The State of the Nova Nation podcast

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) welcome Pat Zeng back to the show! The trio recap Nova's disappointing loss to Utah State in the NCAA Tournament. Then, they debrief the entire 2025-2026 season, including their favorite moments and the biggest surprises. Lastly, Emma, Eugene and Pat discuss their wish lists for the transfer portal and talk roster needs for next seaso...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) preview Villanova's first NCAA Tournament game since 2022! They discuss Utah State's 2026 season and how the game might play out on Friday afternoon. But first, Emma and Eugene talk about Nova's disappointing early exit in the Big East Tournament after the quarterfinal loss to Georgetown. Lastly, they give predictions for the...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) preview Nova's upcoming games in the Big East Tournament! First, they discuss the rotation post Matt Hodge injury and with Devin Askew in the starting rotation. Next, they talk about the season in review in Kevin Willard's first year. They also debate the Big East awards before previewing Nova's potential matchups in the BET....

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) preview Villanova's massive game against St. John's on Saturday night. They talk about Nova's lack of fire in the second half of late and how the team can produce 40 solid minutes at MSG. They also discuss x-factors in the upcoming match-up before answering mailbag questions! Be sure to subscribe to the pod, leave us a rating...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are back to break down Villanova's six-game win streak. They discuss the individual improvements from players like Tyler Perkins, Acaden Lewis and Braden Pierce, and then talk about Nova's late game surges to secure wins. They also preview Nova's upcoming game against UConn on Saturday night before wrapping things up with ques...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are back to recap Villanova's win over Seton Hall on Wednesday night. The duo discuss Tyler Perkins' heater of late, the team's defensive effort against Providence and take the temperature on the state of the conference. Lastly, they answer a full bag of questions from the mail bag! Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave us a...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) deliver their first instant game recap of the season! The duo break down Villanova's 66-51 victory over Georgtown before recapping the team's loss to St. John's over the weekend. Finally, Emma and Eugene preview the massive matchup at UConn on Saturday before answering a full mailbag of questions. Be sure to subscribe to the p...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are joined by the one and only Pat Zeng for a very special episode! Pat gives his thoughts on all things Villanova basketball over the last few months of the season. The trio discuss Villanova's floor and ceiling in conference play, Acaden Lewis' impressive play recently and weaknesses Villanova can improve upon. Then, they previe...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are back to recap Villanova's loss to Creighton on Wednesday night. The duo discuss Nova's lack of rebounding, poor guard play and the bad defensive effort. Then, they talk about the Tafara Gapare situation within the program before previewing the Marquette matchup and answering a full mailbag. Be sure to subscribe to the show, le...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) recap all of Villanova's non-conference schedule as the first part of the season comes to a close. They discuss most improved player, Kevin Willard's coaching style and expectations for Big East play before finishing it out with mailbag questions. Be sure to subscribe to the pod, leave us a review and follow us on X @SoNNpod.

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (erapay5) return to the mics to break down Villanova's recent stretch of games. They try not to overreact to the team's 20-point loss to Michigan, but discuss the key takeaways from the game, including Willard's rotation, Matt Hodge's shot selection and rebounding woes. Then, they preview Nova's next game against Pitt before answ...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) discuss Villanova's first two wins of the '25-'26 season. They break down the three-point shooting barrage from Lindsay and Askew, the rebounding battles and the offensive balance on the roster. Lastly, the duo answer a full bag of questions from the mailbag! Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave us a rating and follow us on...

Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are back to break down Villanova's 5-point loss to BYU in the season opener. The duo discuss key takeaways from the game, including rotation depth, the team's rebounding effort and individual performances from Acaden Lewis, Duke Brennan and more. Lastly, they preview Nova's next two home games before giving final thoughts on W...

It's the 2025-2026 season opening episode! Emma Houghton (@emma_houghton9) and Eugene Rapay (@erapay5) are back to recap the new-look Villanova roster. They discuss the roster turnover, expectations for Kevin Willard in his first year as head coach and the key things to fix after the Kyle Neptune era. Lastly, the duo preview Villanova's season opener vs BYU on Monday night. Be sure to subs...

Emma and Pat recap the season by looking back at some of the best/worst moments, the most improved player, most surprising development and some moments to forget. The duo then discuss Villanova's transfer portal progress so far and discuss the state of the team. They then finish by answering your questions with a jam packed edition of the mailbag. During the show, Pat also makes an announcemen...

Emma and Pat react to the news that Kevin Willard has been announced as the tenth head coach in Villanova Men’s Basketball history. They discuss the chaotic week that led up to his hire as well as their level of excitement with the selection. Is this an underwhelming selection, or is this exactly what the Cats’ need? They then review his body of work both on the court and in the portal before turn...

Emma and Pat discuss the dismissal of Kyle Neptune and how they will remember his three years as head coach. They discuss the key wins, major failures and what all led to his undoing. The duo then turn their attention to the future scoping out the coaching carousel landscape and tipping which coaches they’d love to see as the next coach, which coaches are more realistic and which ones they’d stay...

The Big East Tournament is finally here, and Emma and Pat get you ready for the best part of the season! The duo preview Villanova's matchup against Seton Hall on Wednesday night before scaling back and previewing the rest of the Big East Tournament bracket. Then, they discuss their picks for Big East honors before answering questions from the mailbag. Be sure to subscribe to the pod, leave us...

Pat takes you through his reaction to Villanova's loss at the hands of the Georgetown Hoyas. He describes the sequence of events that led to yet another blown lead down the stretch and spotlights the roles that both the coaching staff and players had in the collapse. He then finishes the episode by answering your questions in the mailbag. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow...

Pat takes you on a solo show to react to Villanova's crushing loss at the hands of the Uconn Huskies. He takes this loss out to the bigger picture of Nova basketball and illustrates how this past week sums up much of the past three years. He then takes you through some trends on Villanova's 1H vs 2H performances and finishes up with answering your questions in the mailbag. Subscribe to the show, l...

Emma and Pat record an instant reaction episode to Villanova's electric 73-71 win over St. John's on Wednesday night. The duo discuss Wooga Poplar's offensive performance, St. Johns' shooting woes and Eric Dixon's development over Nova's last few games. Lastly, Emma and Pat answer a great round of mailbag questions, including how this win affects Villanova's future. Be...

Emma and Pat dish out their midterm grades for all of the players as well as Kyle Neptune and Baker Dunleavy. They conclude with a mailbag and a look towards hosting Creighton on Saturday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on X @SonnPod.

Emma and Pat are joined by Tommy Godin (X/@tommygodinjr) to talk all things Villanova basketball! The trio discuss the state of the team after Nova's one point loss to Georgetown at the Finneran Pavilion on Monday. Then, they dive deeper into topics like Eric Dixon's offensive usage, the team's defensive woes and Jordan Longino's developmental leap. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave us a rat...

Emma and Pat break down Villanova's losses to Saint John's and Xavier which have halted momentum after the big win against UConn. The team examines what's going wrong and the fundamental flaw of this squad. The duo then set their sights on a matchup with the Friars on Friday night at Wells Fargo before finishing with a big mail bag. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and...

Emma and Pat break down Villanova's MASSIVE win over ninth ranked UConn on Wednesday night. The duo discuss the wild ending to this game, Jordan Longino's heroic defensive performance and where this win ranks in the Kyle Neptune era. They also talk about how the season outlook changes with a win like this in the books. Be sure to subscribe to the pod, leave us a rating and follow us on X @SoNNpod.