Per John Smoltz. I disagree.
It's tough to beat Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz and some spotty but sometimes competent others like Neagle and Milwood.

https://www.collegefootballtoday.org/walterpayton2018.html


https://www.collegefootballtoday.org/outlandtrophy.html


https://www.collegefootballtoday.org/maxwellaward.html


https://www.collegefootballtoday.org/heismanwatch18.html

Taking a look at Nova's work on the recruiting trail and what it tells us about the state of Villanova recruiting.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/the-evolution-of-villanova-recruiting

Five-star 2019 PG Nico Mannion, who recently cut his list to four schools (Marquette, Arizona, Duke, and Villanova) has taken the next step in his recruitment by setting up three official visits, including one to the Main Line, per Adam Zagoria.

Mannion will begin at Marquette on Oct. 5-8. Next up will be Villanova Oct. 11-13. Arizona will follow on Oct. 19-21, but he also plans to be back in Arizona the day after his Nova visit for the Red-White game. Mannion has yet to set a Duke visit.

Here's what Mannion told Zagoria about Villanova: “I was actually talking to JQ [Jahvon Quinerly] the other day and he says he loves it up there. He said if you want to be a pro, this is the place to be because they work. You saw Donte [DiVincenzo] wasn’t projected very high and then he ended up going No. 17, so they’re really big on just getting in the gym and working every day and getting better. And obviously they have the two national titles in the last three years, which is huge. They have a great thing going there.”

It's nice to see some current players going to bat for the program, and even better to see recruits acknowledging the impact of June's NBA draft on the perception of the program.

Arizona is still regarded as the favorite, but it appears each of the final four schools will get a chance to make their final pitches to the elite PG. Mannion said he's not going to rush a decision, but that he would like to have it done by January while not ruling out announcing it earlier as he looks to take all his visits in the fall.

For now we'll wait to see if/when a Duke visit gets scheduled, and hope that Wright and company can make a strong impression in October.

Depending on how in tune with the recruiting game you are, you might find yourself saying "who?". And you wouldn't be alone. Robinson-Earl's recruitment has been quiet in general, and even more quiet in regards to Villanova's involvement. And yet, here are the Wildcats in his top five.

Lets take a moment to get familiar if Robinson-Earl has (understandably) been off your radar. He is a 6-9 forward out of Kansas who plays at IMG Academy in Florida. A five-star prospect, he is currently ranked number nine in the class of 2019.

Rivals' Eric Bossi talked with Robinson-Earl about his list and here's what he said about Villanova: "One of the reasons is the past three years they've won two national championships so they are obviously doing something good up there. I think they like to do a lot of five out or small ball so they will use their bigger guys as a threat on the court. I watched when they played in the Final Four they were able to use their five man and make matchups and spread the floor."

You can read Bossi's full article here, but reading Robinson-Earl's comments about each school, it feels as though two things he is prioritizing are how he is going to be used and preparing for the next level.

Robinson-Earl hopes to have his visits done by the end of October, and Bossi believes he will take all five, so the Cats should get a chance to impress the elite forward before a decision.

While Friday's news was a surprise, it's a bundle of good news for Villanova. Obviously first is the fact that they have the chance to land a top 10 player. But also what it says about the state of the program. Robinson-Earl is the third top 20 player to include Nova in a final four or five in the last week. I also believe that Villanova's inclusion in Robinson-Earl's top five despite the lack of news or buzz surrounding the player and the school is an indication that recruits are starting to pay as much attention to Villanova as Villanova is to recruits.

The bottom line is that this was a pleasant Friday morning surprise and is something else to keep an eye on as we head into the fall.

2019 guard Isaiah Wong is down to a final five of Villanova, Miami, Clemson, Pitt and UConn. Currently ranked 95 in the Rivals 150, Wong impressed throughout the July evaluation periods.

Prep Circuit's Pat Lawless caught up with Wong and got comments on each of the remaining schools. Here's what Wong told Lawless about Villanova:

Villanova: “Villanova has always had teams that compete at the top level. They have great coaches, players that turn pro, they play hard with poise and have a high basketball IQ. It's also close to home and my family will be able to see me play there.”

You can read Lawless' full article here.

As we slog towards the regular season and wait on any recruiting news to break, just wanted to pass along this tweet from ESPN's Jeff Goodman regarding Eric Paschall's performance at the Nike Skills Academy.

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PG Cole Anthony, the number two ranked prospect in the class of 2019, is eyeing a visit to Villanova per NY Post reporter Zach Braziller.

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Braziller is arguably the most connected reporter to the notoriously secretive recruiting process Anthony is going through. Braziller did an interview with Anthony and his family in early July. Anthony noted that the secrecy surrounding is recruitment is simply a product of not wanting to send the wrong message to anybody when there hasn't been any solid decisions made, a position that is admirable in my opinion.

There hasn't been much buzz about Anthony and Villanova, but that's largely due to the fact that there hasn't been much buzz about Anthony and anybody as he takes his time with the process. In his interview with Braziller, he laughed at the notion that he is headed to Duke, noting that he finds it "hilarious" that people are telling him where he's going when he legitimately has no idea himself. (That's not to say that he won't end up at Duke)

While Anthony played things close to the vest in the interview with Braziller, he did share a couple of insights into his process. He said that first and foremost he wants to go somewhere where he will be in a position to win a national championship. He noted that academics will be important. And his mother said that chemistry with the coach will be valuable and that they are looking for a coach that can help him get better.

Clearly we are a long way off from a decision, and Anthony has said a decision won't come until the spring because he wants to be sure of the situation he is heading into.

That being said, Villanova seems to check all of the boxes for the little bit of information Anthony provided, which is at least encouraging. Seeing where Nova stands with the 2019 class after some of their other targets come off the board will be key, as it's possible they won't even have a scholarship available come spring. Still, something else to keep an eye on, and it's never a bad thing to be in the discussion with a top two prospect.

You can read Braziller's full interview with Anthony here.

As expected, Villanova made the top six for elite guard Josh Green, who cut his list Monday afternoon. Villanova joins Arizona, USC, UNLV, UNC, and Kansas as the school's still in contention for his commitment.

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Green spoke with Rivals' Corey Evans after the announcement, commenting on each of the remaining schools. He had this to say about Villanova: “It is just a great school. They have a great coaching staff that is very good at developing its players and helping them get to the next level. They have an extremely successful history, especially within the last few years, seeing that they have won two national titles.”

Green also dropped the "dream school" designation on UNC, a title that has seemed to backfire on Villanova the past few recruiting cycles. Perhaps the Cats can turn the tables by nabbing Green away from his "dream school."

We'll wait to see when and where visits get scheduled.

You can read Evans' full article, including Green's comments on all the remaining schools, here.

2019 five-star guard Josh Green will cut his list to six schools Monday, he announced on his Twitter Sunday afternoon. Currently ranked 10th in his class, Green has no shortage of interest with schools like Kansas, Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, UNC, Stanford and Villanova in the mix, among others. It should be interesting to see who makes the top six.

We've been expecting a list cut from Mannion for about a week now, and today we got it. One surprise is that Mannion has cut to four remaining contenders, instead of the expected five or six. The elite five-star PG is down to Villanova, Arizona, Duke, and Marquette with Pat Lawless breaking the news on Twitter.

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Arizona will be talked about as the favorite, and that's a fair assessment. But each of the four remaining schools will make a strong push to land Mannion, and I believe Villanova has an opportunity to pull the upset. We'll now wait to see how Mannion sets up his visits, but for now this is good news for Villanova.

Go Iggles, God Bless ya'

Saw last nights game. Too bad the Gettys were not there to see Maria get her 1,000. Missed you Terry. We had more drives to the basket where we actually shot, rather than dishing off. Pitt was playing tight man to man which alloed us the first step. I think Laura Sweeney may be the first Nova player to get 1000 points with only playing 1000 minutes.

Over-under 17.5. Progress!

Bahaha.

Okafor. Noel. And 10 pieces of trash.

And this dicknose Rob from the ticket dept has been incessantly leaving me voicemails for the last 2 months. Today I finally picked up. I don't think he'll call again.

Rivals' Corey Evans thinks so. We mentioned Evans was impressed with Nova's 2019 standing, both with the the two recruits who have already pledged and with Villanova's position with remaining targets, last week and now Evans has reiterated those feelings in this week's Twitter Tuesday segment.

Asked to predict which schools will land top five classes in 2019, Evans listed four programs in the best position to finish with a top five class and then a group of wild cards that could claim the fifth spot. Making that top four list was Villanova. Joining Villanova in Evans' projections were Duke, Kentucky, and USC. The programs in contention for the fifth spot were Memphis, UConn, Indiana, Michigan State, North Carolina and Kansas.

Villanova already has a very solid foundation in the 2019 class with Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, but getting a top five class will likely be contingent on landing two of its remaining targets: Isaiah Wong, Isaiah Stewart, Nico Mannion, Bryan Antoine, Scottie Lewis, and Josh Green. Evans' willingness to list the Wildcats is an indication that he feels they will land at least one of those prospects and possibly two.

Things should continue to get clearer over the next few weeks as players make cuts to their lists and begin to schedule visits. Isaiah Wong cut his list to five yesterday, and a cut to Mannion's list is expected in the very near future.

It's encouraging to know that the Cats already have such a solid start to the 2019 class, and it is exciting that they are in such good position with their remaining targets. It sets the stage for an exciting few months as we await the start of the season, and it's great to see Nova running with the best of the best on the recruiting trail.

You can read Evans' thoughts on Nova, the rest of the contenders, and the other Twitter Tuesday questions here.

Getting a feel for what to expect from the non-conference schedule.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/digging-into-the-non-conference-schedule

Rivals' national recruiting reporter Corey Evans singled out seven programs with recruiting momentum coming out of the July evaluation period, and the Villanova Wildcats made the list. Joining Villanova are Kentucky, USC, Memphis, Duke, Ohio State and UConn.

So what helped Nova make the list. It starts with the excellent foundation already laid with the commitments of Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, who both impressed during July with Dixon in particular turning heads with his motor, rebounding ability, and evolving offensive game.

In addition, Evans cites the Wildcats' position with remaining targets Isaiah Stewart, Bryan Antoine, Scottie Lewis, Nico Mannion, Isaiah Wong and to a lesser extent Josh Green. For Nova to make this list, you'd have to think Evans feels good about the Cats' chances to land at least one, if not two, of those prospects.

The picture should continue to get clearer over the next few weeks as lists are cut and visits begin to get set up.

Regardless of how things shake out, Nova is off to a great start with the class of 2019 and find themselves in a favorable position with an opportunity to finish with another stellar recruiting class.

You can read Evans' full article here.

Ryan Arcidiacono's NBA journey continues as he has re-signed with the Chicago Bulls per a release from the team.

Arch averaged 7.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and four assists for the Bulls during summer league play while shooting 48% from three.

While the details of the deal aren't being released, it is likely a two-way contract. Last year he made 37 starts with the Bulls' G-League affiliate averaging 13.8 points, 8.2 assists and five rebounds while also making 25 appearances for the Bulls.

Regardless of the details of the deal, this is great news and a great opportunity for Arch as he continues to make Nova Nation proud.

The second live evaluation period was a little more informative than the first. From what we saw during the second live period, we can surmise that the Cats are comfortable with their current position with some of their top remaining targets in 2019 in Bryan Antoine, Nico Mannion (who made his reclassification to 2019 official), Josh Green, and Isaiah Stewart. In addition to that group, Nova targets Isaiah Wong and Scottie Lewis drew rave reviews for their performances.

The two current members of the 2019 class, Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, also received glowing reviews for their performances.

We also learned that it shouldn't take long for the 2019 recruiting picture to clear a little bit, with several Nova targets expected to cut their lists in the near future and with plenty of recruits preparing to set official visits.

There was a good amount of Nova related news early in the third live period, with both Nico Mannion and Isaiah Wong doing some talking.

First, Mannion spoke with Rivals' Eric Bossi in Las Vegas. Mannion told Bossi he hopes to cut his list to five or six soon, but his reclassification has brought some new big names into the picture in Kentucky and North Carolina, so that could affect the timeline a bit. Regardless, he told Bossi that Villanova is likely a lock to make his next cut, along with Arizona and Duke. He said a decision is likely late in 2018 or early in 2019.

Mannion reiterated those thoughts to Pat Lawless of Prep Circuit, again citing Villanova, Arizona, and Duke as schools likely to survive his cut. He also said he would like to make his cut in the 7-10 days following the end of the evaluation period, and that a decision should come by January or February at the latest, staying in line with what he told Bossi.

Here's what he told Lawless about Villanova: “Just the togetherness with their program,” he said. “They are always really together and they are big on attitude and pride in their program, which I really like. West Coast Elite is like a family to me and they kind of have that family environment. Plus they are a prestigious program, they have won a couple national titles these past couple of years.”

Meanwhile, Bossi also caught up with Isaiah Wong, who has been impressing throughout the month of July. Wong mentioned Miami, Villanova, and UConn to Bossi when asked about schools he definitely wants to visit. Wong mentioned the same three programs when asked who has been recruiting him the hardest, and Bossi is comfortable slotting those three as the top three at the moment. Clemson and Pitt are two programs that are in good shape to secure a visit from Wong as well. Wong said a decision is likely in time for the early signing period. In the Second Live Period Tracker we mentioned that we would keep an eye out for any signs of things warming back up between Wong and the Cats, and this certainly fits the bill. Villanova assistants were on hand for Wong's early session on Thursday.

Not a surprise here, as it never felt like there was much traction for Bacot to Nova. But since the Cats were in his top 10, figured it was worth reporting that Nova was officially out of the running. VCU, Oklahoma State, Duke, UNC, and Georgia remain in the running.

The school has released the dates for the 13 non-conference games for the upcoming season. Locations of the home games will be released with the full schedule after Labor Day.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/2018-19-non-conference-schedule-released

After a relatively quiet first live period, the second evaluation period of the month is underway, and we will use this thread to track all the Nova news.

Here's what we have so far.

Eric Dixon continues to impress.

Dixon had a strong showing in the first evaluation period, and all indications are that he has picked up right where he left off. On Tuesday, he was marked as a Day 1 standout at the Hoop Group Elite Event, displaying his physicality while showing off a turnaround jumper.

On Thursday morning, Dixon caught the attention of Prep Circuit's Pat Lawless, who praised the big man's ability to attack off the dribble as well as his consistent shot making.

Other Cats' targets impress at Hoop Group.

In addition to Dixon's strong showing, two other Cats' targets have shown well at Hoop Group, with both Bryan Antoine and Scottie Lewis being tabbed as Day 2 standouts.

Antoine impressed with his ability to get to the basket and to knock it down from the mid-range. Perhaps more importantly, he used his size to be a presence on the defensive end of the floor. We are sure to hear plenty of Antoine to Duke pronouncements and predictions in the coming months, but expect Nova to continue to make a strong push for his commitment.

Meanwhile Scottie Lewis showed an ability to contribute in a variety of ways, making an impression with his athleticism and wingspan.

Rivals' Corey Evans reports that the Nova target has officially reclassified into the the 2019 class, an option that he has been considering for some time.

Villanova has been a heavy presence at Mannion's summer exploits, as the Cats currently sit in his top 10.

Evans reports that Mannion will cut his list to five or six schools very soon, possibly by the end of the week, and will look to start scheduling visits from there.

In addition to Villanova, Mannion's top 10 includes Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, Marquette and Vanderbilt. It will be interesting to see who makes the cut, as I ran into some difficulty when trying to make a prediction, but I believe Nova will make his final group. Evans feels that Arizona and Nova are early frontrunners.

The more I read about and see from Mannion the more intrigued I become about seeing him in a Villanova uniform, as his elite vision and ability to score make it easy to see him thriving in the Nova system.

It will be interesting to see if the Cats can pull a player from way outside their usual Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Corridor recruiting sphere. We've seen Nova expand its reach a bit with the 2019 group with players like Mannion (AZ), Josh Green (FL via Australia) and Malik Hall (KS), and it would be interesting to see what effect landing one or more of those players would do to the recruiting philosophy going forward.

Regardless, Mannion would be a huge get and I expect the Cats to make a hard push to land him. His decision to reclassify only adds intrigue into what is already shaping up as an exciting end of summer and fall. You can read Evans' full article here.