Injury Updates for Villanova Basketball’s Bryan Antoine and Collin Gillespie

Happy Friday Nova Nation! We got a lot of great information last night at the Blue/White Scrimmage, and I’ll have all the details and player evaluations for you later this morning. But for now, let’s start by addressing the injury updates that came out about Bryan Antoine and Collin Gillespie.

Earlier in the day at Madison Square Garden, Jay Wright had mentioned that while Antoine was continuing in his recovery a redshirt might be a possibility. Well the media and fan base ran with that and within minutes there was mass hysteria. Those concerns were quickly calmed Thursday night as Antoine and Jay both emphatically assured the crowd that a red shirt was not in the plans.

The plan now is to continue the rehab process and get Antoine back on the practice court in November. From there he’ll have to show that he’s up to speed both physically and mentally, with a goal of getting into games in December. Everything remains on track, as was apparent in the pregame shoot-around with Antoine taking and knocking down threes.

As far as Collin Gillespie goes, he did not play on Thursday after suffering a broken nose in practice this week. Gillespie explained to those on hand that he caught an accidental elbow in the shnoz from teammate Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, and that he’s scheduled to have it fixed on Monday of next week. Unfortunately that will put him out of action for a week, which will include missing the exhibition game at USC. After that he’ll wear a mask during his recovery.

While we all wish him a speedy recovery, the immediate concern is who will be taking over at point guard. Right now freshman Justin Moore, a combo guard out of the DC area, will be given the primary starting role. But ball handling responsibilities will also go to sophomore Saddiq Bey, who looked like a capable ball handler in Thursday night’s scrimmage. Freshman Chris Arcidiacono, the only one of the trio with a true point guard background, will also be asked to step up and take over some of the responsibilities at point.

Bottom line, Gillespie will be ready for the start of the season and Antoine should be back on the court by Big East play. Get well soon guys!

In other news, Seton Hall beats out Villanova for the top spot in the Big East preseason coaches poll, The Villanova Women’s Basketball team is selected to finish 5th in the Big East, and the clash of #5 Villanova and #2 JMU is finally just one day away. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

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Nova Nation Saw Wildcats Work in Blue/White Scrimmage | Villanova University Athletics
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Wildcats Picked to Finish Second in Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll | Villanova University Athletics
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Gillespie, Samuels Named Second Team Preseason All-BIG EAST | Villanova University Athletics
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2020 NBA Mock Draft, Early Look: Anthony Edwards And LaMelo Ball Leap To The Top Of The Class | Forbes
While most pundits believe the 2020 draft class doesn't possess a breakout phenom like Zion Williamson, there are still plenty of top-tier prospects that have NBA talent evaluators awfully excited.

Villanova Basketball Recruiting

Kentucky Basketball: A.J. Griffin offered by UK | A Sea Of Blue
UK has watched Griffin several times over the last month.

Kentucky Wildcats visiting with 2021 5-star AJ Griffin | Clutch Points
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari is set to visit with 2021 5-star forward AJ Griffin, who is one of the top players in the recruiting class.

Big East

Seton Hall basketball sweeps top honors at Big East media day | APP
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Xavier's Steele supports 'Fair Pay to Play' at Big East Media Day | Cincinnati.com
Xavier news and notes from Travis Steele, Naji Marshall and Paul Scruggs Thursday from Big East Conference Media Day at Madison Square Garden

Seton Hall men picked to win Big East, edging Villanova | USA Today
Seton Hall edged Villanova atop the Big East preseason conference poll, ending the Wildcats' five-year run as favorites

UConn’s return raises some concerns with Big East basketball coaches | CTInsider.com
The message from Big East Media Day? While most coaches are generally happy UConn will return next season, some are concerned about the impact on recruiting.

Marquette Picked To Finish 4th In The Big East | Anonymous Eagle
Markus Howard was named to the preseason all-conference team, but is not Player of the Year.

NBA Wildcats

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Villanova Football

Resilient Villanova football team to face James Madison in toughest task yet | pressofatlanticcity.com
Resilient might be the best way to describe the Villanova football team.

JMU Football Opponent Report: Villanova | WHSV
No. 2 James Madison is preparing to host No. 5 Villanova Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium.

Top Five Showdown on Tap as Wildcats visit No. 2 James Madison | Villanova University Athletics
VILLANOVA, Pa.—Two of the top five ranked teams in the FCS will face each other on Saturday afternoon when No. 5 Villanova (6-0, 3-0 CAA Football) travels to No.

Villanova Athletics

Strong Offense Lifts Wildcats Over Seton Hall 5-1 | Villanova University Athletics
S. Orange, N.J.- A season high five goals propelled Villanova (6-4-3, 2-1-1 BIG EAST) to their second conference victory of the season at Seton Hall Thursday night.

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Jonesborough, Tenn. – Villanova golf returns to action this weekend at the 22nd Annual Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate hosted by East Tennessee State. The tournament

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VILLANOVA, Pa.—The entire Villanova community mourns the passing of Larry Shane, who was the head coach of the baseball team from 1973-85 and spent 35 years of his