A look at Wednesday night's vintage performance from Villanova which earned a resounding win over No. 10 Xavier.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-get-huge-win-over-xavier

Long read, but worth it if you are a Star Wars fan.

https://www.reddit.com/r/StarWars/comments/3qvj6w/theory_jar_jar_binks_was_a_trained_force_user

Adam Zagoria caught up with Scottie Lewis, the No. 9 recruit in the 2019 class.

Lewis said he plans to cut his list (currently at 12 schools) in half this spring. He said the cut will likely come around the same time that Bryan Antoine (No. 7 in 2019 class) drops his first list, indicating a package deal is still a very real possibility. I would expect Nova to make the cut. In addition to Nova, Harvard, Kentucky, Duke, and Florida appear to be making a strong early impression.

On Nova Lewis had this to say: “Yeah, coach George [Halcovage] and coach Jay [Wright] are always in constant contact,” he said. “They were at the game against Immaculate Conception. They gave me some feedback from that game, just to be more poised and trying to change speeds and just teaching me for a minute.”

Full article here:
http://www.zagsblog.com/2018/01/06/scottie-lewis-wins-mvp-win-patrick-school-plans-cut-list-spring/

Kevin McNamara of the Providence Journal with a very good read on Villanova commit Cole Swider.

http://www.providencejournal.com/sp...already-preparing-for-next-level?rssfeed=true

A few recruits reportedly on hand for Wednesday night's Nova-Xavier game.

Via Pat Lawless, 4-star 2020 G/F Jyare Davis out of Sanford School in Delaware and 4-star 2020 F Lance Ware (#43 2020 Rivals 50) out of Life Center Academy in New Jersey were in attendance of Nova's blowout win over Xavier.

There are also reports, that I have been unable to confirm, that 2019 C Jon Bol Ajak out of The Church Farm School in Exton was there as well.

The mid-season watch list for the Wooden Award has been released, trimming down the pool of players to 25.

Two Wildcats remain on the list, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.

Villanova is one of only four schools (Duke, UNC, Arizona) to have two players remaining on the list.

Other Big East members on the list are Trevon Bluiett, Angel Delgado, and Marcus Foster.

The Big East is tied with the ACC for most players on the list with five.

……by 9 points according to the Vegas opening line.

The odds makers seem to be setting the Nova betting lines as if the games were being played at the Pavilion. It may be a mistake which the betters will begin to notice….if it is a mistake.

With Nova's short bench, against a good team (such as X) it may only take one or two bad calls at the wrong time to skew the line.

A look at tonight's huge matchup with Xavier.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-xavier-3

Any assessment of VU men's track program is dispiriting for lots of reasons. I do holdout hope for the freshmen - Brock, Faust,Hughes & Young - and just maybe Pierce. All the rest have huge question marks and have been huge disappointments. However, Zach Swenson just might be VU's version of Clayton Murphy (look him up if you do not know). Swenson came to VU as a 400/800 guy of no great repute, but seems to have worked hard building stamina. Did fairly well in XC, this past season. He has some speed (sub 50 in HS). Maybe Marcus is developing someone besides Tiernan ...?

The newest update of the 2018 Rivals 150 has been released, giving us an opportunity to check in on 'Nova's class as well as the remaining targets.

Villanova commit Cole Swider checks in at #41. Fellow class of 2018 member Brandon Slater is #54.

The Wildcats' top remaining target, Courtney Ramey, is #43. Jairus Hamilton, who has been linked to some late 'Nova interest, comes in at #81.

Swider is the second-highest ranked recruit heading to a Big East school, just behind Providence-bound David Duke who checks in at #39. The 'Cats appear to be in a battle with the Friars for the best class in the conference, as #47 A.J. Reeves is also headed to Providence.

Other Big East commitments of note are Joey Hauser (#52, Marquette), J'Raan Brooks (#71, St. John's) and Josh LeBlanc (#84, Georgetown).

Full list here:

https://n.rivals.com/prospect_rankings/rivals150/2018

Reclaiming the Top Spot.

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/basketball-men/d1/associated-press

Prolonged slump like the celtics after Larry? Or will they rebuild quickly?

Seems like the formula of buying free agents and prolonging their careers with steroids is no longer the best method. Andy Pettitte, Roger Clemons, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Mariano Rivera and A-Rod with all their fancy designer PEDs are not walking through that door.

Will the Yankees be able to adjust to the changing times? Or will they go back to their pre-Jeter-esque days?

Should make his price tag cheaper. Rumors are Eagles can have him for a 3rd rounder.

Discuss.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

its official

A look at Saturday's game with Marquette as the 'Cats look to rebound from the loss to Butler. Marquette's offense will pose a challenge in what is a very intriguing game.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-marquette-3

Nova got back on track with a 100-90 win over Marquette.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-get-back-on-track-with-win-over-marquette

6-7 2019 forward Eric Dixon (Abington) had a stellar night against Neshaminy with 23 points, 15 rebounds, two steals, and an assist with Jay Wright taking in the game.

Dixon is ranked 58th in the 2019 Rivals 150 and holds an offer from the Wildcats.

A look at the state of the conference a week into Big East play.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/big-east-roundup-7

Rams and Chargers moving to LA.

Love when teams move back to city they originally dumped. Well done, Rams.

6-7 forward Jordan Tucker, ranked 72 in the 2017 Rivals 150, will be transferring from Duke. Tucker was considered to be down to a final two of Indiana and Villanova before a late offer from the Blue Devils. Syracuse was believed to be a strong contender as well.

Tucker hasn't commented on any potential landing spots, and hasn't placed a timetable on a decision. It remains to be seen if there is Villanova interest from either side.

Butler takes down Nova, again.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/cats-fall-to-butler-again-

Bad news for the Wildcats, as the school has revealed that freshman Jermaine Samuels has suffered a fractured bone in his left hand. The injury is believed to have been suffered in the second half of Wednesday night's win over DePaul. There is currently no timetable for his return.

The news is a double blow to Villanova and Nova Nation. Samuels had his best game as a Wildcat on Wednesday night, and looked well on his way to becoming a more regular contributor, something that would be huge for the 'Cats as the season progresses. Just as Samuels was starting to find his stride, he will be sidelined with injury.

In addition to the frustration of losing Samuels just as he was finding his comfort and confidence, 'Nova now has some serious depth concerns. Entering the season, depth was expected to be a relative strength for Villanova. Now, with Samuels and fellow freshman Collin Gillespie out (with eerily similar injuries), Jay Wright is back to working with a seven man rotation. Grasping for any positive, 'Nova found itself in a similar situation last season with the NCAA ruling on Omari Spellman and the injury to Phil Booth, so there is some experience with the current group in dealing with these kinds of situations.

But overall, this is terrible news for Jermaine Samuels, and very tough news for Villanova. Hopefully both Samuels and Gillespie can find their way back to the court sooner rather than later. We will have further updates when they become available.

A look at tomorrow's matchup with Butler.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-butler-4

A look at tonight's win over DePaul.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/nova-kicks-off-big-east-play-with-win-over-depaul

A look at tonight's Big East opener against DePaul.

https://villanova.rivals.com/news/game-preview-depaul-3