Big Wins for Villanova Basketball and the Big 5

Happy Christmas Eve Nova Nation! The Arizin will be taking the next two days off, per a well negotiated luxury contract that Chris Lane still has in place. Lane, you’re the gift that keeps on giving! But before we go, I’ve stuffed your stockings with links. Be sure to have a safe and happy holiday. Merry Christmas!

In other “news” the The Huskie is Dead, Big Wins for the Big 5, and the rarely seen but always funny ‘player scores on his own basket’. Enjoy!

Villanova defeats UConn

Controversial Villanova frosh has breakout game in win vs. UConn | New York Post
Villanova freshman Jahvon Quinerly posted career-highs of 10 points and four assists in a season-best 25 minutes Saturday in an 81-58 victory over UConn at Madison Square Garden.

Villanova uses big second-half run to rout Connecticut, 81-58 | The Inquirer
The Wildcats received a significant contribution from freshman point guard Jahvon Quinerly, who played a key role in a 19-0 spurt that enabled Villanova to take control of the game.

Villanova beats UConn, puts an emphatic end to losing streak | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Villanova avoided its first three-game losing streak in nearly six years with an 81-58 win over UConn on Saturday.

UConn Men’s Basketball Loses to Villanova, 81-58 | The UConn Blog
The Huskies simply collapsed in the second half.

UConn men’s notebook: Wright Still Believes the Huskies are Good | New Haven Register
The Villanova head coach saw the Huskies last season and beat them by 20 in Hartford, leading by 31 at one point. On Saturday at Madison Square Garden, Wright walked away with a 23-point win over UConn. While that might not appear that the Huskies have improved over the past year, Wright doesn’t see it that way at all.

NBA Wildcats

Grading Every 1st-Round NBA Rookie so Far This Season | Bleacher Report
The 2018 NBA draft class is off to an encouraging professional start, from the top of June's board to the No. 30 pick. The majority of last year's first-rounders have already carved out roles with their respective teams...

NBA Daily: Five Second-Rounders Quietly Making A Name For Themselves | Basketball Insiders
While the flashy rookies in the class have soaked up the spotlight, there are five second-rounders that have shown potential in their expanding roles.

Suns' Mikal Bridges: Career-high five steals Sunday | CBSSports.com
Bridges totaled nine points (3-4 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 3-3 FT), five steals, four assists, three rebounds, and one block in 36 minutes during Sunday's 111-103 loss to the Nets.

The Big 5

La Salle finally gets into the win column with an 80-57 victory over Alabama A&M | The Inquirer
Ashley Howard gets his first win as a collegiate head coach.

Penn tops New Mexico for 6th straight win, moves to 10-2 | NBC Sports Philadelphia
A.J. Brodeur and Penn took down New Mexico, 75-65, Saturday for a sixth straight win and to improve to 10-2.

Temple Basketball: Owls take down Drexel in Dunphy's Palestra finale | Busting Brackets
Temple basketball head coach Fran Dunphy had to bid a difficult farewell but the Owls also had a lot to play for in their victory over Drexel.

Sunday recap: Saint Joseph's walk off Win vs Loyola Chicago at Palestra | Philly Sports Network
An interesting battle came took place on Saturday Night as the Saint Joseph’s Hawks took on Loyola Chicago Ramblers from “the Cathedral of College Basketball” The Palestra on the campus of the University of Penn. Saint Joseph’s comes into the game off a loss to Villanova on December 8 while the Ramblers enter battle with the Hawks off a win over Benedictine on December 18.

College Basketball

College basketball predictions: 2019 trends, players, storylines | SI.com
As the calendar turns, here are some trends and topics college basketball fans should keep an eye on.

Most disappointing teams in college hoops so far | 247 Sports
These teams haven't lived up to the hype, at least not yet.

One unusual fact about all 6 remaining unbeaten college basketball teams | NCAA.com
Introducing, as we near the one-month post of the season, the 6 Last Unbeatens, ranked in order of least surprising to most.

VIDEO: Towson player scores on wrong basket | NBC Sports
Towson freshman forward Solomon Uyaelunmo scored on his own basket against La Salle.