Villanova Basketball’s Eric Paschall named as Karl Malone Award Top 10 Finalist

Happy Friday Nova Nation! It’s official, both of Villanova’s captains are super good at basketball. Yesterday Eric Paschall was named as a Top 10 Finalist for the Karl Malone Award, given annually to the year’s best Power Forward.

While the pair of seniors get recognition when talked about in the context of the team, this is the first time all year they’ve gotten any serious praise for their individual performances. Just as it was with Phil Booth, this is well deserved by Paschall, and it’s immensly satisfying to see him finally getting recognition.

Plenty of links today, and a big game tomorrow, so I’ll leave you with a third poll of the week:

In other news, Nova Football sends a player to the NFL Combine, Nova v Creighton finish leads to NCAA Tournament rule change, and someone is predicting Nova’s winning streak to reach 26 straight. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball (and Football)

The Basketball Hall of Fame Karl Malone Award | Hoop Hall Awards
Eric Paschall has been named as a Top 10 Finalist for the Karl Malone Award for Power Forwards.

14 FCS players headed to NFL Combine | Yahoo! Sports
The "small school label" tends to put a chip on the shoulders of FCS prospects as they chase an NFL future. Villanova's Ethan Greenidge is headed to the combine.

10 bold predictions for college basketball's second half | Yardbarker.com
Prediction: Villanova won't lose again until.... the Final Four.

AUDIO: Big East Basketball: Villanova, St. John's, Hoyas, and other podcast topics | Busting Brackets
With so much craziness in Big East Basketball, which teams are in the best position to earn an NCAA Tournament bid after Marquette and Villanova?

College Basketball Rankings: Villanova survives scare to win 11th straight, remains No. 19 in Top 25 And 1 | CBSSports.com
Jay Wright's Wildcats beat Creighton 66-59 in overtime Wednesday and is 10-0 in Big East play

Villanova at Marquette

The Anonymous Eagle Marquette Basketball Podcast: Back to reality? | Anonymous Eagle
Sam and Patrick convene after Marquette’s first home defeat of the season

What to know for National Marquette Day versus no. 14 Villanova | OnMilwaukee
This Saturday, no. 14 Villanova will roll into town on National Marquette Day for MU's first top-15 regular-season game since March 3, 2012. Here are three things to know ahead of Marquette's biggest home game in the Steve Wojciechowski era.

To be all things to Marquette, Markus Howard must also know how to take care of himself | The Athletic
MILWAUKEE — It's kind of quiet in the very enormous Fiserv Forum on Tuesday afternoon, even with...

Villanova defeats Creighton

Morning After: Gutsy Creighton Squad, Down Two Starters, Nearly Pulls Off Upset Before Falling in OT at #14 Villanova | White & Blue Review
32 of Creighton’s 59 points came either in the paint, and another dozen came on midrange jumpers or at the line. All totaled, Creighton’s offense came almost entirely inside the arc — just 17 of their 53 shots were threes.

No. 14 Villanova tops Creighton in OT for 10-0 Big East mark | phillytrib.com
After losing four top players to the NBA, this was supposed to be something close to a rebuilding season for Villanova.

A little move by Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree becomes a big play for Villanova in win over Creighton | The Inquirer
Being in the right place in overtime pushed the Wildcats past the Blue Jays.

Class of 2019

Abington clinches title with come-from-behind win | The Intelligencer
Down 10 in the first half, the Galloping Ghosts rallied to beat Cheltenham and claimed the program's seventh straight conference championship.

National titans and N.J. boys basketball powerhouses clash in Metro Classic | NJ.com
Complete guide to the Metro Classic.

Thursday’s Southeastern Pa. roundup: Roxborough boys’ basketball survives in Pub playoffs thanks to James Jones’ half-court shot | The Inquirer
The top games and performances in Southeastern Pa.

College Basketball

AUDIO: College Basketball Podcast: Can Duke complete the regular-season sweep of Virginia? | CBSSports.com
Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander also discuss Arizona, Nevada and the weekend's biggest games

College Basketball Power Rankings: Kentucky jumps into top 5; No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 Duke set for rematch | CBSSports.com
The No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament could be at stake in Charlottesville.

Kansas' Lagerald Vick takes leave of absence for personal matters | ESPN
Kansas senior guard Lagerald Vick is taking a leave of absence from the team, effective immediately, the school announced.

New NCAA Tournament College Basketball Rule is Great for March Madness Bettors | theduel
The NCAA has announced a new replay review rule that will kick in during March Madness. The announcement comes just days after two controversial finishes.

Brackets and Bubbles

March Madness bracket projections: Who can unseat No. 1 seeds? | SI.com
There's a clear divide between the top line and the No. 2 seeds with a month left in the regular season. Can anyone close the gap?