Jon Rothstein has reported that the NCAA has again extended the recruiting dead period, this time all the way out to April 15, 2021.

That means there will be no in-person observation of prospects for any that actually have a high school season this winter, and it also starts to bump up against the start of the spring AAU circuit. Hopefully, this will be the final time the dead period gets extended and we can get back to normal, or something close to it, in the spring and into the summer. For now, this is going to cause at least some disruption for the 2022 and 2023 classes as coaches will be limited to video and word of mouth from people connected with high school programs.

Corey Floyd Jr. was one of the first prospects that popped up on the radar over the summer when coaches were allowed to make first contact with 2022 recruits. However, nothing seemed to materialize and we didn't hear anything about Floyd and the Cats really since those first few days of contact with his class. The idea that interest between the parties had diminished seemed to be validated on Sunday when Floyd drppped a top 7 that didn't include the Wildcats (it was UConn, Rutgers, Florida, Miami, Auburn, Wake Forest and Providence). Again, there was no suprise with that list as there has been virtually no chatter about Floyd and Villanova.

On Monday, that appeard to change. Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers reported that Floyd told him that Villanova has entered the mix. Now, there's a lot of questions here, not the least of which is the timing. If the report is true, how serious is the interest and does Villanova have a legitmate chance despite Floyd already having announced a top 7? We'll just have to wait and see if anything materializes here, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Floyd, a 6-3 guard out of Roselle Catholic in New Jersey, is a four-star prospect who is currently ranked 96th in his class by Rivals. He has been ranked as high as 81st.

Dixon became a topic of conversation at Wright's Thursday press conference, and the coach had plenty of positive things to say about the forward.

While there was plenty for Jay Wright to talk about with the start of the season just weeks away, the impetus for Thursday's presser was the official addition of Angelo Brizzi, Trey Patterson, Nnanna Njoku, and Jordan Longino to the program after each signed a letter of intent on Wednesday. We'll save some of what Wright said on one of those recruits for a full article, but here is the rest of what Wright said on the newest Wildcats.

“We’re really proud of the group we have. I’m really proud of our assistant coaches who had to do a lot of work. We got a really good class we’re proud of.”

“Angelo Brizzi, big-time student, really tough, smart player, son of a coach. Trey Patterson great young player, great student. Jordan Longino, I have a special place in my heart because he’s a football quarterback, just a really tough player, kind of reminds me of a Reggie Redding type, we’re really psyched about him.”

A student reporter from the Villanovan noted that Patterson has said he sees himself bringing a little bit of Mikal Bridges, Saddiq Bey, and Josh Hart to the program, and asked Wright his thoughts.

“I think he’s right on. He’s got like the length of Mikal, he’s got kind of the skill of Saddiq, it’s pretty interesting the combination. He’s got the committed competitiveness of Josh Hart. He does have a lot of those qualities. And like all of those guys, incredible family. Both his parents were division 1 players.”

Wright seemed really pleased with the class and excited about their potential. He also noted that "we want one more guy in that class. That I can’t talk about obviously. But we still want to build on that.” We all know who he's talking about, and that will be something we'll have an eye on even as the season approaches and gets underway.

We still have more to share from Wright's presser, but think the remaining topics warrant articles of their own. Those topics will be who might be the fifth starter, the progress/potential of Eric Dixon, and Angelo Brizzi's journey to Villanova, so stay tuned for those articles today and tomorrow.

Inevitably, one of the main topics of Jay Wright's Thursday press conference was the COVID situation. Cases are spiking nationally as college basketball is just weeks away from starting its season, and everyone is wondering how things will go and what it's like for a college program trying to navigate these circumstances. Here's a roundup of Thursday's COVID discussion.

Wright said it's constantly on his mind. The program received its results from yesterday's testing today (no positives) and Wright said it was the first thing he thought about when he woke up. “I lay in bed at night and think about it," Wright said. "We got in here today, everybody’s good and you just take a sigh of relief and then you know you got two days and then you test the next day. It’s a crazy way to go through the season. But I think all of us are willing to do whatever we have to to play basketball.” The program is testing every three days at this point.

In addition to following guidance from the university, the Big East, and state and local officials, the program is doing everything it can to be proactive and keep everyone safe and healthy. "We have created our own version of a bubble on campus where our guys are really isolated and we’ve gotta leave it up to the honor system and I’m really proud of these guys, so far so good." Wright said.

Wright noted that doctors have made it clear that the only way to ensure an uninterrupted season is to have a bubble. The Big East has explored the idea, but there are simply too many obstacles to making it happen. Unlike the NBA, colleges would have to also set up a bubble for women's teams and ultimately the cost is prohibitive. As a result, Wright expects there to be interruptions and disruptions during the season. "One of our challenges is that we’re indoors. We’re gonna have an interrupted season. That’s why the Big East is holding on to their January/February schedule because we’re trying to get in as much as we can in December and then figure out how we leave space for games to be able to make them up in January/February.”

Still, he is confident they will be able to get through it and have a representative season that culminates with the NCAA tournament. “We are following everything the pro sports do, we’re following college football just to learn anything we can," Wright said. "I think we can be better (than college football) because we’re watching, we’re learning everything. Hopefully we all learn lessons and put protocols in place."

Wright also noted that they are still working under the assumtption that they will be able to have 15% capacity at the Pavilion, and that season ticket holders have volunteered to give up their seats so students can be the ones to attend games. That's a great gesture, and I'm almost certain we have some season ticket holders among our members, so kudos to you all.

Jay Wright met virtually with reporters Thursday morning and touched on a wide range of topics. We'll have full updates on the presser throughout the day, but wanted to give a quick update here on the injury situation. Wright couldn't get into full details, but we found out who specifically was dealing with injuries and got a general idea of what those injuries were.

Collin Gillespie missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury and has recently returned to practice.

Justin Moore missed a month with a bone bruise and recently returned to practice. Wright said there was concern the injury was more serious so they were relieved that it was just a bone bruise and Justin is working his way back into things.

Bryan Antoine has injured his shoulder again. It is the same shoulder that was surgically repaired last year, but it is not the same injury that Antoine had when he arrived at Villanova last spring. Wright said it's not as severe an injury, but naturally they are being extra careful with it due to the circumstances. Wright didn't give a timeline for getting back to action, but it didn't sound like Antoine will be ready for the start of the season. Something we'll have to keep an eye on as the season approaches.

Obviously, this isn't the best news with the season just two weeks away and the team already trying to catch up from a disrupted offseason program, but hopefully Gillespie and Moore's experience will help as they try to get caught up.

We're just two weeks away from Villanova tipping off the 2020-21 season against Boston College and we're continuing to get more details regarding the schedule. On Wednesday, the Big East released tip times and TV broadcasts for its December games. Here are the details for Villanova's first four conference games...

December 11 at Georgetown 5 PM on FS1
December 14 DePaul 7 PM on FS1
December 16 Butler 7 PM on FS1
December 23 at Marquette 7 PM on FS1

We're still waiting on confirmation on the rest of the Big East schedule, but we now have a pretty good idea of what the schedule will look like through the end of the calendar year.

As we mentioned earlier, the four current members of Villanova's 2021 recruiting class signed their national letters of intent on Wednesday. The school has issued a release on the signings with quotes from Jay Wright, which we've included in the article linked below.

No surprise here, but all four members of Villanova's 2021 recruiting class signed their letters of intent Wednesday. Trey Patterson, Jordan Longino, Nnanna Njoku, and Angelo Brizzi are officially Wildcats. The group is currently ranked as the sixth best in the country by Rivals, and we will wait to see if Trevor Keels gets added to the group when he makes his decision (still no credible word on when that may happen). Regardless, a great day for the program as they officially secure a talented and versatile class.

On Monday afternoon the Empire Classic confirmed the matchups for the season-opening event, and there was a bit of a surprise. It was assumed that Villanova would be opening things against Arizona State, while Baylor would play Boston College. Instead, it will be Villanova who takes on Boston College while Baylor gets Arizona State. The winners of each game will meet for the event champtionship while the losers will play a third-place game.

We also got time/TV information. Villanova-Boston College will take place at 7 PM on Nov. 25 and air on ESPN. The championship game will be Nov. 26 at 9:30 PM with the third-place game at 7, both on ESPN.

We're just about two weeks away from the start of the college basketball season and the first AP Poll for the 2020-21 season has been released. Villanova landed at No. 3, behind Gonzaga and Baylor. The Wildcats received 11 of 64 first-place votes.

I want to take a moment to revisit something we've been talking about a lot recently with the release of the first KenPom rankings and Matt Norlander dropping his complete Division 1 rankings now that the official AP rankings are out, and that's Villanova's schedule. Arizona State landed at No. 18, and if the 'Cats can beat ASU to open the season they will most likely get No. 2 Baylor. In addition, Texas is ranked No. 19 and Virginia is ranked No. 4. Big East foe Creighton is No. 11. So, in the non-conference, Villanova will play at least three, potentially four, top 25 opponents and will possibly play two top 5 opponents. Regardless of what the final count ends up being, it's clear that Nova has one of the best/toughest schedules in the country, and it will be interesting to see how they navigate it.

A pair of 2021 Villanova commits had a good day at the SLAM 16 Game put on by SLAM Magazine on Saturday.

Patterson scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds while Njoku added 15 points and nine boards. Among the competition was a pair of future Big East foes in former Nova target Rahsool Diggins and his 2021 UConn teammate Samson Johnson.

Villanova's 2021 class, which was for a time the number one ranked class in the country, is currently ranked 6th by Rivals. A commitment from Trevor Keels would boost the Cats back up near the top of the rankings, but it reamains unclear just when a decision may come. Regardless of what Keels decides, Villanova will have one of the best classes in the country coming to the Main Line next year, and Patterson and Njoku gave a little taste of things last weekend.

(Stats courtesy of Rob Noonan of Made Hoops via Adam Zagoria)

On Wednesday, Villanova released part of its 2020-21 men's basketball schedule. The school revealed nine games, including five non-conference and four Big East contests. The remaining Big East games, as well as two more non-conference games, will be released in conjunction with the full Big East schedule at a later date. The game against Virginia has been confirmed and will take place on its originally scheduled date of Dec. 19 at Madison Square Garden. Here's what has been confirmed by the school...

Nov. 25 Empire Classic (Baylor, Arizona State, Boston College)
Nov. 26 Empire Classic (Baylor, Arizona State, Boston College)
Nov. 30 St. Joe's
Dec. 3 Temple
Dec. 11 at Georgetown
Dec. 14 DePaul
Dec. 16 Butler
Dec. 19 Virginia (Madison Square Garden)
Dec. 23 at Marquette

The one big change from what we were expecting is the absence of the Texas game, which was reportedly going to take place December 6. We'll have to wait and see if that game is one of the two remaining non-conference games to be announced. The other is expected to be La Salle. For now, we know what the first nine games of the season should be and when they are expected to happen. Times and television information will be announced at a later date.

As preseason rankings continue to filter in, CBS' Matt Norlander released the final installment of his full Division 1 rankings on Thursday, and he has Villanova as his top team entering the season. In the article below we have some details and reactions to the rankings as well as a link to the rankings themselves.

Ken Pomeroy released his initial 2020-21 rankings late Tuesday night, and Villanova checked in at No. 4 overall. The Cats are ranked 5th in offensive efficiency and 9th in defensive efficiency.

Nova trails Baylor (potential opponent), Gonzaga, and Duke in the rankings. The Wildcats are also one of just three teams (Baylor, Duke) to be ranked in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

Some other rankings of interest:

Creighton is the next highest-ranked Big East team at No. 13. Marquette checked in at No. 34 followed by UConn (43), Seton Hall (50), Butler (56), and Providence (63). The remaining Big East teams landed outside the top 70.

Texas is No. 9, Virginia is No. 16, and Arizona State is No. 36. So if the schedule plays out the way we expect it to, Villanova is currently looking at two top 10 KenPom opponents, another top 20 opponent, and a top 40 opponent in the non-conference.

The two main takeaways here are the KenPom numbers fall in line with what we've seen from the majority of the preseason polls, at least in terms of the assessment of Villanova, and that Villanova's schedule is looking like one of the most impressive in the country heading into the season.

The preseason Big East First and Second Team All-Conference selections were announced Wednesday and Villanova was well represented. Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl were named to the First Team, while Justin Moore was named to the Second Team.

There's not much surprise with Gillespie and Robinson-Earl on the first team. Gillespie is expected to be a candidate for conference Player of the Year honors while Robinson-Earl is coming off a freshman campaign that saw him win Big East Freshman of the Year.

I wouldn't say that Moore landing on the second team was a "surprise" exactly, but it certainly feels like he's been flying under the radar at least in terms of the national perception of Villanova so it's great to see him recoginzed by those in the conference. Moore had an excellent frehsman season and will look to take the next step in his progression as a sophomore. If you've been following along this offseason, you know I'm high on Moore, and again it's great to see him get a bit of recognition.

We're less than a month away from tip-off and there is a lot to be excited about.

The Big East preseason coaches poll has been released, and Villanova sits at the top. Not much of a surprise here as the Cats are a consensus top 3 team in the country and the early favorite to win the Big East, but still a big deal and something we need to remember not to take for granted. Nova received 9 of 11 first-place votes, with the other two going to Creighton.

Here is the full preseason coaches poll for the Big East:

1. Villanova
2. Creighton
3. Providence
4. UConn
5. Seton Hall
6. Marquette
7. Xavier
8. Butler
9. St. John's
10. DePaul
11. Georgetown

Jay Wright met with reporters Wednesday and here are all the important takeaways. For anyone interested in just a quick summary, here a few key points:

-I believe it's safe to rely on the scheduling reports we heard earlier this weeek (Dec. 11 start to conference play, Nova's likely non-conference opponents). Some tweaks are still possible, but I think that it gives us a pretty good idea of what to expect. Also, I think we will get word of an official Big East schedule soon, and Nova's full schedule is likely to follow quickly after that.

-The team has been dealing with some minor injuries. Wright didn't get into specifics regarding what the injuries were or who was affected, but noted it has disrupted their preparation and has prevented him from nailing down the starting lineup and defining roles. I didn't get the impression that any of these injuries were serious or would linger into the regular season, but they have added another challenge to an already difficult preseason.

-One thing that isn't mentioned in the article: Villanova is working to figure out the best way to determine what fans can get into games. Recent changes to Pennsylvania COVID guidelines have allowed for attendance at sporting events, and the university is currently working under the assumption that approximately 900 people would be allowed in the Pavilion. Now, that 900 is total occupancy, so it includes teams, referees, TV personnel, media, and arena and other staff, but it's still nice that there is a chance that at least some fans will be able to attend. It's also worth wondering if this will affect the location of games, as we mentioned earlier in the summer the possibility of playing more games at the Wells Fargo Center in order to get more fans in based on percentage of capacity. Just something else to keep an eye on as there appears to be optimism that there might be some sort of fan attendance.

More detail on the first two points, along with other topics discussed and quotes from Jay, are contained in the following article.

As programs around the country scramble to build schedules for a slightly delayed 2020-21 season, it appears the Big East has taken the next step in clarifying the situation for its member schools. Jon Rothstein is reporting that the Big East will begin conference play Friday, December 11.

That would give schools roughly two weeks to get in non-conference games before starting Big East play. Jay Wright has said he hopes to play the maximum number of games allowed this season (27) which would leave Nova with seven non-conference dates to fill. We still don't know exactly what the conference schedule will look like in terms of dates, but with an extra 2-3 weeks of conference play compared to the normal end of December start you would think there would be enough flexibility to round out the non-conference schedule after conferece play has started as it will be difficult to get seven games in from Nov. 25-Dec. 11. Recently, Nova has had one or two non-conference games after the start of Big East play, and I would imagine that will be the case this season as well.

The situation remains fluid, but right now Villanova is expected to open the season Nov. 25 against Arizona State at a reworked Empire Classic. They would play the winner/loser of the other matchup (currently Baylor vs. Boston College) on the 26th. We've also gotten reports that the scheduled Big East/Big 12 Battle matchup between Nova and Texas is scheduled for Dec. 6. You'd have to think that would be the final non-conference game before Big East play opens. That leaves the Cats with four games to fill. I'd suspect they'd try to get two games in between Nov. 27 and the Dec. 6 date with Texas and then look to fill the other two dates between conference matchups. All indications are that both Villanova and Virginia remain committed to playing their scheduled meeting, although a date is still to be determined. I speculated that the remaining three dates would be Big 5 opponents, and Rothstein reports that Wright has confirmed Nova plans to play Temple, St. Joe's, and La Salle. We'll get a clearer picture once the full Big East schedule is released, something I think will happen sooner than later, and I also suspect that the member schools already have a good idea what it will look like so we may get a rush of scheduling info all at once. For now, it appears we have the opponents for the 2020-21 season nailed down. The schedule currently looks like this:

Empire Classic: Nov. 25-26 (two games) Arizona State, Baylor/BC
At Texas: December 6
Virginia: TBD
Temple: TBD
St. Joe's: TBD
La Salle: TBD
20 Big East Games (each team twice): Starting Dec. 11

College basketball season is inching closer, and some preseason awards lists have started to filter out. Collin Gillespie and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl are garnering plenty of attention.

Both were named to the Blue Ribbon Preseason All-Big East Team. Not much of a surprise here, as Gillespie is expected to be in contention for Big East Player of the Year and Robinson-Earl is coming off conference Rookie of the Year honors and is widely expected to take a step forward this season.

In addition, Blue Ribbon named Gillespie to the All-American Second Team and Robinson-Earl to the All-American Third Team.

Some nice regcognition for the duo as Villanova prepares for what should be another great season.

Continuing our look at the roster with a potential wild card in sophomore Bryan Antoine.

Villanova football and basketball radio broadcasts will move from 610 AM to 95.7 FM for the 2020-21 season. If you're interested in quotes regarding the switch, see the article below.

Some notes and rumors have surfaced regarding the schedule over the past few days. Here is a roundup of what we're hearing so far.

Zach Braziller of the New York Post is reporting that the Big East schedule will be done "relatively soon." He also reports that the focus remains on regular travel. There was a conflicting report that the league was still considering starting the conference season with regular travel then switching to a bubble for the remainder of games, but I can't find the source of that report now (taken down?) so between that and Braziller's report, I'd expect regular travel to be the route that is ultimately taken. Of course, we'll continue to monitor.

Jon Rothstein had reported that the league was targeting December 12-23, however December 11 has been mentioned as well. Braziller has also reported that the league hopes to get 4-5 league games in for each team before the new year which would indicate the earlier side of Rothstein's timeline or the December 11 report.

Finally, Rothstein reports that the scheduled Big East-Big 12 Battle matchup between Villanova and Texas will take place December 6. If that proves true, it appears that all the most high-profile non-conference games for Villanova will be played with the season kicking off with Michigan (and potentially Baylor) at a reworked Empire Classic, the Texas game, and all indications that a way to play the Virginia game will be found.

With that assumption here's what the schedule will look like so far...20 Big East games, Michigan, Baylor/BC, Texas, and Virginia. That would leave Nova with three open dates. If I were to speculate, I'd have to think that Big 5 opponents may be the favored schools to fill those dates. Again, I'm speculating here, but between the ease of travel, the ability of Big 5 schools to be able to match testing and other protocols related to COVID, and Wright's respect for Philadelphia basketball tradition there is a lot working in favor of scheduling Big 5 games in the remaining slots. The safety and logistical ease of Big 5 games is hard to ignore.

Once the Big East schedule is released, we'll be able to speak with much more certainty on the schedule and hard confirmation on the rest of the schedule will likely follow quickly. For now, it looks like a good bet that the most anticipated games of the non-conference will happen as we use the limited information at hand to piece together the situation.

Continuing our look at the roster for the upcoming season with a player I'm very high on, sophomore Justin Moore.

For now, Villanova is still on track to open the season with the Empire Classic at Mohegan Sun Arena on Nov. 25, the first day of the 2020-21 college basketball season. On Thursday, some rumblings about the event surfaced.

Originally slated to have a field of Villanova, Baylor, Michigan and N.C. State, there are now reports that Boston College will replace N.C. State in the field. Jon Rothstein first reported the news.

The matchups haven't been determined yet, but there are some rumors swirling that Nova will open with Michigan. This is not confirmed, just wanted to pass along what I've been hearing.