Villanova Basketball’s Jalen Brunson had himself a night

Happy Wednesday Nova Nation! Your Villanova Wildcats are up in NYC getting ready to take on the rest of the conference in what should be a classic Big East Tournament. But even with all of that going on, I need to divert your attention out West where former National Player of the Year Jalen Brunson had himself a game last night.

In a losing effort against the Spurs, Jalen Brunson scored a career high 34 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Oh yeah, and he shot a ridiculous 75% FROM THE FIELD! Note to self, remind Jalen that he still has one year of eligibility remaining at Villanova.

Brunson became just the 13th rookie in that last 10 years to put up a stat line of at least 34/5/4 in a game. Also on that list are NBA greats like Steph Curry, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, and Donovan Mitchell. Brunson is only the second player in the last 10 years to achieve that line after being selected outside of the first round, and just the third that wasn’t a lottery pick. In fact the only two players from his own draft class to accomplish that line before him were Trae Young and his teammate, Luka Doncic.

Brunson is a first round talent that became a second round steal, and his play since the All-Star break has the NBA buzzing. But tonight should end any debate whether or not he fell too far in the draft. Every team from the middle of the first down that didn’t take him is kicking themselves now, and Dallas is getting giddy over their rookie backcourt that could be locked in for years to come.

Congratulations Jalen, all of the Nova faithful know how much you’ve worked for and deserve this level of success. This may have been the first 30+ point game of the young rookie’s career, but it certainly won’t be the last.

In other “news”, a MUST LISTEN interview between Jay and Mikal, how to watch March Madness, and everything you could want to know about the BET. However, there’s only one thing you NEED to know about the BET: The new hype videos come out today. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

Villanova facing challenges in wide-open Big East Tournament | FOX Sports
Defending national champion Villanova facing challenges in wide-open Big East Tournament

AUDIO: Episode 7 of Talking Villanova Basketball Podcast | PodBean
Jay Wright catches up with two time national champion and current Phoenix Suns rookie Mikal Bridges.

March Madness: Ranking every national champion this century | March Madness
WARNING: This was written by someone who knows nothing about Villanova, basketball, or writing.

Big East Tournament

Big East Basketball Tournament: Marquette, Villanova headline at MSG | Busting Brackets
Marquette and Villanova might be the headlining teams at the Big East Basketball Tournament but anyone can win. Who will take MSG by storm?

Big East tournament preview and postseason awards | NBC Sports
Everything you need to know about the Big East.

Who Needs to Win at MSG to Dance? | YUR View
A discussion among bracketologists of who needs to win at MSG Big East Tournament in order to make it to the NCAA Tournament.

Conference tournament picks: ACC, Big Ten, SEC predictions | SI.com
Who will win each of the eight major conference tournaments ahead of March Madness? Our picks are in for Championship Week 2019.

Big East tournament preview and postseason awards | Yahoo! Sports
Everything you need to know about the Big East.

2019 Big East Tournament Betting Odds, Preview: Expect Chaos at the Garden | The Action Network
Analyzing the field and futures market of the completely wide-open 2019 Big East conference tournament, which gets underway on Wednesday, Mar. 13.

College Basketball

The 345 teams that will not win the national championship | ESPN+
Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's a good chance your team isn't winning it all this year. So, who really has a shot at a title?

Highest paid college basketball coaches: John Calipari salary is No. 1 | SI.com
A list of the highest paid college basketball coaches.

How to watch March Madness: NCAA tournament live stream, TV schedule | NCAA.com
Here is how to watch every NCAA tournament game in the 2019 men's basketball championship, including direct links to March Madness livestreams and complete broadcast information.

Bubbles and Brackets

NCAA Bracketology 2019: Real-Time Seed and Region Projections for All 68 Teams | Bleacher Report | Latest News, Videos and Highlights
Selection Sunday is close enough to taste, and the current projected No. 1 seeds for the 2019 men's NCAA basketball tournament are Gonzaga, Virginia, North Carolina and Kentucky...

College Basketball Bracketology 2019: Wofford grants bubble teams a temporary reprieve | SBNation.com
The Terriers won the SoCon tournament final over UNC Greensboro, likely ensuring the conference’s single bid status. With the bracket stable from Monday, it’s time to dig into some bubble profiles.