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The Sun's Arizin: Villanova Wildcats news and links for April 7, 2014

Daily Villanova Wildcats links, today featuring the Big East's future, #BenchMob on SC, and student-athletes (apparently) not working hard in school.

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Happy Monday, 'Nova Nation! Why is it a happy Monday? Because I've decided that while it's painful to watch UConn's run to the finals and come to the realization that there's a pretty good chance Villanova caught another bad draw with losing to an eventual national champion, I can now take solace in the fact that Villanova looked MUCH better against UConn than several other teams (notably, Florida).

So while that's clearly a silver lining on an otherwise forgettable end to the season, I'm going to go with that for the foreseeable future.

And now, the "news," which is freaking loaded today.

Big East commissioner discusses conference's future | USA TODAY
Big East commissioner Val Ackerman sits down with USA TODAY Sports to talk about the future of the Big East and discussions about 20-year age limit increase.

Ed Pinckney, ex- Villanova mates still relish giant-slaying title run | Boston Herald
Ed Pinckney doesn’t have to look at a calendar or follow the news to know when the NCAA hoop tournament selections are made. He can tell by the increased frequency of calls and messages.

Villanova Fans Rooting For Connecticut In National Title Game Versus Kentucky | University Herald
Nineteen years ago, Villanova became the highest seeded team (8) to win the NCAA Tournament when they beat Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas. Nineteen years later, Kentucky has the chance to cut that accomplishment in half.

SC Featured: Bench Celebrations featuring the #BenchMob | ESPN
#BenchMob ALERT... ESPN Video: Chris Connelly describes how the reactions of bench players can be as entertaining as the game itself.

Back to basics for Villanova football | Philly.com
The seniors on Villanova's football team have experienced the bad, the good and the unfulfilled. In 2011, coming off a run to the semifinals of the FCS tournament as the defending national champions, the Wildcats went 2-9. The next year, after being picked to finish eighth in the Colonial Athletic Association, they got back to the playoffs by winning the title. Last season, as the preseason favorite and fifth-ranked team in the country, they lost too many close games against one of the roughest schedules and finished 6-5.

Mikal Bridges named 1st Team All-State | KansasCity.com
And not sure why Kansas City is covering this, but congrats Mikal!

College athletes enjoy unearned benefits | The Villanovan
This highly controversial article recently appeared in the student newspaper. As a former athlete myself, I believe it's a pretty big generalization of student athletes, using a unique situation at UNC to set up the argument. What do you all think?

Responding to the worst column in Villanovan history | Fact on Villanova Theater
Are Villanova athletes getting benefits that regular students don't? Well, one student wrote a controversial piece in the Villanovan, criticizing student-athletes' work ethic. Fact tool that writer to task.

From Brooklyn to Staten Island to Villanova, Yazmin Wilson-Jones follows path to success | SILive.com
Villanova beat out Clemson and Kentucky for the New York City sprinter. Her addition should bolster the Wildcats programs in indoor and outdoor seasons as well as at the all-important Penn Relays.

Women's Track Quartet Posts Fast Times in 1500 Meters at Sam Howell Invitational | Villanova University Official Athletic Site
Several of the top Villanova distance runners opened their outdoor seasons on Friday night by running the 1500 meters at the Sam Howell Invitational, which opened up at Weaver Stadium on the Princeton campus on Friday afternoon and evening. All four of the Wildcats entries in the 1500 meters placed in the top five overall, including a 1-2-3 Villanova sweep at the top of the standings.

Maxwell Headlines Villanova Results on First Day of Colonial Relays | Villanova University Official Athletic Site
Junior Elbert Maxwell (Pittsburgh, Pa.) produced excellent results in the long jump and the high jump as Villanova began two days of competition at the Colonial Relays on Friday. The majority of individuals events in the meet were contested on Friday, with additional races and the relays coming up tomorrow.

Williams Wins 3000 Meters at Colonial Relays | Villanova University Official Athletic Site
Freshman distance runner Julie Williams (Wilmington, Del.) won the University section of the 3000 meters on Friday morning and Villanova opened competition at the Colonial Relays with entries in several events at Zable Stadium. The majority of individual events were contested on Friday, with the remaining events and the well-known relays set for tomorrow.