MLK Day Roundup for Villanova Athletics

Happy MLK Day Nova Nation! It’s been a weekend full of big wins for Villanova, so in addition to celebrating MLK Day let’s whip through the big victories for the Wildcats. And we start of course with the biggest win of all for THE Wildcat.

Will D. Cat Wins 2020 National Mascot Championship

That’s right, add another banner to the rafters because Will D. Cat is bringing home a Championship. Will D Cat won the Open Mascot division title, beating out that Blue Hen from the University of Delaware in the process. Man, UDel just can’t beat Villanova at anything this year!

Super Bowl Wildcats

Former Wildcats Tanoh Kpassagnon and Brendan Daly, former members of the Villanova Football team, are headed to the Super Bowl! They’re both members of the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Tennessee Titans on Sunday to advance to football’s biggest game. Even more importantly for the people of Kansas City, Tanoh’s sack in the game means that the city gets Buy One Get One Big Macs today!

Villanova defeats UConn

Villanova Men’s Basketball completed the clean sweep of UConn in their three game series leading up to the Huskies returning to the Big East next season. Despite getting down big early and UConn making it interesting late, the Wildcats came away with their 10th win in their last eleven games. And Head Coach Jay Wright wasn’t just winning on the court, he showed off a flashy new vest as he continued his reign as the best dressed coach in college basketball.

Happy MLK Day everyone, and good luck to all the current and former Wildcats competing as we celebrate and remember one of the greatest leaders in American history.

In other “news”, Butler’s up next for the Wildcats, Ryan Arcidiacono gets an Olympic shout-out, and Women’s Basketball makes Georgetown look silly. Enjoy!

Villanova Men’s Basketball

A BIG EAST Battle with Butler Up Next for Nova | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova wraps up a four-game stretch at home when it hosts Butler Tuesday night.

Villanova defeats UConn

No. 14 Villanova survives UConn, 61-55 - CollegeBasketballTalk | NBC Sports
n a game with ever-changing momentum, Villanova’s Jermaine Samuels stepped up to make crucial shots as the Wildcats held on for a narrow 61-55 win over the Huskies.

Samuels helps No. 14 Villanova knock off UConn | The Journal Pioneer
Jermaine Samuels scored a game-high 19 points on Saturday, including a pair of critical buckets in the final three minutes, as No. 14 Villanova rallied to subdue Connecticut 61-55 in a nonconference game in Philadelphia. Samuels put the Wildcats

Photos: UConn men at Villanova | Hartford Courant
Photos from Villanova's win over UConn this weekend.

UConn men fade down the stretch, fall to Villanova, 61-55 | Hartford Courant
The UConn men faced 14th-ranked Villanova on Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center, and they made it a tough game, but ultimately lost, 61-55, another "excruciating loss" against a high-level opponent for the Huskies.

Villanova and UConn play a Big East game, officially or not | The Inquirer
“Brought back memories,’’ Jay Wright said later about when a UConn chant started inside the Wells Fargo Center. “Like it was their arena."

Wright codes in nuclear option, Wildcats defense does the rest | thereporteronline.com
PHILADELPHIA — Although Jay Wright almost exclusively prefers to play a man-to-man defense, he'll always have a zone option in his game plan.

No. 14 Villanova 61, Connecticut 55: Stats, highlights, and reaction from the Wildcats’ victory | The Inquirer
The Wildcats had problems with the Huskies quick guards in the second half but got key scoring down the stretch from Jermaine Samuels and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl.

Defense Helps Wildcats Rally Past Huskies 61-55 | Villanova University Athletics
A defensive switch helped Villanova rally past Connecticut 66-51 Saturday

Big East

Big East Basketball Power Rankings: Top tier emerging, Xavier plummeting | Busting Brackets
Seton Hall, Butler, and Nova appear to be asserting themselves as the top teams in Big East basketball. Where does everyone stand in the power rankings?

Seton Hall basketball: Powell reaches 2,000 points, leads rally past St. John's | North Jersey
5 takeaways on a milestone day and a memorable game

Big win in Big East: DePaul stuns No. 5 Butler | Chicago Sun-Times
Blue Demons knocked off a top-five team for the first time since beating No. 5 Kansas on Dec. 2, 2006.

NBA Wildcats

Kyle Lowry sinks wild three-point attempt in Raptors' rout of Wizards | CBSSports.com
Here's a candidate for shot of the year

Olympic swimmer Ryan Held reps Bulls' Ryan Arcidiacono at TYR Pro Series | NBC Sports Chicago
As it turns out, Olympic swimmer Ryan Held is quite the fan of Ryan Arcidiacono.

Milwaukee Bucks: How Donte DiVincenzo won over Jon Horst pre-draft | Behind the Buck Pass
Donte DiVincenzo is thriving with the Milwaukee Bucks this season, but how did he end up landing with the team in the first place?

Warriors' rookie Eric Paschall back to looking like a long-term keeper | NBCS Bay Area
Warriors rookie forward Eric Paschall had his best game in about six weeks in a 109-95 win over Orlando.

Two Warriors questions: Is Jordan Poole figuring it out? Is Eric Paschall better off as a power forward? | The Athletic
Poole was the primary reason for the Warriors' rapid comeback against the Magic, finishing with a career-high 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

Phil Booth: Nets 19 in win | CBSSports.com
Phil Booth: Nets 19 in win

NBA G-League: Westchester Knicks prevail | recordonline.com
For the Go-Go, Phil Booth led all with 24 points, which included six 3-pointers on 50-percent.

Villanova Women’s Basketball

Women's Basketball Overmatched in 53-74 Loss at Villanova | The Georgetown Voice
On Saturday evening, the Georgetown Hoyas women’s basketball team (4-14, 1-6 Big East) suffered a 53-74 blowout loss to the Villanova Wildcats.

VILLANOVA DOWNS GEORGETOWN ON ALUMNAE DAY | Villanova University Athletics
VILLANOVA, PA. -- In women's basketball action on Saturday evening, the Villanova Wildcats won for the fifth time in the last six games with a 74-53 win over the

Julie Jekot strengthening family tradition for Cumberland Valley girls basketball | pennlive.com
Jekot, the third sibling to line up for Cumberland Valley since 2012, is working to become one of the top all-around talents in the Mid-Penn Conference.

Villanova Athletics

Villanova Emerges Victorious by One Point in Thriller Over Rutgers | Swim Swam
Villanova was down going into the final relay, and they found themselves behind going into the anchor legs. Then, Millicent Routledge dove in.

Three Event Titles Spark Women’s Track & Field at Wesley A. Brown Invitational | Villanova University Athletics
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Three event titles highlighted a successful day of competition for Villanova at the Wesley A. Brown Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Freshman

Anthony Brodie Wins 500 Meters in Collegiate Debut at Navy | Villanova University Athletics
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—Freshman sprinter Anthony Brodie (Bronx, N.Y.) won the 500 meter dash in his collegiate debut on Saturday afternoon and Villanova finished first in

Wildcats Squeak Past Rutgers on the Road | Villanova University Athletics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- After a week off, Villanova's women's swimming and diving team was back in action on the road, taking to New Jersey to face Rutgers. While both

Field Hockey Assistants Named to US Field Hockey Teams | Villanova University Athletics
Villanova's two assistant coaches will have another position to add to their resumes.

College Basketball

Saturday's college basketball upsets (and near-upsets) showed again why pandemonium is this season's norm | NCAA.com
It’s no news that college basketball is one big wad of fickle fate this season. On Jan. 18, six top-25 teams were hammered by double digits against unranked opponents, which had never happened on the same day in the 71-year history of the AP poll.

College Basketball Power Rankings - Duke falls after win streak ends | ESPN
The Blue Devils had won nine in a row, but they dropped out of the Power Rankings' top 10 after losing to Clemson and Louisville.

College basketball: NCAA Tournament could see new level of madness | New York Post
This is what college basketball will look like once the one-and-done rule is over, when the nation’s best players don’t have to attend college or go overseas for a year, when they can go straight to the NBA.

NCAA tournament 2020: 15 teams that can get a No. 1 seed | SBNation.com
The 2019-20 season has been wild so far. And that means there are some unexpected names in the crowded race for the top four spots in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

College basketball scores, winners & losers: Upsets rule as eight ranked teams and three in top five go down | CBSSports.com
A recap of what went down on Saturday in college basketball -- both good and bad

Vanderbilt's 34-year 3-point streak ends with 0-for-25 night | ESPN
Vanderbilt had one of the worst 3-point shooting performances in Division I basketball over the past 20 seasons, going 0-for-25 against Tennessee to snap a streak of 1,080 straight games of making at least one 3.