... Pick 'Em standings:
CT_cat 52
vnovacats 52
Kbnova 52
Strykeman 52
jtvu 52
PeterN 52
VURebound 52
nova73 52
RobN 52
ytsejam 52
VNOVA97 52
louieg 52
EV78 52
steve_vu9196 52
RB Nova 52
Nova74 52
SirMic 52
boomie 52
dirtyd 52
the big O 52
ericw 52
zintang 52
nova97 52
Shammer 52
Cats85 52
nova_law 52
A_QUARTERofaMAN 52
EdMcM 52
Chimpat 52
Novaclassof90 52
RAC14 52
kef98 52
Mortydog 52
nova72 52
mikeyt 42
Squancat 42
OnIn2TO 42
NovaRoc 42
kloebs21 42
Mosby2 42
rtronce 42
TheJoker203 42
CWertz 42
G75 42
lad16 42
Tomdudes 42
Flyingscot 42
Wildcat madness 42
norcalvu10 42
jeffhell 42
Adp98 42
jiggie_agent 42
ak3883 42
Ruzzard 42
novajoe 42
PlaySomeD75 42
Mike33 42
Barrister 42
MVP15 42
Bobby Dix 42
VNovaCat 42
Marty1029 42
NovaTras22 42
Mainliner II 42
Jim80 42
VU85 42
sal02 42
tjc3844 42
ghill03 42
Doug93 42
Nova66 42
sackpack 42
nardifan 42
Steve T 42
Nova69 42
emcee92 42
vlurker 42
LBCnova 42
Dave99 42
Bear75 42
lot8b 42
DoctorZ68 42
GerryGA 42
pmorrow 42
CarolinaCats 42
vumaverick 42
tooch 42
centraljerseycat 42
etown1000 42
NovaGer1 42
mcbruce 42
msines01 42
Eagleye5 42
GWild 42
Joquinones 42
Bruiser1 42
Lowry45 42
bwbinkley 42
Boog420 42
nittanynick2 42
rusty1 42
Frog Hollow 42
Joeyjumpshot 42
Josh 42
vu68 42
ace 42
NovaFan1219 42
JJ25 42
Narberth 42
djrun85 42
LBTF 42
Vinny Terranova 42
Unbelievapelle 42
Valmont 40
RichH87 32
VU82 32
final4cast 32
Goose2429 32
VUMAC 32
Hnrg 32
ctnova99 32
kmill14 32
KOP 32
novapoppy2 32
NovaBill 32
PEHUSHRY 32
tkuder007 32
JK74 32
1jaxcat 32
Nova Nut 32
thebench 32
geezer54 32
Nova98 30
CAT96 30

During the pre-game reception the Arizin family donated a lot of memorabilia to Nova that could have gone to the HoF. Post game Jay thanked all the bball alumni for continuing to come back and reminded them that for many alumni the players are how we identify with our years (some present were Sheridan, Nardi, Brown, Clark, Bryson, Charles, Chennault etc). Then Rollie took the mic and gave a quick story about seeing a guy in a convertible wearing a Nova hat who had just gotten season tix after many years and thanked Rollie for building the strong following that has made it so difficult to get tix. The assistant coaches were very good about saying hello to everyone.

Selling 4 tickets for Penn game - section NB row 3 - face value @ $30 per ticket -

Call Dave, cell: 610.587.8690 -

is that good enough to beat X ?? we had 1 blocked shot and DO 4 fouls vs Delaware.
I know,we won by 30....king of the mid major beaters.....lots of good BE teams to deal with.

Upset brewing.

When a girl tells you that you can have her "any way you want," is that inferring the backdoor?

https://www.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1000&CID=1157455

Let's pretend the first 4 minutes never happened.

They won the Camellia Bowl, beating Ohio 31 - 29 on a last second FG. Appalachian St. fell to our Wildcats in the 2010 FCS playoffs 42 - 24 in their house. Those Wildcats ended the season with 4 road games. Final regular season game beat Delaware 28 - 21 in OT. This road win was followed by 3 road FCS playoff games. Beat Stephen F. Austin 54 - 24, App St 42 - 24 before losing to Eastern Washing 41 - 31. Many Wildcat fans feel all that travel, along with final exams played a big part in the Eastern Wash loss. Oh, the red field did not help either. Ended season 9 - 5.

Something came up at work and I'm not going to be able to make it --- Can send you the tickets over email -- no charge other than the $3 that Villanova charges to transfer.

Any of youz guys ever go to one?

Good experience? Bad?

I currently have my annual bad back. Usually goes away in less than a week. It's been two weeks now and getting worse.

Lower back region. More so on the left side.

Never wanted to go to one in the past, but my normal routine isn't working.

for a couple weeks.

It was great seeing Eric again and meeting Shananigans and Nova Nut.....

1) The first question Nova Nut asked me on Friday night was what I thought of this team.....my answer was I don't know...NC State and Oklahoma shattered my confidence. I was certain that they are good enough to compete for the Big East title and deserve a ranking but maybe not elite 8...Final Four good...

2) After UVA I have the same answer but I actually feel better because of how well we played on offense, how we maintained poise and competed and because UVA was THAT GOOD on Saturday.

Two notes: That was Nova's first loss in 48 games while scoring 70 points or more...

However, 75 points is the most points allowed in regulation by UVA since a loss @ Tennessee in November 2013. UVA has only allowed 70 points in regulation twice in over 60 games....they are THAT GOOD on defense...so Nova's offense deserves serious kudos...

3) The TWO preseason concerns were DEFENSIVE REBOUNDING and general defense, especially against dribble penetration....Hillard's length, JVP's toughness and rebounding and Ennis' athleticism are missed greatly....guess what.....defensive rebounding and defense are STILL the primary weaknesses....outside shooting remains the x factor....

4) A #1 seed is GONE but a BE championship could still get a 2 or 3 seed.....lots of opportunities for top 25/50 wins but there is no OOC measuring stick.....if Nova thrashes Xavier (again) is that a top 5 win or just show that Xavier and the Big East are overrated? If Xavier wins at the Pavilion, does that confirm Xavier as a top 5 elite or just further "expose" Villanova....the answers will not really come until March and that unfortunately takes a lot of luster off of this season...

5) Has Nova Nation (self included) set such a high standard and unrealistic expectations that a possible 25 win Big East championship season could yield a disappointing #3 seed? Would a third place BE season 7-9 overall losses and a 5 or 6 seed result and if so the 5 seed beats a 12 and a 4, gets to the sweet sixteen and gets blown out by 20+ points be a step forward because we won two in the Dance?

6) So how can this team improve???

a) I expect that Brunson will have a Scotty Reynolds type breakout in February. (Not anything like the 40 point game at UConn) but become the quality player expected. Brunson, like Scotty is not uber athletic and is still adjusting to the size, athleticism and speed of the game. However, he is a very smart, tough basketball player with great instincts and solid skills. He will eventually get it.

b) The chemistry and team defense will improve. Guys will blow fewer assignments. Guards will be asked to crash the defensive glass rather than release for the break. Bridges will get more minutes and improve.

c) The shooting will improve....the ball movement against LaSalle and UVA were much better....Brunson and Booth will drive more...Ochefu will improve on the margins...Jenkins may have had the confidence needed breakout...

7) The team learned a lot from Oklahoma and are not just jacking threes. UVA will show them the need to be tougher...

8) How will this end? I have no idea.....

9) Final point (from another discussion with Eric, Shananigans, Nova Nut ) is it better to be a 5 seed and lurk with less pressure?....my answers;

a) the Dance is a crap shoot to a point...the better seed, the better, theoretic match up, better geographic location...winning is always better...your odds are better with the best seed possible...

b) amended answer to Eric on Saturday morning.....if Nova had been a Big East runner up, 4 or 5 seed, won two games in the Dance, got pounded in the sweet sixteen and been ranked on the good edge of the top 25 instead of being top ten for part of three years now: I do not believe for a moment that Brunson and Spellman would be Cats next year....it was the high rankings and perception of a chance to be elite that got us those two players...that is why winning games and being highly ranked all season matters....

Would be 10-3-1 if games ended with 75 seconds left.

Solid team. Eli is a sure fire HOFer.

There are some circumstantial similarities between this team and the 1996-97 team with Tim Thomas as a Frosh.

I am interested in hearing what people think the similarities may be and if they think comparing this team to that one at this stage is being too optimistic, too pessimistic or something else?

Have at it ...

Including 0/6 3 pt shooting, and Butler holds off late Purdue run for 74-68 win at Purdue!

Doing the Providence/UMASS game on CBS Sports

Don't read this thread if you haven't watched the 12/13 episode.

I think the Russian spies will kill the whiny female journalist so that she can't release the documents. And someone will get to the computer hacker so that he doesn't release them either.

Allison will survive but I'm not sure if it will be conclusive ending. Meaning she may just disappear, leaving the option for future seasons/plot lines.

Quinn lives. Won't have a big role in finale but he will be back next season.

The sarin bomb will go off, but will malfunction enough so that casualties are limited somewhat.

Carrie and Saul will figure things out enough to help limit the damage. Carrie may end up finding Qasim in subway early enough in episode to help in figuring things out.

After the Oklahoma and UVA games, does anyone really give a sh*t about the Deleware game tomorrow?

On Dec 31. That is a quick step.

I REALIXE EVERY LINEUP HAS PROS AND CONS,,,,,,,,THIS LINEUP WAS USED FOR A FEW MINUTES OR A VARIATION OF IT........I LIKED IT........RYAN ARCH, JOSH HART, MIKAL BRIDGES, KRIS JENKINS AND DANNY OCHEFU..........MORE LENGTH...MORE ATHLETICISM.., MORE PHYSICALITY, ALL GOOD SHOOTERS..ETC.....NOT TO BE USED ALL THE TIME, OBVIOUSLY....BUT MORE TIME AGAINST CERTAIN TEAMS.........

The concept has been around for a long time. Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were blatant offenders in the 50s. I got banned before for pointing out Rick Rubin as an example. The talk of cultural appropriation seems to be popping up in liberal circle regularly lately. The yoga controversy at the University of Ottawa, menu items at Oberlin College, the outrage by a black student group over white students organizing a black lives matter protest, etc., have been in the news.

What do you think about cultural appropriation? Liberal b.s. or legitimate gripe?

Official release:
In honor of his remarkable, MVP showing at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship this past summer, Jalen Brunson (Villanova/Lincolnshire, Ill.) today was named the 2015 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

"It definitely means a lot, but it's also a credit to everyone that has helped me - my parents especially, my coaches and teammates, coach Miller," Brunson said. "They helped put me in the right position so that I could be successful. It's an individual honor, but at the same time it's a team honor. Everyone helped me, and I can't thank them enough."

As the starting point guard for the 2015 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Championship Team, Brunson averaged 14.0 points (tied for team high), 3.3 rebounds and team highs of 5.6 assists and 2.1 steals in a team-leading 26.4 minutes per game to help the USA to a gold medal and seven-straight wins at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship from June 27-July 5 in Crete, Greece.

"Jalen obviously had a tremendous performance at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship this past summer, and we are proud to recognize his incredible achievements, " said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director. "As the team's point guard he was the leader for the USA, and when the team needed it most, he stepped up as a scorer as well."

This year marks the 36th time USA Basketball has presented its Male Athlete of the Year award, which was established in 1980 to recognize a USA Basketball athlete who, during the year of the award, made a significant impact on the success of his team's performance.

"Jalen Brunson was spectacular this summer for our gold-medal winning U19 team," said USA men's U19 head coach Sean Miller (University of Arizona). "His performance in our semifinal win over Greece was equally dominant and clutch as we played in front of a passionate, home crowd for our opponent. He became a leader both on and off the court for his teammates, and he is very deserving of this prestigious award."

Brunson was named the MVP of the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship after a gold-medal game performance that saw him finish with a team-high seven assists and no turnovers, and he scored all 14 of his points in the second half and overtime in a 79-71 win over Croatia.

For the tournament, Brunson shot 54.2 percent from the field (32-59 FGs), 44.0 percent from 3-point (11-25 3pt FGs) and 85.2 percent from the foul line (23-27). He recorded just 12 turnovers for the entire championship.

"This is an incredible honor - Jalen is now among some great names in USA Basketball history," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "His leadership on and off the court in last summer's U19 World Championship was worthy of this award. Our Villanova community is proud of him."

Not surprising - need to garner a couple big wins and climb back up to Top 10