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.

Staying busy this afternoon, as Villanova has followed its offer to Jalen Duren with one to Justice Williams, this report also per Jake Weingarten.

Williams, listed at 6-4, was Duren's teammate at Roman Catholic and also on the AAU circuit with Team Final. He currently holds a four-star ranking from Rivals, but is right on the fringe of five-star territory, checking in at No. 23 in the class.

In addition to the offer to Jalen Duren, Villanova has contacted 6-5 forward Prince Aligbe. The four-star prospect is currently ranked 49th in the class by Rivals and plays at Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. Florida, Arkansas, Purdue, LSU, Ohio State, and Marquette are some of the other schools that have reached out. We'll be watching to see if an offer comes, but for now this is another name to keep an eye on in the 2022 class.

As of midnight, coaches were allowed to contact members of the 2022 class, leading to a flurry of activity. It didn't take long for Villanova to get involved with one of the top prospects in the class as Jay Wright has offered 6-10, five-star big man Jalen Duren, per Jake Weingarten.

Duren is currently ranked 2nd in the class by Rivals. He averaged 18.1 points and 12.5 rebounds as a sophomore for Roman Catholic last season. He has decided to transfer to Montverde Academy for his junior year.

Rivals' Dan McDonald spoke with 2021 Nova target Angelo Brizzi, who has been one of a handful of prospects that has seen his recruitment blossom despite the lack of evaluation periods and the other disruptions caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Villanova played a role in that blossoming, being the first high-major to offer the guard out of Virginia. Since, schools like Arizona, Georgetown, Cal, LSU, Michigan, Colorado, Northwestern, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have offered, and Virginia and North Carolina have been in touch.

Here's what Brizzi said about Villanova: "Coach Wright has been at Villanova for a while and he knows what he's doing and produced a ton of NBA players. They have had guys like me come through that might not have been one-and-done prospects and he puts them in the league. It's obviously a top tier program."

Clearly, prospects like Brizzi have noticed what Wright and Villanova have done with players like Ryan Arcidiacono, Mikal Bridges, Eric Paschall and Donte DiVincenzo. That's great news for the program, and it's fair to reason that it puts the Wildcats in a decent position with Brizzi as well.

It doesn't sound like there will be any rush from Brizzi in terms of narrowing things down or making a decision. This makes sense as he likely wants to (and should) see how the current momentum in his recruitment plays out in terms of other programs getting involved and seeing what programs start to prioritize him. He had hoped to be able to take visits and noted that the lack of AAU play has disrupted his timeline a bit as well. I get the feeling that he'd like to wait and see if any evaluation periods are added in August/September/October and also wait and see if any clarity emerges about the possibility of being able to take visits.

You can read the full article, which also has quotes on Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest, at the link below:

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/four-star-angelo-brizzi-s-recruitment-is-thriving

Filling Saddiq Bey's shoes will be no easy task, but Wright is confident the guys are ready to step up.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/jay-wright-on-replacing-saddiq-bey-i-think-they-re-ready-

One of the other topics Wright touched on during his media availability this week was the program's plans/preparations for the season and where it is at with the coronavirus situation.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/jay-wright-talks-2020-21-preparations-amid-coronavirus-disruptions

Some quotes from Bey and Wright on Bey's decision to remain in the NBA Draft.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/saddiq-bey-jay-wright-discuss-bey-s-nba-decision

2021 G and Archbishop Wood product Rahsool Diggins has announced he will cut his list to a top 8 on June 19.

Diggins saw his recruitment take a leap in early May, landing offers from Kansas and Villanova in the span of a few days. Some other programs involved include DePaul, Florida, La Salle, Penn State, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and Xavier, among others.

He was ranked 42 in the most recent 2021 Rivals 150.

As expected, recent Nova offer Stevie Mitchell cut his list today, although he included seven schools instead of the expected five. Villanova was included.

Joining the Cats are Temple, St. Joe's, Miami, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Marquette.

While there is no timetable for a commitment, Mitchell has repeatedly said he wants the decision out of the way before the start of his senior season. Definitely a name to keep an eye on throughout the summer and into the fall.

As expected, Saddiq Bey will remain in the NBA Draft and forego his final two years at Villanova.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/saddiq-bey-to-remain-in-nba-draft

Some Sunday evening recruiting news, as Jay Wright and Co. have continued work on the 2021 class by getting an offer out to 2021 G Stevie Mitchell.

Mitchell is listed at 6-2 and attends Wilson High School in Berks County. He is currently ranked 79th in his class by Rivals, enjoying a 14-spot jump in the most recent update that came last week. He averaged 22.3 points per game last season.

The timing is interesting here, as Mitchell told Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle on June 1 that he would cut his list to five on June 9 and that "that will be my top five that I'll stick with." He also noted in that article that Villanova (along with Notre Dame, Virginia, and Ohio State) had shown interest and that he had talked to Wright several times and expected to do so again during the following week. Mitchell said that Wright told him he wanted to see him play in person and meet him in person before offering, but with that becoming an impossibility with the COVID-19 restrictions, it appears Wright decided to make the offer anyway.

Other schools involved include Temple, St. Joe's, Penn, Penn State, Miami, Marquette, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech, among others. It appears Wright wanted to get that offer in ahead of that June 9 deadline and have an opportunity to be involved in Mitchell's top five.

Mitchell also told Drago that he wanted to make a decision before the start of his senior season, so this could be a quickly evolving situation if Villanova does indeed remain in the mix.

The 6-4, 290 pound lineman out of Connecticut announced his commitment on his Twitter page Monday afternoon.

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The announcement comes a day after 6-6, 320 pound lineman Ian Erickson committed to the Cats as Mark Ferrante continues to build the trenches.

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