Big Saturday for the Big East and Travis Steele

Happy Monday Nova Nation! It was a great weekend for the Big East as the conference went 7-3 overall and a perfect 7-0 on Saturday.

Villanova, Xavier, and Creighton all defeated in-state rivals in St. Joe’s, Cincinnati, and Nebraska. St. John’s and Marquette defeated their Big 12 opponents to put the Big East up 4-1 in the Big East/Big 12 Battle. Georgetown won on the road at SMU by double digits. And Butler remained one of the 8 undefeated teams left in the country by taking down Florida.

But the biggest winners of the weekend were Xavier head coach Travis Steele and any of the Xavier fans at this bar Saturday night:

I’d love to imagine Jay Wright would do something like this, but I just don’t see him walking into a college dive bar and slapping a grand down on the counter to buy everyone drinks. Not that he would refuse to, it’s just not his style. In fact the closest he’s ever come to that is probably paying off the tab at the end of a night out with Bill Raftery.

Either way, it was a great weekend for Villanova and the Big East.

In other “news”, Villanova Women’s Basketball also upends the Hawks, it’s time to buy stock in the Wildcats, and catch Kris Jenkins this week in Newton Square. Enjoy!

Villanova Men’s Basketball

Top sports stories of the decade: From Simone Biles to Usain Bolt | 1310 KFKA
See where the 2016 National Championship ranks.

NCAA Basketball: Buy or sell Florida, Villanova, Texas Tech and Oregon? | Busting Brackets
Several NCAA Basketball teams have so far failed to live up to expectations. Should we keep believing in them or is it time to move on?

Most memorable college basketball teams of the decade | Business Insider
Squads stacked with one-and-dones, surprising Cinderellas, and undefeated teams defined the decade in college basketball.

Several CCP teams garnering recognition | phillytrib.com
Villanova head coach Jay Wright named PSWA Good Guy Award winner.

Villanova defeats St. Joe’s

No. 23 Villanova holds off Saint Joseph's surge for Big 5 win | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Saddiq Bey and No. 23 Villanova held off a second-half surge from Saint Joseph's to beat the Hawks, 78-66, Saturday.

Villanova 78, St. Joseph’s 66: Statistics, highlights and reaction from the Big 5 game | The Inquirer
The Wildcats saw a 17-point first-half lead shrink to three with 4 minutes to play before pulling away. Ryan Daly scored 22 of his 32 points in the second half for the Hawks.

'Nova Fends Off St. Joe's to Take Holy War | The Villanovan
Villanova overcame a troublesome Saint Joseph’s team, 78-66, on Saturday at the Hagan Arena in Philadelphia. The Wildcats have now won three Big Five contests this season and with a

Composed Wildcats Hold Off Saint Joseph's 78-66 | Villanova University Athletics
The Wildcats leaned on Bey and Moore in the final minutes to hold off the Hawks

Big East

Travis Steele bought Xavier fans $1,000 worth of drinks after Shootout | Cincinnati.com
A few hours after Xavier beat UC 73-66 in the Crosstown Shootout, Travis Steele stopped by Dana Gardens with a gift for Xavier fans.

Eamonn Brennan’s Mailbag: Is the Big East (ahem) elite? | The Athletic
Brennan answers questions on DePaul, Virginia, Ohio State, Michigan State and more in this week's college basketball mailbag.

Villanova Basketball Alumni

Kris Jenkins and This Fan's View Live at PJ Whelihan's | Main Line Today
Kris Jenkins will live with "This Fan's View" this week at PJ Welihan's in Newton Square.

NBA Wildcats

Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry on heckler: 'If they’ve got a problem, they can find me' | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Kyle Lowry has respect for his hometown of Philadelphia, but he didn't back down from a heckler after losing to the Sixers on Sunday night. By Noah Levick

Dallas Mavericks: Jalen Brunson finally has breakout game | The Smoking Cuban
The Dallas Mavericks got a great performance from Jalen Brunson on Wednesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Will this game jumpstart his season?

Mavs video: Jalen Brunson hits deep contested pull-up triple to beat the buzzer | Clutch Points
Jalen Brunson has been playing well for the Mavs this 2019-20 season, and he had another moment to remember during Saturday's blowout win over the Pelicans.

Golden State Warriors: Eric Paschall has a real chance at being an All-Star | Blue Man Hoop
Golden State Warriors' second-round draft pick Eric Paschall has been an absolute monster this season and should get some All-Star nominations.

Theo Robertson: Meet the coach behind Warriors’ rookie Eric Paschall’s big season | SFChronicle.com
The Cal grad’s ability to relate to players, his basketball IQ and experience under respected mentors have some in the Golden State Warriors’ organization believing Robertson could be an NBA head coach someday.

Villanova Women’s Basketball

Villanova’s Kenzie Gardler breaks family’s St. Joseph’s basketball tradition | The Inquirer
The redshirt freshman's family goes back generations on Hawk Hill. But Kenzie had her own plans, and it's worked out for her.

Women's Basketball Kicks-Off Big 5 Action | The Villanovan
Villanova defeated Saint Joseph’s, 60-44, on Saturday afternoon to even its record at 4-4 on the season.

Six scholarship players enough to lift Villanova over Saint Joseph's | Sports | delcotimes.com
Six scholarship players were enough for Villanova's women's basketball team to kick off the Big 5 portion of its schedule on a high note.

SHORT HANDED VILLANOVA EARNS IMPRESSIVE WIN OVER SAINT JOSEPH’S | Villanova University Athletics
VILLANOVA, PA. – Despite having just six scholarship players available for today's game, the Villanova Wildcats turned in a valiant effort and tallied a 60-44 home

Villanova Football

Villanova Announces 2020 Football Schedule | Villanova University Athletics
VILLANOVA, PA. -- Villanova University Athletics today announced the 2020 Wildcat football schedule. The Wildcats will play an 11-game schedule next year, including

Villanova Athletics

Brice McInroy Named to 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women’s All-East Region Third Team | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova, Pa.- Sophomore forward Brice McInroy was named to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-East Region Third Team on Friday afternoon.

Volleyball End-of-Year Wrap Up | Villanova University Athletics
The 2019 Villanova volleyball season came to a close a week ago with a semi-final loss to Marquette at the BIG EAST Tournament. Villanova finished 22-9, and 13-5

College Basketball

Louisville, Ohio State lead college basketball power rankings | Sports Illustrated
It's been a big week for the ACC and Big Ten. How did Sports Illustrated's college basketball top 25 power rankings shake out?

Florida to name basketball court after Billy Donovan, now coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder | CBSSports.com
The Gators are naming their basketball court after Donovan, the two-time title-winning former coach