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#1 Villanova at #5 Xavier is the game of the year in the Big East

It's likely going to go down as

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Happy GameDay, 'Nova Nation! Completely jacked up for tonight and the requirement to get through a day's work seems a bit unfair. The hours will roll by slowly today, my friends. This is the biggest game of the year for Villanova, and perhaps the biggest regular season game in the re-configured Big East's history. Soak it in.

I'll be up in New York City tonight so if you're heading to the Manhattan Gamewatch shoot me an email, tweet at me, or just find me. I'll buy you a drink if you do.

And now, the "news."

Xavier-Villanova should be preposterously good | Cincinnati.com
The Xavier-Villanova game is the biggest we’ve ever seen. And we’re the epicenter of college basketball.

Why Villanova-Xavier clash is historically, religiously relevant | Yahoo Sports
It's been 31 years since two Catholic schools played in a top-five college basketball game. That changes Wednesday.

#5 Xavier v. #1 Villanova is the biggest game in Cintas Center history | Banners On The Parkway
Xavier's history with top ten teams at Cintas is not one bathed in glory. The Musketeers have invited just seven teams carrying a top ten ranking into their home arena and are just 3-4 in those games.

Expanded preview: No. 1 Villanova at No. 5 Xavier | Philly.com
The game of the year in the Big East takes place Wednesday night when top-ranked Villanova visits No. 5 Xavier in Cincinnati. Here is an expanded preview of the game.

Xavier-Villanova: The biggest game here since 1959 | Cincinnati.com
It's been a little more than 56 years since two top national powers collided in a regular-season game in Cincinnati.

The Villanova fan's (updated) guide to Xavier basketball | Banners On The Parkway
Welcome back to Banners! We hope you cheer for the second best team in the entire arena tonight.

Why is Villanova No. 1? Defense plays big role | Philly.com
"Our three best defensive players are all gone at the same time. So I think that we've got real issues defensively. We've got a real challenge on our hands. We're really concerned." - Villanova coach Jay Wright at the start of 2015-16 preseason practice.

Picking college basketball's best team tough in wild year | USA TODAY
Picking college basketball's best team has been a roll of the dice this topsy-turvy season.

Breaking down college basketball's best conference championship races | SBNation.com
People say regular season conference championships don't mean anything in college basketball, but all the teams currently in the thick of these races would likely beg to differ.

Bracketology: NCAA Tournament bubbles are bursting all over the country | SBNation.com
The Jayhawks, Wildcats, Oklahoma and North Carolina remain on the top line of Chris Dobbertean's projected bracket, but several bubble teams severely damaged their chances since Friday.

One Shining Podcast: Anyone can make the Final Four | SBNation.com
College basketball is wide open this year. On this episode of One Shining Podcast, Ricky O'Donnell and Scott Phillips assess the top 60 teams on KenPom and figure out which ones have what it takes to reach Houston.