The State of the Nova Nation podcast

Latest Episodes:

State of the Nova Nation: Sweet 16-bound, Odds and Ends, March Madness Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Wildcats prep for Winthrop, #NotNCAAProperty, and 2021 Tournament Talk Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Shaking off the Big East Tournament, Justin Moore update, and March Madness is Back! Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Another Man Down, Postseason Accolades, and 2021 Big East Tournament Preview Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: The good, the bad, and the ugly -- A win over Creighton and a Gillespie injury Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Hinkle House of Horrors, Creighton Rematch, and it's March! Mar 02, 2021

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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

State of the Nova Nation: Shutting down the Red Storm, Hinkle Trap (?), and more! Feb 25, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Defense, defense, defense, and a Red Storm is Brewing Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

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

State of the Nova Nation: Countdown to UConn, 'Nova not opting out of Big East Tournament, and More! Feb 18, 2021

Show notes

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

A State of the State of the Nova Nation after Saturday's loss to Creighton Feb 16, 2021

Show notes

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

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