It's Villanova vs. Xavier for the best in the Big East, again

Huuuuuuuuuump Daaaaaaay! Not much in the way of breaking news. We're all still on Big 12 expansion watch, even if a decision seems far off. And Jermaine Samuels spoke about the leaders in his recruitment (spoiler alert: Villanova's in a dog fight with Xavier).

And speaking of Xavier, there's a nice little Big East preview out of Sports Illustrated that details the upcoming battle for conference supremacy between the Muskies and 'Nova. Villanova's rightfully getting a ton of hype, but Xavier is likely a Top-5 team as well.

After that? Seton Hall could be decent again and Creighton should take a step forward. Georgetown might have gotten the defibrillator working? But it's a clear line between the elite and the rest.

And now, the "news."

Villanova, Xavier should battle for Big East title | SI.com
Villanova and Xavier split Big East titles last season, and it looks like the league race could come down to those teams again this year.

Jermaine Samuels speaks on three schools standing out | HoopSeen
Schools like Georgetown, Tennessee, Cal, and Marquette have been working hard on the Expressions star, yet it is three others that have stood out with Samuels. "Xavier, Villanova, and Indiana," he said, pertaining to those that look to have the best shot with him. Samuels spoke further on each of the schools at hand.

Villanova wants to send out Talley in big way | STATS FCS Football
Don't expect any red carpets rolled out before Villanova football games this year. Not surprisingly, coach Andy Talley wants to low-key his 32nd and final season with the Wildcats. Everybody else wants to make a big deal about the 73-year-old's swan song. His players are thinking the CAA Football championship and an FCS playoff berth are the perfect good-bye gifts.

Nova headed for Spain exhibition games | The Philadelphia Tribune
It seems like like yesterday that Kris Jenkins hit the game-winning three-point jumper at the buzzer to lead Villanova to the NCAA championship on April 4 in Houston. Now, the Wildcats will embark on another basketball mission, an eight-day tour of Spain next month that includes three exhibition games.

Around the world: Full list of international trips | ESPN
Some college hoops teams will be spending time out of the country this summer on international trips. Here's the full list of teams traveling abroad. Villanova could cross paths with Dayton, Georgia, Purdue, Virginia, Washington, and Wichita State while visiting Spain this summer.

ACC Network to debut in era of cost-cutting | SportsBusiness Daily
Several distribution executives responded with pessimism to last week’s news that ESPN plans to launch an ACC Network in three years, suggesting that ESPN is going to have a hard time convincing cable and satellite operators to take the planned channel.

Peterson: We have three clear fan faves to enter the Big 12 | Des Moines Register
21.1 percent favored BYU, 19.9 percent were in Cincinnati’s corner and Houston wasn’t too far back at 16.3. Which school was in fourth?

East Carolina Floats Map Suggesting Big 12 Membership
East Carolina skipped the subtle approach upon lobbying to be one of the teams provided Big 12 membership. The school’s athletics Twitter account posted a tweet pointing to a map that includes the Pirates in the Big 12 as the league’s easternmost member. LMAO.

Penn State AD criticizes coaches for negative recruiting | Philly.com
Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour was sharply critical of unidentified coaches who she said were "making stuff up" to high school recruits regarding new findings in the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Villanova appoints new Dean of Enrollment Management | Villanova Media
University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, announced the appointment of J. Leon Washington as Dean of Enrollment Management. This key appointment is the result of a rigorous national search that included a wide range of high-caliber candidates.