The flurry of activity on the recruiting front continues as 2021 Villanova target Angelo Brizzi has announced that he will make his commitment on Monday evening, per Rivals' Corey Evans.

We've discussed Brizzi a fair amount here since he received a Nova offer back in early April. At the time, Brizzi was an unranked, three-star recruit. Villanova was the first high-major program to offer, and several others followed suit. As of the latest Rivals 150 for the 2021 class, Brizzi had risen to No. 114 in his class and has been awarded a fourth star.

There has been a lot of chatter about Brizzi to Nova this week, and that combined with this decision date announcement would seem to indicate a Nova lean here. Brizzi will select from a final eight of Villanova, Arizona, Northwestern, Colorado, Michigan, Cal, Dartmouth, and Davidson.

Things continue to be busy on the recruiting front as 2021 PG Rahsool Diggins has announced that he will be committing on Sunday.

It's been a strange spring and summer for Diggins. Despite the lack of evaluation periods, he saw his stock rise with Kansas and Villanova getting involved in late April/early May. He was set to cut his list to eight in mid-June, but instead decided to postpone doing so, saying he would instead cut to a final six at a later date. That cut never happened, and now it appears it won't as Diggins is set to make a commitment. Adding a big of intrigue from Nova's perspective is that the news of this announcement comes hours after reports that another Nova PG target, Angelo Brizzi, would announce his decision on Monday.

Diggins will be selecting from a wide list of suitors that includes Rutgers, UConn, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Florida and others in addition to Kansas and Villanova. There's not a whole lot of insight where he's leaning at the moment, but UConn seems to be getting most of the limited buzz that is out there.

For what it's worth, there has been plenty of chatter about Brizzi to Nova and you'd have to think Diggins would look elsewhere if that is the case. Regardless, we'll have a busy few days coming up that look like they will bring even more clarity to Nova's 2021 board.

The sense of the last few days has been confirmed and top 40 2021 guard Jordan Longino has committed to Villanova.

https://villanova.n.rivals.com/news/jordan-longino-commits-to-villanova

Right on cue (if you read the last thread), Nova target Jordan Longino has teased a "big announcement" coming Thursday.

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Now, the message is a bit cryptic in that Longino didn't explicitly say he will be making his decision. He could be implying a cut to his list (he hasn't made any cuts or identified his top schools) or any number of other things. However, many in the recruiting world expect it to mean that a decision is coming, and that is a fair assumption.

Regardless, we'll be paying close attention Thursday night for an announcement that is likely to have significant implications on Villanova's 2021 class. If Longino's announcement is, in fact, a commitment, Villanova is joined by Indiana, Virginia, Ohio State, Maryland, Marquette and UConn as some of the other key players involved.

Could this week be a busy one on the recruiting front? There are rumblings that it could be.

Several players, most notably five-star Matthew Cleveland, have already announced their intentions to make decisions this week. Now, you might be saying to yourself "Cleveland isn't a Nova target, what does this have to do with Villanova?" Fair question. But there is strong sentiment that the several announcements expected this week could open the floodgates a bit across the 2021 class.

The thought process is that the ongoing disruptions of the coronavirus have had a twofold effect on recruits. One is that being limited to phone calls and virtual meetings has given the sense to recruits that they have gotten all the information they are going to get. The other is that the uncertainty has caused players to want to get locked into their future schools so they can shift their focus and preparation with that specific in mind. We've seen in the past that a flurry of commitments can have a bit of a snowball effect on a recruiting class, and that effect could be amplified by the current circumstances.

We're still waiting on any Nova-specific developments, but it definitely feels as though you should be paying attention to things this week. Even if no Nova-specific developments occur this week, it seems at the very least we'll gain some clarity on the landscape of the 2021 class this week.

As the coronavirus continues to rage across the country, conferences are making decisions on football season and it won't be long until the same will be required for basketball season. Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard talked to the New York Post's Zach Braziller about his thoughts on the situation. Considering that Willard is a member of the conference's COVID-19 Task Force, it's worth highlighting what he said.

The biggest takeaway was that Willard is resolutely opposed to one idea that has been floated around the basketball world and has been repeatedly suggested by Rick Pitino: delaying the start of the season until January 1. Willard believes that would be a mistake. With many schools adopting an altered fall schedule, that will see an earlier start, no fall break, and an end to the on-campus semester coming ahead of Thanksgiving, Willard sees that long period of virtually no students being on campus as an ideal time to play, with the empty campuses serving as a sort of bubble. Not taking advantage of that and waiting to play until shortly before students return for the spring semester would be "idiotic" in Willard's opinion.

Willard's point makes a lot of sense. It would seem prudent to take advantage of the 5-7 week period when campuses will be virtually empty.

It would be fair to take Willard's position on when to start the season and assume that would translate into playing a full schedule, but that is not the case. Willard is currently suggesting an expanded conference-only schedule. His thought process is that it would give the conference some flexibility if it became necessary to postpone games and also that it will be easier for the Big East to implement conference-wide protocols that would ensure every program is taking the same precautions and are on the same page. The conference is in the process of establishing testing, safety and travel protocols. Willard isn't opposed to non-conference games but would want other conferences to have similar protocols in place, and with the NCAA basically leaving it to the conferences and the differing circumstances across the country that feels like a tall order.

We've mentioned the benefit of time that basketball has here, and the Big East is taking advantage of that. Willard has shared his thoughts with other Big East coaches and administrators and the league is considering several plans while using the time they have to assess the continually changing situation.

It does sound, at least for now, that the Big East has every intention of playing and is trying to figure out the best way to make that happen.

From a fan perspective, it would be nice to see a full schedule played as Villanova has several intriguing non-conference matchups scheduled, including a matchup with Virginia that would be one of the highlights of the entire college basketball calendar. On the other hand, at this point sports fans will take what they can get.

For now, we have a little insight into what the conference is thinking and will wait for more tidbits like this to come out while we continue to monitor the situation.

Even as uncertainty looms over the 2020 college football season the Cats continue to build for the future. On Saturday, they added the commitment of LB Shane Hartzell.

Hartzell is a local product, playing at Pennridge in Bucks County. He missed all but two games of his junior season with an injury, but in those two games plus the portion of the third game in which he was injured he piled up 30 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles. As a sophomore, he was Second-Team All-State.

Hartzell picked Nova from a final four of Princeton, Lehigh, and Monmouth.

Rivals' Corey Evans has been looking at the recruitments of some of the top prospects in the 2021 class as part of his "Ranking the Contenders" series and on Saturday it was Trever Keels' turn.

Joining Villanova as the top contenders are Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, and Ohio State. So, who does Evans see in the lead for Keels? Your Wildcats.

Evans notes that there was already a point where it looked like a Nova commitment may be coming, the fact that Keels hails from an area in which Jay Wright has had great success recruiting (Washington DC/Virginia/Maryland), and the fact that there will be a clear path to an opportunity to make an immediate impact for Keels at Nova as the reasons for putting the Cats at the head of the pack.

It's worth noting that with Langston Love coming off the board last week, it is expected that Wright and Co. will turn up the pursuit of Keels, who has turned into a major priority for Nova in 2021 (along with the PG trio of Rahsool Diggins, Stevie Mitchell, and Angelo Brizzi) for a class that already has a solid foundation with the commitments of Nnanna Njoku and Trey Patterson. Local prospect Jordan Longino remains in the mix as well, and the good news is there are plenty of scholarships to go around.

Evans also notes that there isn't a huge gap between Nova and Virginia and that Duke continues to make a strong push. He sees those three ahead of the other three with Nova holding a slight edge at the moment.

You can read Evans' full thoughts here:
https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/ranking-the-contenders-trevor-keels

Five-star forward Caleb Houstan has officially reclassified into the class of 2021. He had been ranked the No. 5 player in the class of 2022.

Villanova established contact with Houstan in late April, but there have been no reports of an offer.

If I had to guess, I would suspect the move to 2021 would serve to diminish Villanova's interest a bit based solely on the fact that the Cats already hold a commitment from Trey Patterson, whose size and skill set is similar to Houstan's. In addition, 2021 recruiting resources will be used heavily on the five players currently holding offers (Trevor Keels, Jordan Longino, Rahsool Diggins, Stevie Mitchell, and Angelo Brizzi). The fact that there hasn't been an offer in the months since reaching out also calls into question just how interested the Cats are.

On the other hand, you typically disregard things such as positional fit/need when pursuing a player of Houstan's caliber. Furthermore, with two 2021 Villanova targets coming off the board in recent weeks (Max Christie and Langston Love) it wouldn't be surprising to see the Cats get another offer or two out especially with plenty of scholarships available. It's also worth noting that despite being listed at 6-8, Houstan has a strong perimeter game including an ability to shoot from distance (with impressive fluidity off the catch) and solid vision and feel.

It will be interesting to see if Villanova remains involved and if an offer comes, but for now just note that if Jay Wright does try to get Houstan to the Main Line, he would now arrive in 2021 instead of 2022.

Another 2021 Villanova target is off the board as Langston Love has committed to Baylor.

Love is currently ranked 42nd in the class by Rivals.

Villanova's 2021 board is gaining some clarity through subtraction with Love's decision and Max Christie's recent commitment to Michigan State. Trevor Keels and Jordan Longino stand to see some increased attention from the Cats in light of Love's decision while the point guard trio of Rahsool Diggins, Stevie Mitchell, and Angelo Brizzi remain a high priority as well.

2021 point guard Angelo Brizzi has released his top eight schools, and Villanova has made the cut.

Joining Nova is Arizona, Northwestern, Colorado, Michigan, Cal, Dartmouth, and Davidson.

As you recall, Nova was the first high-major program to offer Brizzi when he was still an unranked, three-star prospect. In the latest update, Brizzi earned a fourth star and has jumped to No. 116 in his class. If you've read my other posts on Brizzi, you know I really like his game and can see him having a great deal of success at Villanova.

Point guard remains a priority in the 2021 class, so we'll continue to watch Brizzi's recruitment closely.

Continuing our look at the roster for 2020-21.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/2020-21-player-profiles-jermaine-samuels

As the uncertainty continues to swirl and COVID-19 cases spike across the country there is growing pessimism surrounding the college football season. While college football, along with the professional leagues attempting to get up and running, will take center stage in the sports vs. COVID-19 drama for the coming weeks and months, soon enough college basketball will be on the doorstep and decisions will have to be made.

With that in mind, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee wrapped up three days of virtual meetings on Thursday night and the great Dana O'Neil detailed the pulse of those meetings in an article for The Athletic.

The most significant takeaway is that, for now, the plan is to proceed with the college hoops season as scheduled. Call the mood of the committee one of cautious optimism. They are aware that it is impossible to know what the landscape will look like in one or two months' time and all options remain on the table.

The committee will be keeping a close eye on how things go with the other sports, both professional and collegiate, as they attempt to start or resume seasons. That, along with time, are the greatest assets college basketball has at the moment. Watching how things go in regards to basketball with the NBA, with baseball attempting to operate while incorporating some travel in its schedule, and keeping an eye on what happens with the NFL and college football will provide the basketball decision-makers invaluable data on what works, what doesn't, and what is feasible. In addition, the eternal optimist can maintain hope that the country will get some kind of handle on the virus over the next two months, which could make things a little easier.

There were two other notable takeaways. Both revolve around a wrinkle already introduced into any plans for the season by the Ivy League announcing that fall sports would be canceled. As such, they won't play a non-conference schedule in basketball. That throws a wrench in the tournament selection process, especially if other schools or conferences are forced to follow suit. In response, the committee discussed two ways to address the situation.

One is that the waiver process for conferences to alter how it awards its automatic tournament bid will be extended to give conferences added flexibility to adjust to potentially changing circumstances.

The other is that the committee may not rely on the NET rankings as they usually do. If some teams play a full schedule while others play conference-only, the comparison provided by the NET rankings becomes incomplete. The committee could give less weight to the rankings, or dismiss them altogether. Regardless, it appears that the "eye test" will be much more important in the selection process in 2020-21.

The decision-makers find themselves in an unenviable position. Obviously, everybody wants a season. But they are faced with a constantly evolving situation and a seemingly infinite number of variables. The ability to watch how things play out with other sports and leagues and having time before needing to make any firm decisions is a huge plus right now. Hopefully, being able to copy what works for those other leagues while learning from what doesn't will enable college basketball to come up with a plan that will work and the current cautious optimism will prove warranted.

If you have a subscription to The Athletic, you can read O'Neil's article here:
https://theathletic.com/1920513/2020/07/09/ncaa-keeping-basketball-schedule-as-planned-for-now/

JRE gave us a little glimpse of his offseason work and, even in an empty gym, it's hard not to get a bit excited about the results.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/jeremiah-robinson-earl-shows-off-range-in-workout-video

Kicking off a series looking at what to expect from each player on the roster in 2020-21 with a look at the senior point guard.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/2020-21-player-profiles-collin-gillespie

2021 5-star shooting guard Max Christie, ranked 17th in his class by Rivals, has announced his commitment to Michigan State.

Christie has had a Nova offer for a little over a year and was long considered a priority for the Cats, although some recent developments in the 2021 class had altered that picture. The commitment to Michigan State doesn't come as much of a surprise, and this falls under the "disappointing" rather than "devastating" category. Still, it will alter the look of Nova's 2021 board.

The trio of point guards in Rahsool Diggins, Stevie Mitchell, and Angelo Brizzi remain the priority at this point and the Cats may increase their push for Trevor Keels and Langston Love with Christie off the board.

Going to switch up the approach here as news of 2022 contacts continues to come in. Instead of a new post for each one, I'm going to keep a running tab here so it's all in one place and we can all reference it easily. Players who receive offers will get a separate post.

We'll start with the three we already posted about yesterday and you can reference those posts for the background info on these players:

Prince Aligbe
Corey Floyd Jr.
Mark Armstrong

Here's a list of new contacts that we haven't already discussed:

Judah Mintz - SG, 4-stars, 59th in class, Gonzaga College High School (DC)
Jayden Lemond - PG, Dwight-Englewood School (NJ)
Charles Anyichie- F, Ranney School (NJ)
Dereck Lively - C, 4-stars, 50th in class, Westtown (PA)
Jameel Brown - PG, 4-stars, 81st in class, The Haverford School (PA)
Jaquan Harris - PG, 3-stars, 125th in class, St. Thomas Aquinas (NJ)
Kyle Filipowski- PF, 3-stars, Wilbraham and Monson (MA)
Skyy Clark - PG, 5-stars, Brentwood Academy (TN)
Jarace Walker - SF, 5-stars, IMG Academy (FL)

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to rage across the country, its impact on college sports continues as well. On Thursday, the NCAA voted to extend the recruiting dead period through August 31.

The decision doesn't come as much of a surprise as cases spike in several states and after the Council decided to delay its vote on the addition of new evaluation periods in August and September. As a result, all recruiting will remain limited to phone calls and virtual meetings and the hope for any evaluation periods dwindles. It remains possible that an evaluation period or two get added in September, but things don't seem to be trending in the right direction for that to happen.

The Basketball Oversight Committee did not make any changes to the previously agreed upon summer access model, which allows programs to begin countable instruction hours on July 20.

As we've noted previously, Villanova is solidly positioned to handle the lack of evaluation periods with redshirt Eric Dixon and transfer Caleb Daniels serving as a de facto 2020 class and early work Nova was able to put in on the 2021 class as a result of eschewing a traditional class in 2020. Villanova's 2021 class is currently ranked third in the country with the commitments of Nnanna Njoku and Trey Patterson while the Cats are by all accounts in good position with several other key targets. While evaluation periods would certainly be helpful, it should have less of an impact on Nova than on some other programs.

On Tuesday, the university announced plans for the fall semester, and the news is encouraging from a sports perspective.

First, there will be in-person instruction and students will be on campus. The Big East had previously made it clear that having students on campus would be a requirement for holding the basketball season. The university will be executing a comprehensive plan that includes social distancing and mask-wearing as well as things like altering class schedules to reduce class size, offering some on-line coursework, and a plan for testing, contact tracing, and, if necessary, quarantining. Should a student test positive for the virus and need to be quarantined, there is a plan in place to allow that student to continue their coursework.

Students will return to campus on August 10, with the first day of classes on August 17. There will be no fall break, and the last day of classes will be November 24. Finals will take place online following the Thanksgiving holiday.

As for specifics on athletics, the university stressed that the situation is fluid but that it fully expects varsity teams to compete in the fall. Obviously, that's an incredibly encouraging sign for both football and basketball season. Club and intramural sports will remain suspended.

As for basketball, this gives us some encouragement and clarity, but also some questions that remain. The biggest question is whether any athletes will return to campus ahead of the August 10 reporting date for students, giving the program any chance to run some sort of summer program. Regardless, the fact that students are returning and that varsity sports are expected to compete certainly create hope that the basketball season will be played. The early departure of the student body would seemingly reduce the risk of infection for winter student-athletes.

Obviously, I'm not a doctor, but the plan laid out by the university sounds incredibly well thought out and should seemingly be effective at both reducing the risk of infection and handling/limiting any infections that may surface. As the school noted, this remains an incredibly fluid situation, but if you are hoping to see a 2020-21 college basketball season there was a lot to like about Tuesday's news.

Rahsool Diggins, the 42nd ranked prospect in the class of 2021 and Villanova target, has decided to delay the cutting of his list. On June 9, Diggins announced that he would cut his list to a top 8 on June 19, but instead he released a statement that he would be delaying that announcement and would instead cut his list to six at a later date. The statement read:

"After talking with my family, we decided to continue to evaluate each school who is recruiting me and release my final six at a later date. My family and I are extremely grateful for each school that is recruiting me."

Diggins is a prospect who has seen his recruitment elevate despite the lack of evaluation periods this spring and summer, with late spring offers from Kansas and Villanova highlighting his rise. Florida, DePaul, Xavier, Penn State, Rutgers, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech are among the other notable programs involved in his recruitment.

Villanova has its second commitment in the 2021 class in 6-8 forward Trey Patterson. Patterson is a four-star prospect who is currently ranked 28th in his class by Rivals. He chose Villanova over Florida and Indiana.

Patterson cited his fit in Nova's system and its style of play, his relationship with coach Wright, their plan for him, and the success of players like him (Bridges, Bey, Hart) as reasons for picking Villanova. He wanted to tell Nova fans that they are getting a hard-working, driven kid that's looking to compete and hopefully bring another national championship to Villanova.

Patterson is an explosive athlete who can finish at the rim and play through contact. He’s excellent in transition, not only finishing on the break but making quick, smart changes from defense to offense and correctly filling lanes. He’s got a good-looking jump shot that can extend to the 3-point line and serviceable ballhandling skills that allow him to attack closeouts. He’s shown flashes of playmaking ability, makes good reads, and has an overall really nice feel for the game. It’s easy to see him fitting in Villanova’s system and he should be able to thrive as a Wildcat.

Patterson joins previous commit Nnanna Njoku, giving the Wildcats a formidable frontcourt duo in the class. The pair will join redshirt freshman Eric Dixon to give Nova significant firepower in the frontcourt.

Jay Wright and his staff are likely to now focus heavily on the backcourt as they look to round out what they hope will be an impressive and impactful 2021 class.

The NCAA Division 1 Council met on Wednesday to discuss protocols for team activities for men's and women's basketball.

The allowance of voluntary activities and up to eight hours of virtual nonphysical activities will continue through July 19. On July 20, required activities can begin and be conducted for eight weeks/until the first day of classes/until Sept. 15, whichever comes first. Both voluntary and required activities are subject to local/state regulations.

In addition, the Council decided to defer a decision on changes to the recruiting schedule, such as adding evaluation periods. There were reports that there was a proposal for the addition of four evaluation periods, two in August and two in September, but we'll have to wait on a decision on that.

Last week Jay Wright said that the school hadn't made decisions on bringing athletes back to campus, noting that the administration had yet to return to on-campus work and that the program would be prepared for a situation in which the team didn't get back together until the first day of classes. He also said they were having discussions on their options daily. Today's update, along with recent updates and clarification from Governor Wolf, should give the administration a bit more clarity and guidance as they try to do what's best for everyone involved.

Villanova has been in contact with St. Peter's Prep (NJ) guard Mark Armstrong.

There have been rumblings of an offer, but Armstrong has yet to confirm that so we'll classify things as just interest right now. However, Nova has been interested for some time, and Armstrong was on campus last October. If an offer hasn't been extended yet, it certainly seems as though one is coming. At the very least, yet another name to add to our list of 2022 players to watch.

Rutgers, Creighton, Seton Hall, Illinois and St. John's have offered while Miami, Ohio State, Auburn, Xavier, UConn, Stanford and Virginia are among the programs that have joined Villanova in expressing interest.

2021 F Trey Patterson has cut his list from 10 to three and still plans on making his announcement on Thursday at 7 PM.

Patterson had been down to a final 10 of Villanova, Memphis, Florida, UConn, Maryland, Indiana, Tennessee, Rutgers, Auburn, and Arkansas. On Monday evening he announced he will be choosing from a final three of Villanova, Florida, and Indiana.

There has been a strong buzz around Villanova in this recruitment, and Thursday will have a bit of extra excitement as we await Patterson's decision.

The surge of 2022 activity continues as Jay Wright and Co. have been in contact with Roselle Catholic guard Corey Floyd Jr. Floyd is a four-star prospect who is currently ranked 80th in the class. Another name to keep an eye in the 2022 group.