The Sun's Arizin: Is Villanova Basketball the favorite in a year of non-elite teams?

Happy Tuesday, 'Nova Nation! I'm back and lots of good things happened while I was gone. What does that mean? Do I go on hiatus again?

Between Darryl Reynolds' Player of the Game performance, the #1 ranking, and now the Chef being back in action it's been a fabulous few days to be a part of the 'Nova Nation.

And now, the "news."

Surprising NCAA hoops favorite emerges from sea of mediocrity | New York Post
North Carolina was the preseason favorite. That soon switched to Kentucky, which flipped to Michigan State, then Kansas, which turned to Oklahoma, and back to North Carolina. Monday’s new No. 1 — the sixth different No. 1 in the Associated Press poll in 13 weeks — should be Villanova, a team many will pick to fail to advance past the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova is your new No. 1 | SBNation.com
WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeee!!!!!

Villanova-bound Omari Spellman is dreaming big | Dream Fearlessly
Spelllman and his mother talk about his upbringing, what drives him, and what he hopes to accomplish.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino discusses escort scandal, postseason ban, more | SI.com
In an exclusive Q&A with SI's Seth Davis, Louisville coach Rick Pitino opens up about the team's postseason ban, the escort allegations and whether or not he'll continue to coach the team.

NCAA's busted justice system needs a 'near-death' penalty | NCAA Basketball | Sporting News

There is plenty wrong with “NCAA justice” for which there is no easy solution, whether it’s the often overmatched — and sometimes overly aggressive — enforcement division that investigates cases or the infractions committee that pays too little attention to precedent and continues to employ penalties that punish non-involved student-athletes or prospective student-athletes.