Villanova Basketball is ready for the NCAA Tournament

Happy Wednesday Nova Nation! It’s the day before the start of the NCAA Tournament, and the media is out in force creating content about the upcoming games. As reigning national champions, Villanova has a brighter spotlight than most, and that’s why this is the most links I’ve ever posted. Hopefully it can help you get through the final 36 hours before Nova plays, but how else are you killing time before tip-off tomorrow?

In other “news”, Jermaine Samuels needs to go to bed, the hawk is dead, and the women’s team is gearing up for the NIT. Enjoy!

Villanova Basketball

Villanova’s Jay Wright to Jermaine Samuels: ‘Stop playing Fortnite and go to sleep’ | The Inquirer
Wright said he hasn't made any rules when it comes to video games but that sophomore forward Jermaine Samuels has complied with his request to stop. "Probably if I was that good at it, I’d be doing it all the time, too," he said.

Villanova and Jay Wright race against time | The Inquirer
The Wildcats have come a long way this season, but they aren't a finished product yet.

BoopSTATS: The Phil Booth Files | Bettors Insider
Amazing stats . . . and he is not done yet!

Villanova Gets Heavy March Madness Betting Action At DraftKings | NJ Gambling
DraftKings Sportsbook in New Jersey sees some surprising March Madness gambling action regarding the No. 6 seeded Villanova Wildcats.

Seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall will lead Villanova's tournament run | phillytrib.com
Villanova will lean on its seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall as the Wildcats prepare to defend their national championship on Thursday, March 21 against St. Mary’s at XL Center

Villanova's X-factors, chances at history in 2019 NCAA Tournament | NBC Sports Philadelphia
Villanova is flying under the radar compared to previous years in terms of contending for a national title. Sean Kane breaks down the Wildcats' tourney chances.

Former coaches-turned-television analysts like what Jay Wright has done at Villanova | The Inquirer
Bill Raftery has broadcasted dozens of Villanova games. Steve Lappas once coached the Wildcats. Steve Lavin coached against them. All three agree that Jay Wright has done as good a job as he ever has leading the team to Big East championship and another NCAA Tournament.

Redrawing NCAA Brackets for Income Mobility: If the 2019 Tournament Were About Moving Students Up the Economic Ladder, We’d All Be Celebrating Villanova | The 74
Once again, March Madness is in the air. With conference tournaments completed, the NCAA Tournament bracket announced and the first four of 68 teams having started to play, the quest for the 2019 Division I men’s basketball national championship has begun.

Former Gorham star Emily Esposito making an impression at Villanova | Portland Press Herald
Esposito was named to the Big East all-freshman team and will make her first collegiate start in the women's NIT.

Villanova's Samuels, Bey getting offensive at right time | delcotimes.com
RADNOR – The growth of Villanova sophomore Jermaine Samuels is visible. It can be seen in the shot attempts category on the stat sheet.

Villanova underclassmen appreciate the leadership of seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall entering NCAA Tournament | The Inquirer
Coach Jay Wright gives his seniors a lot of responsibility on and off the court, and he credits his two captains with doing a great job of leading their younger teammates. The team's three sophomores appreciate it.

NCAA Tournament: Buy/sell Iowa State, Villanova, Buffalo and Maryland | Busting Brackets
With the NCAA Tournament days away, the six seeds take on some dangerous 11-seed opponents early on. Which ones are most likely to make a run?

March Madness buzzer beaters: Inside the tournament's best shots | SI.com
March Madness's most epic endings always begin with countless tiny moments that culminate in one shining one.

Villanova vs St. Mary’s

How Big A Threat Is Saint Mary's To Beat Villanova? | Deadspin
Ignore the seedings. According to the analytics, one of the most evenly matched games of the NCAA Tournament’s first round isn’t an 8-9 or 7-10 match-up, but the battle between Villanova, the sixth seed in the South Region, and 11th-seeded Saint Mary’s.

Saint Mary's Basketball: Three keys to upsetting Villanova | Busting Brackets
It took a surprising upset to make the NCAA Tournament, but Saint Mary's basketball now has to face the Villanova Wildcats in a first-round bout.

Saint Mary’s against Villanova a potential upset special | The Star
The Saint Mary’s Gaels, led by guard Jordan Ford, had to win their conference tournament final against mighty Gonzaga to get into the NCAA Tournament, and now they have their sights set on taking down defending champion Villanova on Thursday.

2019 NCAA Tournament: South Region Preview | Anonymous Eagle
Is Virginia the favorite in this region? What can Villanova do as reigning champs?

Big 5

Fran's Final Ride: Temple Men's Basketball Coach to Retire After Owls Lose in First Four Matchup | NBC 10 Philadelphia
Legendary Philly basketball coach Fran Dunphy is set to step down after the Temple Owls lost to the Belmont Bruins 81-70 in their First Four matchup Tuesday night.

Saint Joseph’s University Fires Head Men’s Basketball Coach Phil Martelli | CBS Philly
Saint Joseph's University fired men's basketball head coach Phil Martelli after 24 seasons, the university announced Tuesday.

Class is out: Separations are never easy, but Phil Martelli and Fran Dunphy deserved much better from their schools | The Athletic
Martelli was fired on Monday. Dunphy is wrapping up an awkward exit. Both exude class. It’s a shame their schools couldn’t do the same.

Phil Martelli fired by St. Joseph’s after 24 years as head coach | The Inquirer
“This was anguishing, unequivocally the hardest decision I’ve made in my life," athletic director Jill Bodensteiner said.

St. Joseph's fires Martelli after 34-year run | ESPN
St. Joseph's has fired coach Phil Martelli after a 33-year run at the school.

Temple basketball alum: Fran Dunphy’s got more coaching left in him | The Inquirer
It’s difficult for me to fathom why Fran Dunphy is being replaced at Temple.

March Madness

Ranking 2019 NCAA tournament coaches as players, 1-68 | ESPN
A Hall of Famer, a former college player of the year at Duke, and a guy who didn't play past the eighth grade.

Choosing this year’s March Madness college basketball champion using lacrosse | College Crosse
Don’t know a lot about this year’s field? Just go with who has the best lacrosse team!

March Madness 2019 bracket picks: Final Four sleeper predictions | SI.com
A team seeded fourth or lower has made the Final Four in each of the last eight NCAA tournaments. Who will it be this year?

Ranking the 68 best players in the 2019 NCAA tournament | Yahoo! Sports
Among the players on this diverse list are the son of an NFL star, a guard once committed to a Division III school and a forward named after an insurance company.

A quick guide to the seniors playing in their final NCAA tournament | ESPN
In the era of one-and-done, here are the top seniors who will exit the spotlight after this NCAA tournament.

Why Zion Williamson won't cut down the nets — and who will | New York Post
Former Providence, Xavier and Virginia coach Pete Gillen, now an analyst on CBS Sports Network, handicaps select games of the NCAA Tournament for the New York Post.

The 10 hottest scorers heading into the tournament | Yardbarker.com
In the NHL playoffs, you often hear about the “hot goalie.” A netminder comes into the postseason playing well, he stands on his head and then suddenly a team surprisingly finds itself in the conference finals. Well a hot scorer in basketball can do something similar.

March Madness: Players To Help Your Bracket Win the Pool | Time
Zion Williamson and these other nine NCAA college basketball breakout stars could lift your March Madness bracket to pool victory.

March Madness: NCAA tournament's nine hottest teams | USA Today
Peaking in March is what it's all about. You'll hear how the NCAA tournament is all about matchups, but sometimes teams are just playing awesome.

Billion-Dollar ‘Amateurs’ | WSJ
Everyone makes money off the NCAA’s March Madness—except the players.