The Sun’s Arizin: Villanova News & Links for July 11th

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Oh wow... a weekend edition of Villanova Links and general college news of interest. Enjoy the weekend.

Villanova

Milwaukee Bucks: Donte DiVincenzo will be playoff X-factor | Dairyland Xpress
Milwaukee Bucks basketball is almost back and how Donte Divincenzo plays will have a huge impact on the Bucks’ championship chances.

Villanova Mourns the Loss of Helene Mercanti | Villanova University Athletics
Helene Mercanti, an integral part of the Villanova Basketball staff since 2011, died peacefully Thursday morning after a battle with cancer.

Top Men’s Basketball Assistants: Big East | Jeff Goodman @ Stadium
For each conference, Goodman polled at least 20 coaches (primarily assistants) and asked for them to name the top assistant coaches in their respective league. Is it a perfect way of determining the elite assistants? Maybe not, but it seems far more accurate than any other method.

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Big East

Big East power rankings: Villanova leads, UConn returns | Sports Illustrated
How is Big East basketball shaping up this summer for the 2020-21 season? SI's power rankings and burning questions.

Recruiting

NCAA live recruiting periods, open gyms unlikely in September | Zagsblog
The NCAA has already extended the recruiting dead period through Aug. 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and now it looks unlikely that there will be live periods in September, either.

NCAA News

Stanford to cut 11 varsity sports, cites pandemic as breaking point | ESPN
Stanford will eliminate 11 of its varsity athletic programs at the end of this upcoming academic year as it deals with financial ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ivy League Places All Sports on Hold Until January | The New York Times
The league’s decision could be influential for other university presidents as they consider how to handle the coronavirus pandemic. It is the first Division I conference to suspend football for the fall.

NCAA Must Hold March Madness Safely In 2021 For Financial Reasons, TCU Coach Jamie Dixon Says | Forbes
Canceling March Madness cost the NCAA about $375 million this year, according to reports.

NCAA student-athletes who became actors | NCAA.com
Here are some of the former NCAA student-athletes who went from college sports to roles in movies and television. Did you know that Burt Reynolds played against Villanova in 1954?

Davis: My 10 favorite places to see a college basketball game | The Athletic
No Pavilion but Allen Fieldhouse and Cameron Indoor top Seth Davis' list of his favorite place to watch a game and other places that Villanova visits make the list.

Big Ten moving to conference-only model for all sports this fall | ESPN
Big Ten athletic directors and presidents have decided on moving to a conference-only model for all fall sports, including football.

Zion Willamson's stepfather allegedly took $400K payment, court filing says | ESPN
A court motion and sworn affidavit filed by Zion Williamson's former marketing representative's attorney accuses his stepfather of soliciting and accepting a $400,000 payment from another marketing agent before his stepson's freshman season at Duke.

NCAA keeping basketball schedule as planned … for now | The Athletic
The selection committee could adjust the NCAA Tournament process to account for a reduced regular season.