The State of the Nova Nation podcast

Pat is joined by Eugene Rapay to take a look back at Villanova's 85-74 win against UConn at Wells Fargo Center. The two discuss Eric Dixon's dominance in the absence of Justin Moore, the implications of Collin Gillespie's injury, and the impact made by Caleb Daniels and Chris Arcidiacono. They also explore what went wrong for the Huskies and where they go from here. The hosts then preview the upco...

Pat recap's Villanova's 73-62 win over Saint John's this past weekend at the Finneran Pavilion. He breaks down how a change in gameplan helped lead the Wildcats to their victory and keys in on the defensive performances that held the Red Storm to just 62 points. He also analyzes the impact of the bench, Brandon Slater's ankle and Collin Gillespie's efficiency on the way to the victory. With huge g...

Emma and Pat recap Villanova's strong closing performance against DePaul from Tuesday night. The duo discuss Bryan Antoine and Jordan Longino's strong offensive performances and preview how St. John's tempo might disrupt Villanova's win streak. Lastly, Emma and Pat answer a fun bunch of listener questions. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn mo...

Emma and Pat are joined by Villanova basketball legend Allan Ray (2002-2006). Allan discusses his playing days in the Big East and answers the pressing questions from this season including, who is Villanova's X factor? Is lack of focus a problem for this team? What teams should Nova be scared of in the Big East? Then, Emma and Pat recap the Georgetown win from over the weekend and preview this wee...

Emma and Pat record a game recap of Marquette's victory over Villanova at the Finn, 57-54. The duo discuss Marquette's havoc defense, 'Nova's inability to score and question whether bench depth has once again become an issue for Jay Wright's squad. Then, Pat recounts Josh Hart's jersey retirement ceremony and they answer mailbag questions. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follo...

Emma and Pat break down 'Nova's 40-point win over Butler on Sunday afternoon. They discuss Jermaine Samuels' offensive improvement and the team's defensive progress. Then, the duo answer three important questions at this point in the season. 1) Is Eric Dixon dominant? 2) Is Villanova's win streak due to Bryan Antoine's return? 3) Just how good is this Villanova team? Lastly, they have a fun conver...

Emma and Pat discuss Villanova's exhilarating 64-60 win against Xavier at the Cintas Center on Wednesday night. The duo break down Dixon's incredible all-around performance, Moore's clutch factor, 'Nova's elite defensive intensity and question where Xavier stands in the Big East after this loss. Then, they preview Villanova's match-up against Butler on Sunday, preview more Big East action this wee...

Emma and Pat break down the tale of two halves from Villanova's 79-64 win over DePaul on Saturday. They dissect Javon Freeman-Liberty's big day, Collin Gillespie's offensive leadership and 'Nova's defensive improvement in the second half. Then, Emma and Pat preview the Cats' extremely important match-up against Xavier on Wednesday night. In a game that will be circled on the schedule, Jermaine Sam...

Emma and Pat are back to recap Villanova's stifling 75-41 win over Creighton at the Finneran Pavilion. The duo dissect 'Nova's excellent defensive performance, Samuels' and Moore's offensive outpouring and Longino and Antoine's added roles from the bench. Then, they preview the biggest keys for Villanova's match-up against DePaul on Saturday before answering a full mailbag of listener questions. B...

In the first episode of 2022, Emma flies solo to break down Villanova's 73-67 win over Seton Hall. She discusses Justin Moore's killer mentality, Collin Gillespie's strong shooting night and the lack of big men for the Hall. Then, Emma previews the revenge game on Wednesday night against Creighton. She gives three keys for 'Nova to reverse the tides from the first match-up: move the ball better on...

Emma and Pat break down the biggest takeaways from Villanova's shocking loss to Creighton on Friday night. The duo discuss Collin Gillespie's and Jermaine Samuels' offensive struggles, 'Nova's inability to penetrate the paint and the team's rebounding disadvantage against Creighton. Then, they preview Villanova's upcoming home match-up against 18 Xavier. The duo talk about the importance of home c...

Emma and Pat do an extensive preview of the first game on the Big East slate, the Creighton Bluejays. The 'Cats travel to Omaha, Nebraska on Friday night to visit the new-look Greg McDermott team. The duo breakdown the offensive prowess of transfer Ryan Hawkins, the size and interior presence that Ryan Kalkbrenner brings to the paint and the team chemistry that the young squad continues to search...

Emma and Pat break down Villanova's ugly road loss to the newly-crowned no. 1 team in the country, Baylor. The duo focus on Nova's abysmal offensive play, Baylor's stifling defense and James Akinjo's impressive performance. Lastly, they discuss the one positive from the game: Villanova's defense limited Baylor to just 57 points, adding another impressive line to the team's improving defensive play...

Emma and Pat do an in-depth breakdown of Villanova's 67-53 win over its old Big East rival, Syracuse. The duo start in the first half, where they discuss Villanova's poor shooting, turnover troubles and Dhamir Cosby Roundtree's early entry into the game before transitioning to the second half to talk about how half-time adjustments were made. Emma and Pat speak about 'Nova's ability to penetrate t...

Emma and Pat break down the positives from Villanova's blowout win over St. Joe's , including Collin Gillespie's second consecutive stellar performance and Justin Moore's much improved defense. Then, the duo introduce a new segment called "What Have We Learned?" to go over all of the action from the week of Big 5 games. Topics include Dhamir Cosby Roundtree's performance, Gillespie's case for All-...

Emma and Pat break down Villanova's 71-56 win over Penn as the 'Cats improve to 2-0 in Big East play. The duo talk about Gillespie's offensive explosion and how he continues to pad his award-winning season. Despite other offensive struggles, Brand Slater adds another efficient shooting performance and Nova's defense improves for the second straight game. Then, Emma and Pat preview the next Big 5 m...

Emma and Pat give their biggest takeaways from Villanova's beatdown of La Salle on Sunday night, from Eric Dixon's continued improvement to 'Nova's stifling first half defense to Caleb Daniels' resurgence off the bench. Then, the duo extensively discuss Dhamir Cosby Roundtree's return to the court. How did we get here and what does this mean for the future of Villanova's bench? We answer all of th...

Emma and Pat begin with the action from Saturday at Mohegan Sun. The duo break down Villanova's dominance against Tennessee from a shooting, rebounding and energy standpoint. Then, they transition to 'Nova's second loss of the season against Purdue. Emma and Pat laud Caleb Daniels' performance off the bench and Brandon Slater's defense before debating the pressing question: was fatigue the reason...

Emma and Pat dissect Villanova's 100-81 win over Howard from all angles. The duo break down the excellent offensive play from both teams, most notably Collin Gillespie and the entire Howard roster from three-point range, before turning to the negatives. Villanova's defense struggled for the majority of the game, and Emma and Pat talk about the defensive adjustments the team needs to make before it...

Emma and Pat break down everything from Villanova's 86-77 OT loss to No. 2 UCLA. The duo discuss the positives from the loss, like Eric Dixon's play on both sides of the ball, Jermaine Samuels' physicality and Slater's first half defense against preseason All-American Johnny Juzang. Then, they talk about the lack of minutes for the freshmen, 'Nova's struggling transition defense and how the bench...

Emma and Pat discuss Villanova's first game and first win of the season over Mt. St. Mary's, 91-51. The duo break down the notable career-high performances from Justin Moore and Brandon Slater before turning to other positives from the game like the bench depth and the forced turnovers. Then, they talk about how the team can improve its defense and rebounding before its next opponent, 2 UCLA. Be s...

The season is finally here! Before tip-off against Mount Saint Mary's on Tuesday afternoon, Emma and Pat record a full team breakdown of the '21-22 Villanova roster. From the incoming freshmen class to the returning fifth years, we preview each aspect of each player's game. Then, the duo discusses quotes from Jay Wright's press conference on Monday afternoon breaking down the starting rotation and...

Emma Houghton and Pat Zeng welcome on their first guest of the season, John Fanta from Fox College Hoops and the Big East Digital Network. Emma, Pat and John discuss candidates for the most surprising team of the conference, the most impactful newcomer, and the most important returning player before focusing on John's predictions for Villanova. Then, Emma and Pat analyze each Big East conference m...

Emma Houghton and Pat Zeng break down each non-conference opponent that Villanova will face during the 2021-2022 season. From tip-off on Nov. 9 against Mt. Saint Mary's to a Sweet 16 rematch against the Baylor Bears, Emma and Pat discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each opponent and keys for Villanova in each matchup. Then, the duo discusses the floor and the ceiling of 'Nova's non-conference...

Eugene and Chris are joined by Emma Houghton and Pat Zeng to kick off the brand new season of State of the Nova Nation and make a big announcement. One door closes, but another one opens. We take a look back at Eugene and Chris' six seasons on the show, say some good byes and introduce Emma and Pat, two Villanova grads with radio backgrounds, before running through one last mailbag with the origin...