Villanova Basketball is almost here!

Happy Monday Nova Nation! It’s good to be back after taking my family to Disney World last week. They think we were there to see the mouse and his pals, but I was there to do advanced scouting of the facilities that will host the Wildcats for the AdvoCare Invitational next month. Shhh, that’s our little secret.

But speaking of scouting trips, has anyone heard anything about the Wildcat’s weekend trip to Virginia? If Villanova could schedule a permanent home-and-home with any team until there was a coaching change, it’d be those Wahoos that have given us such great games in recent history. That said, the only evidence I can find that the “secret scrimage” even happened is the below tweet from Jay Wright. Considering it’s 2018, that’s really impressive.

So with both of this season’s exhibition games in the books (any “secret scrimmage” against a D1 opponent counts as a preseason exhibition and each team only gets two), it’s time to get ready for the season opener next Tuesday. Because I can’t make time move faster until then, the best I can do is offer enough links to distract you until then.

In other “news”, Nova is atop the Big East again, more preseason rankings and reactions for the Wildcats, and more recruiting (yet?) updates. Enjoy!

The Big East's elite status should no longer be questioned as Villanova reloads and preps for another Final Four run | CBSSports.com
Villanova looks like a national title contender, but St. John's and Marquette could dethrone the Wildcats in league play

Now for something new: Jahvon Quinerly and his JellyFam arrive at Villanova | The Athletic
After he became entangled into the FBI's investigation into college basketball. Jahvon Quinerly switched his plan and ended up at Villanova.

Villanova is No. 1 in Andy Katz's Big East college basketball power rankings | NCAA.com
Here’s what I see happening after spending the day at Big East media day Thursday (the last of the major conference media days): as many as eight to nine teams could feel like they have a chance for the NCAA tournament in February.

Big East preseason power rankings | ESPN
The question appears to be simple in the Big East this season: Can anyone challenge Villanova for the conference crown?

NCAA preview 2018: The 10 best senior players in college basketball | ESPN+
Freshmen might grab most of the headlines these days, but there's a deep group of seniors who will make a big impact on the college hoops scene this season.

Big East basketball media day: 5 takeaways | app.com
On the inter-league battle for the Garden, Seton Hall's toughness, all-access Kevin Willard, the St. John's mystery and a great gesture.

USA Today College Basketball Coaches Poll 2018: Preseason Rankings Released | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights
Writers already thought Kansas was the best men's basketball team in the nation. The Division I coaches apparently agree. The Jayhawks received 14 first-place votes to earn the No...

The 7 early-season college basketball games we can't wait to see and why | NCAA.com
These are the 7 college basketball games we can't wait to see early in the 2018-19 season, including Duke vs. Kentucky and Michigan State vs. Kansas.

Jeremy Roach: Highlights of Top 25 2020 PG at USA Basketball | 247 Sports
Jeremy Roach is a Top 25 2020 prospect from Virginia. Here are highlights of the five-star guard at USA Basketball.

Isaiah Stewart Reportedly Schedules Duke Official Visit | The Devils Den
Here's the latest on one of the class of 2019's most college ready prospects and when he'll be at Duke.

Here's what last season's Elite Eight teams return in terms of production for the 2018-19 season | NCAA.com
There’s no surefire way to tell how deep a team will make it in the NCAA tournament, but we tried. Experience matters in March, so we looked at the teams who made it to the Elite Eight last season to see what they have returning in terms of on-court production.