Vu Hoops: For Villanova Wildcats Fans

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 those questions and more. Lastly, Emma and Pat talk about their Christmas & Hanukah wishes for the Wildcats and preview the team's next Big 5 match-up against Penn. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Villanova lost to Purdue? Is Jay Wright to blame? The duo debate Jay Wright's rotation decisions and the future of the freshmen off the bench this season. Lastly, they run through a quick preview of Villanova's first Big 5 opponent: La Salle on Nov. 28. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 its next matchup against the dangerous Tennessee Volunteers. Lastly, the duo preview the strengths and weaknesses of Tennessee prior to the marquee matchup at the Hall of Fame Tip Off Classic on Saturday. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNPod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 might look in future games. Lastly, Emma and Pat preview Villanova's next matchup against Howard, who currently sit at 3-0. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow the show on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating on Apple Podcasts and follow the show (@SoNNpod) and us (@emma_houghton9 and @PZeng15) on Twitter! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 the match-up against the Mountaineers. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 member, breaking down the roster and each team's strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating, and follow us on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 performance and predicts Villanova's record at the end of non-conference play. Be sure to subscribe to the show, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 original duo. Emma and Pat then bring you their thoughts from Big East Media Day with sounds from Jay Wright and Justin Moore. From their preseason thoughts with this year's Villanova Wildcats, to a broad look at preseason accolades and the Big East Conference as a whole, college basketball is (almost) back! Be sure to subscribe, leave a rating and follow us on Twitter @SoNNpod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats' season came to an end in the Sweet 16. They gave the top-seeded Baylor Bears a hard fight for most of the game, until a game-changing run by the Bears ended up sealing the 'Cats fate. It's a bittersweet end. On one hand, Villanova got to reach the Sweet 16 -- reaching further than most thought it would -- on the other, the Wildcats were toe-to-toe with the No. 1 seed for a majority of the game. Regardless, it was great to have college basketball back and the NCAA Tournament, after not having it last season. We look back at the year and thank all the listeners for riding with us through the 2020-21 college basketball season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats are Sweet 16 bound! We recap the wild weekend in the NCAA Tournament, with Villanova beating Winthrop and North Texas, and a few of the other notable upsets and shockers in other areas of the bracket. We're also joined by DraftKings Head of Sportsbook Johnny Avello to discuss Villanova's odds to win it all in the NCAA Tournament and moving forward into this weekend's big matchup with No. 1 seed Baylor and beyond. He also shares some insight on how empty arenas and neutral sites play into oddsmaking. It's reasonable to say, if Villanova can upset Baylor, not only will it be one of Jay Wright's best coaching jobs of all time, but also there's a favorable path to the Final Four. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We take a look at the Villanova Wildcats first weekend path in the NCAA Tournament, starting off with the Winthrop Eagles. Hear Jay Wright's thoughts on Winthrop and who they remind him of. The winner gets to take on the massive Purdue Boilermakers frontcourt or the well-dressed North Texas Mean Green. After previewing potential opponents, we discuss why it's time to allow the NCAA to give athletes' rights to their own name, image, and likeness. Regardless of what happens, the NCAA Tournament is back! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was a tough time at the Big East Tournament for the Villanova Wildcats, who were bounced out of the quarterfinals by rival and eventual champion Georgetown. While it was a rough loss, the positive is that the season is not over yet and there's a chance to make one last stand in the NCAA Tournament. The even bigger takeaway was Justin Moore's surprise return. Jay Wright gives a little perspective on that day and his status for the NCAA Tournament. For the first time since 2019, March Madness is back, which is a definite plus. The Wildcats are a 5-seed and will begin against 12th-seeded Winthrop. Brackets are finalized and the countdown to the first games tipping off on Friday is on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats already had the Big East regular season title in the bag, as well as the No. 1 seed in the 2021 Big East Tournament, so Saturday's game was more of a test run to see how the 'Cats would do post-Collin Gillespie injury. Things went from bad to worse, as Justin Moore went down with an ankle injury, and he is now listed as doubtful for this week's tournament. However, the 'Cats rumbled back from a big halftime deficit, and had a chance to steal a win at the end. We look at the good, the bad, and the Chris Arcidiacono surprise. The Big East also announced its all-conference teams, and some individual awards. We give our predictions and picks for Wednesday's major awards, and then breakdown the Big East Tournament. Given Villanova's injuries, Creighton's offseason drama, this might be the most wide open Big East Tournament since realignment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats got their revenge win over the Creighton Bluejays on Wednesday night. It was a Senior Night victory, one that secured the No. 1 seed at the Big East Tournament and another regular season conference title, but it came at a steep price. Senior point guard Collin Gillespie sustained a serious knee injury and is due for a MRI on Thursday morning. After the 'Nova co-captain went down, the rest of the 'Cats stepped up in his place and pulled off the double-digit victory. We take a look back at the win over Creighton, preview the upcoming season finale with the Providence Friars, and process what the recent injury means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats took a tough loss to the Butler Bulldogs on Sunday, falling victim to Hinkle Magic once again. It's the fourth time the 'Cats have fallen at Hinkle Fieldhouse in five years. Villanova went cold from long range, and struggled to contain a Butler team that was missing a couple of key players. Now, it'll look to regroup against Creighton and avenge an earlier loss on Senior Night. We take a look back at the weekend and a look ahead to Wednesday night, plus go through the mailbag! On the bright side, March is finally here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats enjoyed a dominant wire-to-wire win over the St. John's Red Storm. The 'Cats got a bit of revenge, making up for an earlier loss. They set the tone from opening tip and excelled on both ends of the court, and got complete contributions with deeper bench guys like Bryan Antoine and Trey Patterson making an appearance. Collin Gillespie bounced back, and it was an overall great game for the 'Cats. Now, they'll turn their attention to the Butler Bulldogs, who are down a couple players but coming off of a big win at home. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After a defensive nightmare against Creighton, the Villanova Wildcats regrouped during their week off between games and put together their best defensive performance of the season in their win against the UConn Huskies. The shots didn't fall, but the Wildcats were able to buckle down defensively, especially in the second half, where they put the clamps on James Bouknight. Now that they're back on track with a win, they'll try to continue that winning momentum and avenge an earlier loss to the St. John's Red Storm. Will things go differently for the 'Cats on Tuesday night? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats are preparing for their first showdown with the UConn Huskies, since they first rejoined the conference. UConn's top player James Bouknight got cleared in time for Saturday's game and looked just fine in his first game back from an injury, scoring 18 points off the bench in a win over Providence. How will his return boost the Huskies? Also, according to a recent Philadelphia Inquirer article, the Wildcats don't plan on opting out of the Big East Tournament. We react to that and give a couple shoutouts to Saddiq Bey, Donte DiVincenzo, and the women's basketball team! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Villanova Wildcats dominated the Marquette Golden Eagles, but stumbled and fell to the Creighton Bluejays over the weekend. After looking like a well-oiled machine against Marquette, what went wrong against Creighton? Is this another example of a temporary February slump, or is there deeper cause for concern? With a couple of days to digest the loss and some time off before the next game against UConn on Saturday, we try to diagnose the Wildcats. It might nowhere near the time to hit the panic button, but there are a couple of worries. Also, the 'Cats fell to No. 10 in the rankings, and we dive into a crowded mailbag to top off the episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices