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Happy Thursday Nova Nation! We’re still getting back into the swing of things after a wonderful Christmas break, but it’s time to dump out all the links from the past few days and catch up on what we missed. Enjoy!
Villanova beats UConn
Villanova, reality smack UConn men in the face | journalinquirer.com
NEW YORK — There’s a big difference between regularly going 1-for-5 and 2-for-5. One gets you into the Hall of Fame and one gets you sent down to the minor
City 6 observations: Shizz Alston gunning for player of the year, Fresh Kimble’s shot surprises no one
Jahvon Quinerly’s big game, La Salle getting wins and more from another interesting week.
Villanova Basketball
Steve Christilaw: Imagine Gonzaga versus Villanova again | The Spokesman-Review
I found myself walking across the Gonzaga University campus the other day, and as always, I was struck by how much the school’s architecture has changed over the years.
Conference champion predictions: Picks to win every one of college basketball's 32 conferences | CBSSports.com
From the ACC to the WCC and every league in between, here's who our experts pick to win each conference
Top sports stories for 2018 | phillytrib.com
It was a great and busy span of milestones, honors, championships and other accomplishments for Philadelphia and its sports fans, who got a little bit of everything in looking back
College basketball: Unranked teams likeliest for top 25 return | SI.com
A whopping 11 teams that were in the preseason AP top 25 poll find themselves on the outside looking in as the calendar turns to 2019. Which might be poised for a return in the new year?
NBA Wildcats
From rival to respect, Kris Dunn lauds Ryan Arcidiacono's play: 'He's not scared of anything' | Chicago Tribune
Once Big East rivals, Kris Dunn and Ryan Arcidiacono now share the Bulls backcourt.
10 NBA Starters Who Could Be Replaced Soon (And Who Will Take Their Place) | The Sportster
The 2018-19 NBA season is well underway and, as per usual, it has been an exciting and newsworthy start.
Recruiting
Recruiting Expert Makes Surprising Prediction For 5-Star Point Guard | The Spun
Jeremy Roach is the top-ranked point guard in the class of 2020. The Virginia native is ranked No. 15 overall by 247Sports’ composite system.
UK Basketball Recruiting: Evan Daniels picks against UK for Jeremy Roach, which impacts Scottie Barnes | A Sea Of Blue
Roach is sitting out his junior season with a knee injury but is still considered one of the top point guards in 2020.
UNC Basketball: 5-star PF Isaiah Todd talks recruitment, visits & Tar Heels | Keeping It Heel
Five-star power forward Isaiah Todd is playing well and making a name for himself, and as a result, he’s quickly becoming one of the most coveted prospects in the class of 2020.
Ranney School capitalizes on Garner miscues, escapes with a 70-69 win | High School OT
Ranney School knocked down four late free throws to come from behind and take down Garner, 70-69, to advance to the semifinals of the Holiday Invitational.
College Basketball
These are 7 of the best college basketball players we've seen this season | NCAA.com
Here are seven of the best college basketball players we've watched in 2018-19, including Wisconsin's Ethan Happ and Duke's Zion Williamson.
Everything you missed, and need to know, headed into conference play | ESPN
From Duke's famed freshmen to Nevada's pursuit of an unbeaten record, here's everything you might have missed -- and need to know headed into conference play -- if you're playing catch-up.
Here are the best moments in men's college basketball from 2018 | NCAA.com
Here is Andy Katz's list of the best college basketball moments for the calendar year of 2018.
College coaches look at 'buy' games as opportunities on multiple levels | The Berkshire Eagle
Duke-Indiana, Kentucky-North Carolina, Villanova-Michigan, all of those early-season, made for TV games, make a lot of sense. These are blue blood programs that don't play in the same conferences, so these early-season games are a chance for basketball fans to look ahead to potential NCAA Division I tournament contests. They are now, however, the only games that get played in the pre-conference portion of a team's schedule.
10 most unlikely college basketball national champions | Yardbarker.com
There have been heavy underdogs or groups that maybe had not found their stride until it mattered. Some needed improbable shots to capture glory, while others found themselves in the right place at the right time. That's the beauty of both the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments.