The State of the Nova Nation podcast

The Villanova Wildcats have returned to the top spot in college basketball! Meanwhile, the women's basketball team also moved up in the polls as well. Both teams are undefeated, and the men's team held off a feisty La Salle Explorers team to improve to 10-0. As for the ladies, they downed Temple in their final game before taking a 10-day break. Brendan Reilly joins the show to discuss his ideas on...

Catherine Ryan joins the show to discuss the Villanova Wildcats' big win vs. the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Madison Square Garden. Mikal Bridges rises to the occasion (literally and figuratively) with a career performance. Women's basketball remains undefeated after Adrianna Hahn and Bridget Herlihy almost singlehandedly bury Fairfield on the road. Both teams are rolling entering the weekend and will pla...

The hawk is dead! The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team dropped a program-record 19 three-pointers against St. Joe's to blow out the Hawks. Then, less than 24 hours later, Kelly Jekot and the women's team rout their Big 5 rivals, as Jekot scores a career-high 27 points. The men's team has a big game vs. Gonzaga coming up at the Jimmy V Classic, we preview that. Women's team moved up in the...

Men's and women's basketball are still undefeated. The Villanova Wildcats men's team hopped in a time machine and played its first game at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse in over 30 years, opening Big 5 play against Penn. Meanwhile, the women's team held off a feisty Princeton team in a rematch of last year's WNIT opening round. Both teams are now gearing up to take on rival St. Joe's--we preview that, as w...

For the first time since 1982, Villanova has TWO simultaneously ranked basketball teams. The Villanova Wildcats men's team moves up the polls after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis, while the women's team crack the top 25 for the first time since 2004, as they stay undefeated after winning the TD Bank Classic. They'll both resume action against a couple of Ivy League teams. Volleyball's season came t...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving being right around the corner, we're stuffing this episode to the brim with content. We recap the exciting weekend in Villanova Wildcats' athletics. Men's Basketball is 3-0, and Brendan Reilly joins the show to breakdown the upcoming Battle 4 Atlantis. We also discuss a potential shakeup to the Big 5. Women's Basketball and Volleyball pull off stunning upsets at Jake...

The Villanova Wildcats move up to 2-0 after thrashing Nicholls State in a fine display of offense. Mikal Bridges set a new career-high in points scored in a single game. Now, the men's basketball team prepares for a doubleheader at the PPL Center with the women's basketball team. Meanwhile, cross country is ready for Nationals down in Louisville. Football is looking to potentially spoil a rival's...

Villanova Basketball is finally back! The Villanova Wildcats took care of business in the season-opener against the Columbia Lions, move up in the polls, and will now prepare for a game against the Nicholls State Colonels. Meanwhile, the NCAA is gonna NCAA with another headscratching punishment. Bella Burda won the Mid-Atlantic Regional Title, as women's cross country locked up an automatic bid to...

With the 2017-18 college basketball season now just a day away, Chris Lane joins Eugene Rapay and Chris Stanziale for the second half of a two-part series to preview the season. They focus on the Villanova Wildcats' Big East opponents in the conference play portion of the schedule. How are the other nine teams looking? Can Villanova make it five-straight Big East regular season titles in a row? Wh...

With the 2017-18 college basketball season tipping off in just a few days, Brendan Reilly joins Eugene Rapay and Chris Stanziale to preview the season. This is the first installment of a two part series, where they focus on the Villanova Wildcats' non-conference opponents--from the Big 5 to the Battle 4 Atlantis, as well as the Jimmy V Classic and everything else in between. Learn more about your...

The Villanova Wildcats take on a red-hot Elon Phoenix Team for the homecoming game, and an old football friend returns to Villanova Stadium. The Villanova Men's Basketball Team held its Media Day, and we discuss some interesting points from that. Twitter questions, things to watch for this weekend in men's soccer, women's soccer, cross country, volleyball, field hockey...and is Mikal Bridges' defe...

The preseason Coaches' Poll is out, and the Villanova Wildcats are Top 10 heading into the season. They are also No. 1 according to KenPom. The Big East is getting tougher and Jay Wright speaks to that. Mikal Bridges is on the Julius Erving Award Preseason Watch List. Villanova Football announces it will be going with true freshman quarterback for Saturday's homecoming game vs. the Elon Phoenix. W...

We are back! We talk about the storylines surrounding men's and women's basketball from Big East Media Day 2017--Phil Booth's knee, Brunson/Bridges NBA considerations, Wright on one-and-dones, preseason polls and accolades, and women's basketball reloading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NCAA Tournament is finally here. We preview Villanova's opening round matchup against Mount St. Mary's, and both hypothetical opponents (Wisconsin/Virginia Tech) for the weekend's Round of 32 game. Also, the women's team is taking on Princeton to begin the WNIT. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a big weekend for the Wildcats. First, they won their second Big East Tournament title in three years. Josh Hart was named Tournament MVP, joining an exclusive club, and was named a First Team All-American by the U.S.B.W.A. (Eugene voted for him) Then, we react to Selection Sunday, take a look at the East region, where the 'Cats are a No. 1 seed. On top of that, they were the top overall se...

Josh Hart got another accomplishment to add to his long resume, securing the Big East Player of the Year Award on Wednesday. He becomes the first Wildcat to be an outright winner of the award since Randy Foye did so in 2006. Chris finds a way to simulate college basketball games (complete with stats!) featuring historic teams. Also, the Wildcats begin Big East Tournament play today against St. Joh...

Tanoh Kpassagnon turned a lot more heads at the NFL combine. Women's Basketball took on St. John's in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals. The Big East announced its All-Conference teams and a few individual awards for men's basketball. Also, Big East correspondent Kim Adams joins us after wrapping up her Big East Trophy Tour to preview the Big East Tournament at MSG--major storylines, things to...

The spiritual successor to the Daniel Ochefu Cookout game series has been released by the Villanova band, this time focusing on Omari Spellman. While we're talking about Spellman, it's a perfect transition to discuss some more recent questionable NCAA decisions and contradictions. Men's basketball prepares for its regular season finale with Georgetown. Adam Chalifoux joins us from Chicago to previ...

While the men's basketball team won its fourth straight Big East regular season title over the weekend, the women's swim team took care of business in the water, four-peating as Big East Conference Champions. Darby Goodwin set a new conference record in the pool en route to being named Most Outstanding Swimmer of the meet. Meanwhile, at the Pavilion, the Wildcats paid homage to their seniors and p...

After spending Tuesday on the disabled list, we have some catching up to do. We recap the beatdown at Seton Hall, and the disappointing letdown against Butler. The Bulldogs snap a 48-game winning streak at the Pavilion. Villanova will get to redeem itself at home on Senior Night, which will be the final home game of the year. From what you need to know about Creighton, to why it's important to not...

Jay Wright picked up his 500th and 501st wins over the weekend. Eugene returns from his trip to Chicago. We keep a close eye on Darryl Reynolds' rib, Jalen Brunson's numbers, Kris Jenkins shooting, and Dylan Painter. The women's basketball has won 9 of their last 12 games since starting Big East play 0-2. How big is this turnaround? Lax returns, and a preview of things to come this weekend. Learn...

A little later than usual, as we enjoyed the Snow Day. Villanova held off a late Georgetown rally at the Pavilion. Kris Jenkins was back in the starting five, how did he do? Also, what's going on with Phil Booth? Jay Wright speaks on the junior guard. We also preview and hit all of the action in Villanova sports this weekend, mainly showcasing the men's and women's basketball road trips, lax is ba...

In a surprising move by Jay Wright, Kris Jenkins was benched to start Eric Paschall against the Johnnies. Jenkins responded with a solid showing off the pine. Georgetown and Villanova will clash at the Pavilion for the first time since 2006. "The Big Game" experiences, Howie Long's son gets a ring, Dana O'Neil is signing copies of "Long Shots," and does UConn want to come back to the Big East? How...

Mark Ferrante put together his first recruiting class since officially taking over as the head coach of the football program. ESPN reporter Dana O'Neil releases a new book that should be a part of the Villanova Curriculum. In her new book, she goes deep into Villanova's 2016 title run, as well as looking back at the past and the 2009 Final Four run. We discuss a few excerpts from the book. Then we...

Donte DiVincenzo topped off a second half Villanova comeback with the game-winning tip in, giving the Wildcats a victory over Virginia. Tanoh Kpassagnon impresses some more at the Senior Bowl. A tale of eye-popping proportions. Updates in women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track, and swimming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices