The State of the Nova Nation podcast

The Villanova Wildcats were able to successfully fend off the Delaware Blue Hens in their late comeback attempt for their teammate Dylan Painter. No revenge was had, but now the 'Cats can turn their eyes to the upcoming matchup with the No. 1-ranked Kansas Jayhawks. We look back at the Never Forget Tribute Classic showdown, as well as the new edition of the polls. Learn more about your ad choices....

We've got a lot to catch up on! Chris Lane joins the show, as we recap the Penn Quakers and Saint Joseph's Hawks Big 5 matchups. The Villanova Wildcats are now 3-0 in Big 5 play, and there's been a lot of free time with huge gaps in between games, so we take a look back at some of the younger guys and some impressions of the team from their previous two wins. Also, we preview the upcoming game aga...

Justin Moore was shifted over to a bench role for Sunday's game against La Salle. Regardless, he came in and had a large impact, helping guide the Villanova Wildcats to a victory over Big 5 foes, the La Salle Explorers. The freshman guard had a game-high 25 points in the win, catching fire early. Despite the win, 'Nova has dropped one spot on the polls. It will look to prepare for a rematch agains...

The Villanova Wildcats' early-season tournament streak has come to an end. 'Nova defeated the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders and Mississippi State Bulldogs, but fell to the Baylor Bears during the Myrtle Beach Invitational. We discuss some takeaways from the weekend. Also, the Athletic's Dana O'Neill released her college basketball all-decade team selections and it's missing a very prominent...

The Villanova Wildcats will retire the jerseys of Allan Ray (Class of 2006) and Jim Washington (Class of 1965). They are also preparing for their business trip at Myrtle Beach, which begins on Thursday with a game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. After that, they'll play either the Mississippi State Bulldogs or Tulane Green Wave. Depending on how the other side of the bracket unfolds, th...

It was an up-and-down week for the Villanova Wildcats, who lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes, before bouncing back against the Ohio Bobcats. Ohio isn’t exactly West Villanova, as Eugene Rapay so passionately declared it would be, since the ‘Cats lost to the Buckeyes, but did beat the Bobcats. So, maybe just Athens, Ohio is West Villanova. We discuss both games, talk about Bryan Antoine being cleared...

The Gavitt Games are back, and the Villanova Wildcats are preparing for their first big road game of the season, as they head to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. They'll face off against a familiar face in former Butler Bulldogs head coach Chris Holtmann, who swept the 'Cats in his final season at Butler, before dashing for Ohio State. The Wildcats will return from a long eight days of...

The Villanova Wildcats opened up the season with a beatdown of the Army Black Knights. It was a wire-to-wire finish, in which the 'Cats just dominated. We discuss some takeaways from the game (Jeremiah Robinson-Earl is really, really good) and many observations from Tuesday night. Eric Paschall is off to a hot start with the Golden State Warriors. A little deja vu for JQ, and a lot more in this ep...

The wait is over, the 2019-20 college basketball season is here! The Villanova Wildcats open up the new year with a game against the Army Black Knights. We preview tonight's matchup, a reunion between two former Archbishop Wood teammates, and some key players to watch for. Also, we give some season-long team predictions, like Team MVP, Freshman of the Year, and Most Improved. Also, 'Nova target an...

The Villanova Wildcats tip off the regular season on Tuesday! To prepare for the upcoming 2019-20 season, here is the second of our two-part series in which we break down each and every single opponent on the Wildcats' schedule. After looking at the non-conference slate on the previous episode, this one is dedicated to the Big East conference, looking at the other nine teams, breaking them down, a...

We are officially one week away until the Villanova Wildcats tip off the regular season with a game against the Army Black Knights on Nov. 5. This is the first of our two-part 2019-20 preview, where we take a look at every single non-conference opponent, break it down, and make predictions. We look at everything from Army to Temple, and everything in-between, like the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Bi...

The Villanova Wildcats were ranked at No. 10 on the AP Preseason Poll. According some polling done by VU Hoops, a bit over half of the voters said that the ranking was too high. Was it? Also, the Wildcats lost their preseason exhibition to USC, but there were some good things, like Jeremiah Robinson-Earl playing as advertised early. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

The Villanova Wildcats are California-bound for a preseason exhibition basketball game against the USC Trojans. It's for a good cause, with proceeds going to benefit families and firefighters in the Golden State. Also, it'll be a chance to see the Wildcats get some live competition and hopefully enough action to keep people satisfied until the regular season tips off, so a win-win. Like 'Nova, USC...

The State of the Nova Nation is back! We start off Season 4 with some Big East Media Day discussion—preseason accolades, polls, the young Villanova Wildcats. Brendan Reilly joins the show and breaks down the Blue-White Scrimmage, the many takeaways from it, and what to expect from the freshmen and sophomores. We also answer some fan questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

This is the Season 4 (Third on Audio Podcast format) Finale. Unlike last year, it ends on a somber note, as the Villanova Wildcats' season comes to an end in the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Villanova fell to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Round of 32. We recap and go over the two games in Hartford, look back as the season as a whole, discuss some things to look forward for next season,...

On the newest State of the Nova Nation, we prepare for the NCAA Tournament opening round showdown with the Saint Mary's Gaels. The Wildcats have their first shot against the Gaels since 2010, when Saint Mary's handed Villanova a bitter upset. We preview the Wildcats' tournament opener, highlight the key players, and get some perspective from Jay Wright, Eric Paschall, and Phil Booth, as well as Co...

What a week it was for the Villanova Wildcats! They took care of business in Madison Square Garden, taking down the Providence Friars, Xavier Musketeers, and Seton Hall Pirates en route to the first-ever Big East Tournament three-peat. We discuss some takeaways, some highlights, and the historical achievement. Now, the 'Cats turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament, after finding out their fate...

The Villanova Wildcats might have lost their regular season finale to the Seton Hall Pirates, but thanks to some help elsewhere in the conference, the Wildcats have reclaimed the Big East regular season crown. We also celebrate and discuss the All-Big East teams, as well as some individual awards, while giving predictions for the major ones to be handed out hours before the tournament begins. Now,...

The Villanova Wildcats already celebrated Senior Night, but Phil Booth and Eric Paschall put on one last show in front of the home crowd, as the Wildcats took down the Butler Bulldogs in the final Wells Fargo Center game of the year, as well as the last home game in general. Meanwhile, in the midwest, the Creighton Bluejays' upset win over the Marquette Golden Eagles is making the regular season r...

Jermaine Samuels had the biggest game of his career, so far, dialing up a red-hot 29-point performance. On a night dedicated to the Villanova Wildcats' seniors, Samuels led the way and stole the show in the victory over the No. 10-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles. We discuss what went right vs. what wasn't working during the three-game losing streak that 'Nova has now broken. Shoutout to Samuels, as...

The Villanova Wildcats were handed another loss on Wednesday night, this time by longtime rival, the Georgetown Hoyas. Georgetown avenged an earlier loss to 'Nova, winning in wire-to-wire fashion in D.C. The Wildcats have now suffered back-to-back losses for the third time this season. What's wrong with the 'Cats during this stretch? How is this pair of losses different from the other instances of...

After enjoying a hot start to their game with the St. John's Red Storm, the Villanova Wildcats collapsed in the second half against the Johnnies, allowing their foes to get on a huge run in a matter of minutes. The collapse was worrisome, but how concerning is it moving forward? Villanova will look to avoid dropping back-to-back games on Wednesday night, when it renews its rivalry with the Georget...

Happy Valentines Day, Nova Nation! The Villanova Wildcats got back on track, rebounding with a win over the Providence Friars on Wednesday night. The final score wasn't indicative of the dogfight that it was for a majority of the game. It was another heroic showing for Wildcat seniors Eric Paschall and Phil Booth, who we also take a quick detour to evaluate their NBA prospects at this point deep i...

The battle between the top two teams in the Big East did not disappoint. Although the Villanova Wildcats fell short, the pollsters moved them up one spot in the AP Poll. However, 'Nova was left off the NCAA's annual Top 16/No. 1-4 seeds progress report list. We discuss the exciting Villanova Wildcats-Marquette Golden Eagles game--from the comeback to the final possession, the good, the bad, the af...

With the overtime win over the Creighton Bluejays, the Villanova Wildcats have improved to 10-0 in Big East play--the best start in program history in conference play. It was also the first time a Big East team had achieved the mark since realignment, and the first time that a Big East team had done it since 1999. It was another tough shooting performance for the 'Cats, but they were able to gut i...