Villanova Basketball controls its Big East destiny

Happy Monday Nova Nation! The Villanova Wildcats achieved the first of their many goals this season by sweeping their Philadelphia opponents to earn their 27th Big 5 Title. Now their attention returns to the Big East, and a regular season title that they could win for the sixth time in seven seasons.

This time last week that may have seemed like a far fetched idea. Villanova was on a three game losing streak, and Seton Hall had built a three game lead while looking very much like the best team in the Big East. But fast forward to today and the Wildcats have won their last two games while Seton Hall has dropped two straight. Now just one game out of first place and with a trip to the Pirates still on the schedule, the Wildcats are back in control of their own destiny when it comes to winning the conference.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones at the wheel. Seton Hall and Creighton could also claim at least a share of the title if they won out. Oh, and don’t forget Marquette. They may not have a hand on the wheel yet, but they’re just a game behind Nova as the conference race makes the turn for the home stretch.

Yes, Villanova has more games, and more away games, than their opponents. But when it comes down to quality of opponents, the Wildcats have the easiest schedule the rest of the way. You can be sure that Jay Wright will have his team taking things one game at a time, but there is certainly a path to a title here for Villanova.

In other “news”, Jay Wright’s house is for sale, Villanova owns the Big 5, and Kyle Lowry personified the NBA All-Star Game. Enjoy!

Villanova Men’s Basketball

College basketball: For Villanova and other teams mentioned in NCAA’s ‘bracket reveal,’ not the best week | The Inquirer
The committee that selects and seeds teams for the NCAA Tournament showed the top 16, and eight of them wound up losing over the next handful of days.

Grotz: How long can Wright, Villanova keep rolling out the successes? | Sports | delcotimes.com
PHILADELPHIA — The rowdy Cherry Crusade student section had fun at the expense of 15th-ranked Villanova during the City Series game against their Temple Owls at the Liacouras Center.

The Big 5 runs through Villanova, even on North Broad Street | The Inquirer
“I’ve been watching them for a while,’’ Aaron McKie said of Villanova. “They just play the right way. They find the right guy at the right time.”

Villanova defeats Temple

Gillespie leads No. 15 Villanova past Temple | Sports | delcotimes.com
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Faced with a halftime deficit, Collin Gillespie and Villanova didn’t panic.

Observations from Villanova’s 76-56 victory over Temple | The Inquirer
Collin Gillespie and Quinton Rose put on all-Big 5 performances. Then Gillespie heated up again.

Gillespie leads No. 15 Villanova past Temple | USA Today
Collin Gillespie scored a season-high 29 points to lead No. 15 Villanova to a 76-56 victory over Temple

Big 5 Basketball Notebook: Jay Wright's 'mistake' righted in time for rout of Temple Owls | Sports | delcotimes.com
PHILADELPHIA — Players make mistakes and so do coaches, and Jay Wright admitted he messed up after 15th-ranked Villanova stormed back in the second half Sunday to beat Temple, 76-56,

No. 15 Villanova 76, Temple 56: Stats, highlights and reaction from the Wildcats’ Big 5 title-clinching win | The Inquirer
Collin Gillespie was hot from three-point range, knocking down seven threes in 11 attempts for 29 points, giving the Wildcats the outright City Series title.

Villanova plays the long game, beats Temple to clinch 27th Big 5 championship | The Morning Call
Villanova’s Collin Gillespie knocked down a career-high seven threes and scored 29 points to lead the 15th-ranked Wildcats to a 76-56 victory over the Owls, giving them their sixth Big 5 championship in the last seven years.

Second Half Burst Lifts Wildcats Past Temple 76-56 | Villanova University Athletics
Gillespie's 29 points helped the Wildcats earn the Big Five win.

Jay Wright

Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright lists Berwyn home for $2.495M | Philadelphia Business Journal
Wright's home, with a pool house and three-car garage, sits on fives acres on the Main Line. Don’t worry, he’s just moving closer to Villanova.

Villanova's Jay Wright may be the only antidote to the Sixers dysfunction | The Phipadelphia Citizen
Villanova basketball coach Jay Wright’s Zen coaching style may fix what ails the 76ers and ego-driven players Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

The Knicks Have Strong Interest In Villanova Coach Jay Wright: Sources | Forbes
League sources say Villanova coach Jay Wright could become the next head coach of the Knicks.

Big East

Big East leads the way in hiring black men’s basketball head coaches | The Undefeated
The Big East has long been a trailblazer in men’s college basketball. Its dominance in the mid-1980s was led by Georgetown, St. John’s, Syracuse and Villanova. …

Alpha Diallo's Career Night Leads to Win over #10 Hall | Friar Basketball
Friar Basketball provides insight into Providence College basketball that you can't find anywhere else. The site takes an honest and insightful look at the current and future state of PC Basketball.

Hoop Thoughts: Part 2 of my Enemy Lines report as coaches break down top teams from the ACC, Big 12, Big East and SEC | The Athletic
Coaches give their candid takes on teams that will or could be in the NCAA Tournament.

NBA Wildcats

Kyle Lowry personified the 2020 NBA All-Star Game's competitiveness one charge at a time | CBSSports.com
Setting the tone for Team Giannis, the Raptors' six-time All-Star treated the showcase like a regular game

Warriors rookie Eric Paschall tries to answer some wild brain busters | NBC Sports
These were ... interesting to say the least.

Villanova Women’s Basketball

Women's College Basketball: Late surge lifts Villanova over Georgetown | Sports | delcotimes.com
A pair of 3-pointers less than two minutes apart combined with strong defense down the stretch enabled Villanova to pull out a 48-40 road victory over Georgetown in Big East

VILLANOVA EARNS ROAD WIN AT GEORGETOWN | Villanova University Athletics
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Villanova Wildcats traveled to the nation's capital on Sunday afternoon where they tallied a 48-40 road win over the Georgetown Hoyas. With

NFL Wildcats

Meet 2020 NFL Draft Prospect: Simonas Bingelis, TE, Villanova | Draft Diamonds
Simonas (Simon) Bingelis the huge TE from Villanova recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot. Name: Simonas (Simon)

Villanova Athletics

ASU Baseball: No. 9 Sun Devils fall to Villanova, No. 13 Michigan | House of Sparky
Runs were hard to come by

Penn State softball struggles, falls to Villanova in weekend finale | collegian.psu.edu
Penn State entered its rematch with Villanova with momentum after a dominant pair of wins on Saturday.

Wildcats Knock Three Home Runs in Win Over Penn State | Villanova University Athletics
ORLANDO, Fla. – After hitting six home runs in four games at the Knights Classic, it would be easy to think that Villanova had exhausted its resources prior to its

Villanova Stuns No. 3 Arizona State 2-1 | Villanova University Athletics
PHOENIX - Villanova picked up arguably its biggest win in program history with a 2-1 victory over No. 3 Arizona State on Saturday afternoon. The pitching duo of

Rauch Records First No Hitter in Win Over Florida Atlantic | Villanova University Athletics
ORLANDO, Fla. – Going into the season, Paige Rauch was named the 50th best player, according to Softball America's Top 100 College Players for the 2020 season. On

Charlie O’Donovan Runs Sub-Four Minute Mile on Exciting Day in Boston | Villanova University Athletics
BOSTON, Mass.—Sophomore middle distance runner Charlie O'Donovan (Cork, Ireland) etched his name into the historic record of one of the most celebrated milestones

Bracketology

Bracketology 2020: NCAA tournament bubble a month before Selection Sunday | SBNation.com
Selection Sunday is a month away, and while a few teams have sewn up bids in that time, the teams near the cut line continue to offer plenty of drama.

Bracketology Bubble Watch: All of Saturday's action in one place | NBC Sports
Get caught up on bracketology and bubble watch with everything that happened with the teams on the margins of the NCAA tournament.

College Basketball

Shareef O'Neal, son of Shaquille O'Neal, transferring to LSU | ESPN
Shareef O'Neal is transferring from UCLA to LSU -- the alma mater of his father, Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

Billy Donovan emotional in return to Florida for court-naming celebration | ESPN
Former Florida coach Billy Donovan wiped tears from his eyes Saturday when he first saw the court that will forever bear his name.

College Basketball Power Rankings - Maryland moving in the right direction | ESPN
The Terps have won eight in a row and could be heading toward a special season.