Happy Thursday, 'Nova Nation! For all you audio listeners out there, Jay Wright joined Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg to talk about a variety of topics that you'll find interesting - including the fact that he needs to go off the grid for a week - ahead of the team's trip to Spain.
Wright says last season is now officially over with the ESPYs done and dusted, and the focus is completely on the coming season. Can the season be here now?
And now, the "news."
Jay Wright joins the ESPNU College Basketball Podcast | ESPN
Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg talk to Villanova coach Jay Wright about the goals of the team on its international trip, putting last year in the rearview mirror and more.
The birth and redemption of the Big East: how a conference fulfilled her potential | Banners On The Parkway
People still want to push dirt on the Big East's grave, but that's just because they don't know the real story.
The 50 Best Players in College Basketball For 2016-2017 | The Big Lead
From established seniors to the newest wave of star freshmen. Three Villanovans make the list, and another gets an honorable mention.
March Madness Payout: Final Four Schools Surge In Applications | Forbes
Schools who made the NCAA men's basketball Final Four received 12.9% more applications the next year, significantly higher than the national average.
Talley will leave 'Villanova Way' legacy | Philly.com
"Regardless of what happens in this last season, it's been a tremendous journey for me, especially taking a program from scratch. There were no players when I got here in 1985, then watching it grow, eventually ending up in the CAA, winning a national championship (2009), having three Walter Payton Award winners.
The second round of the NBA Draft is broken, but not beyond repair | VICE Sports
"The second round," a prominent agent told VICE Sports when asked to sum up the current issues facing the NBA draft, "is fucked up."
Bethlehem grad finds niche in college hoops analytics | Times Union
Former Bethlehem basketball standout (and former VU Hoops writer!) Jordan Sperber has become a popular name among Division 1 men's basketball coaches, but not for his abilities as a point guard. Sperber, 23, recently was hired at New Mexico State as a video coordinator, largely because of his unique ability to tie advanced analytics into basketball.
Realignment remorse: Biggest losers from the conference-shifting revolution | Sporting News
Pitt. The Pitt football program eventually is going to be fine because, after essentially three decades in the wilderness, the administration finally nailed it with a coaching hire and lured Pat Narduzzi from the Michigan State staff. But unless Florida State and Clemson start screwing up their deals again, and right now each is hotter than summer in Qatar, the Panthers aren’t likely to see the inside of a major bowl.
UConn Not Hiding Desire To Join Big 12 | Today's U
Benedict hopes UConn will have that opportunity when the time is right and says that could be within the next 30 to 60 days. They want to join the Big 12 . . . or the ACC, or the Big 10, or the SEC, and you know, they'd be amenable to chatting with the Pac-12 . . . just anywhere but where they are, you know?
17 things that show how freaking long this Big 12 expansion story's been going on | SBNation.com
The Big 12's list of member schools is changing. This has more or less been the case since Hot Tub Time Machine was in theaters. The timeline begins somewhere between late-2009...
Kentucky used Calipari-Chaney fight in media training | CollegeBasketballTalk
Kentucky held some media training sessions yesterday, and one of the topics that head coach John Calipari used to make a point was ... his blow-up with John Chaney. The moment was captured on SnapChat by a trio of Kentucky newcomers. You remember that incident.
‘Game, Blouses’ | The Undefeated
You thought that Chappelle's Show skit was made up? Everything was 100% true, even down to Prince serving the Murphy's pancakes after the game.