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Happy Tuesday Nova Nation! For the past few days our dear friend Chris Lane has been making the case for Phil Booth as Big East Player of the Year. Most people agree he’s at worst a contender, but not everyone thinks his current production is sustainable.
That’s understandable, right now Booth is putting up some crazy numbers especially behind the arc. So far through seven Big East conference games he’s shooting 48.3% from deep, an absolutely crazy efficiency. That’s hard to keep up for eight games, let alone half a season. In fact, the last Villanova player to shoot over 48% from three for an entire year was... Phil Booth.
Back in his freshman season, Booth shot 48.5% from behind the arc over the full season. Granted, his role was much smaller then, and his total shots on the year were just a few more than he’s taken in conference play this season. But that was also the last time we saw a fully healthy Booth for an entire season.
His sophomore and redshirt seasons were hampered by a leg injury. Last year he missed several games with a broken hand. But now Booth is not only healthy, he’s been given full control of the offense and has the green light to do pretty much whatever he wants within Villanova’s system. We’re seeing a new level of aggresiveness from Booth paired with his calling card efficiency and grit. The results have been nothing short than phenomenal, although not entirely unexpected.
In other words we’re not seeing Phil Booth play above his head, we’re seeing him return to form. Look out Big East!
In other “news”, Jay Wright is proving he’s a great coach in a whole new way, Nova jumps up in the rankings, and Phil Booth is a baaaaad man! Enjoy!
Phil Booth
Monday Overreactions: P.J. Washington, Phil Booth and a rant about officiating | NBC Sports
Everything you need to know about the last week in college hoops... including one tidbit about Phil Booth.
Big East Player of the Year Power Rankings Week 3 | Big East Coast Bias
New week and a new contender emerges for the Big East Player of the Year. Meanwhile, another contender surges in the rankings as two others struggle. Massive shakeup this week in the rankings.
Villanova Basketball
Same game, new faces: Villanova finds its way back to top of the Big East | The Athletic
VILLANOVA, Pa. — Jay Wright walked into the visiting locker at Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse, took...
Impressive coaching from Jay Wright proves essential for Villanova | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Jay Wright admitted he was surprised following Villanova's 28-point drubbing of Seton Hall on Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center. Wright wasn't surprised by the outcome of the game necessarily, but he was a little caught off guard by just how much progress his team has made over the last six weeks.
Jay Wright has Villanova buying in and the results are scary | New York Post
Villanova, though, is not most programs. The past six weeks are all the evidence needed. Jay Wright’s team, after Sunday’s 80-52 emasculation of Seton Hall, is undefeated in the Big East. It is becoming the Duke of the northeast, a program that perennially reloads, that wins no matter the departures
Class of 2019
MaxPreps Top 25 high school boys basketball rankings | MaxPreps
MaxPreps News - Two new teams enter the Top 10 with a monster week of high school basketball on the horizon.
McDonald's All-American Games: Q&A with Jay Williams | Fansided
Jay Williams spoke with The Step Back about his experiences in the McDonald's All-American Games and the future of the event.
Rankings
College basketball rankings: North Carolina, Marquette jump into top 10 of new AP Poll | NCAA.com
The latest set of college basketball rankings are like. Here's an analysis of the newest AP Top 25., where this is a whole lot of movement after the first six spots.
College basketball rankings: Kentucky, Purdue rise | SI.com
How did Kentucky's win over Kansas and Purdue's big upset of Michigan State shake up our top 25?
College basketball rankings: Tennessee is No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the 37th consecutive day | CBSSports.com
Rick Barnes' Vols will take a 14-game winning streak into Tuesday's game at South Carolina
NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Purdue, Villanova soaring up the top-25 | Busting Brackets
Villanova and Purdue put together awesome weeks. How did this edition of the NCAA basketball top-25+ power rankings shake out as a result?