We should get an update and a clearer picture of each player's availability for Tuesday on Monday.

The Cats returned to the court Thursday with a practice.