The Nova Blog

Jay Wright to be honored at Dick Vitale event

2012-05-16T00:03:37Z

Jay Wright to be honored at Dick Vitale event

On Friday night in Sarasota, Florida, Dick Vitale is hosting the seventh annual gala to benefit The V Foundation for Cancer Research. Each year, Vitale honors 3 people who have dedicated their time to the V Foundation. This year, the honorees are Lou Holtz, Gary Williams, and Jay Wright. Wright commented on being an honoree, saying, "To be in that position, where they think that you are worthy of being honored, I’m very, very fortunate that I can help them do some great things. It does make you feel a little uncomfortable. It's just because I’m the coach at Villanova, and that means something."

Nova Notebook: Yarou's Come Far Yet Still Has More to Accomplish

2012-05-14T00:41:57Z

Nova Notebook: Yarou's Come Far Yet Still Has More to Accomplish

In the newest edition of The Nova Notebook, written director of media relations Mike Sheridan, senior big man Mouphtaou Yarou is profiled. In the lengthy piece, numerous topics are covered, including Yarou's Hepatitis B diagnosis a few years ago, taking over the role of captain, and rarely getting the opportunity to see his family

John Marinatto Quits As Big East Commissioner

2012-05-07T16:08:55Z

John Marinatto, Commissioner of the Big East since July 2009, has s tepped down from his post . Joseph Bailey will take over with an interim tag. Bailey has previously worked with the Miami Dolphins (CEO) and Dallas Cowboys (Administrative VP).

Here's Johnny Boy on his decision:

"Our recent expansion efforts have stabilized the conference for the long term, and we are likewise well positioned for our very important upcoming television negotiations," Marinatto said in the news release. "As a result, I felt this was the right time to step aside and to let someone else lead us through the next chapter of our evolution."

Here's our reaction:

Thoughts everyone?

Syracuse Hammers Villanova to End the Wildcats' Season

2012-05-04T20:56:41Z

In the first ever Big East Tournament, both of the underdogs advanced to the championship game, as the 4th seeded Red Storm of St. John's stunned the top seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-7 and the 3rd seeded Syracuse Orange crushed #2 Villanova by the score of 15-6. St. John's and Syracuse advance to the title game on Saturday afternoon at noon at Villanova Stadium. Notre Dame will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Villanova's loss effectively ends their season with an 8-7 overall record.

Syracuse jumped out to a 5-2 lead early in the 2nd quarter, but the Cats sliced the deficit to 6-4 at half. The second thirty minutes was all Syracuse though as they outscored Nova 10-2. Besides the score, the stats were pretty much even except the groundball differential, which proved to be the key factor in the game. The Orange scooped up 41 groundballs and the Cats only notched 22 for the contest. The extra possession time allowed the Orange offense to wear the Nova defense, which has been the weakness for Villanova all year. As Villanova head coach Mike Corrado put it,

I thought Syracuse came out in the second half and did a great job on the faceoffs. They really controlled the faceoffs. That was tough. Then you start pressing out and you give them high percentage scoring chances.

What once looked like a promising season came to a crashing halt last night, and it will be interesting to see Villanova responds next year since they lose a ton of talent to graduation this year.

For those interested, the NCAA Lacrosse Selection Show is this Sunday night, May 6th, at 9 PM on ESPNU.

NCAA Tournament Hopes Take Big Hit as Nova Men's Lax Falls to Providence

2012-04-29T20:49:17Z

On Saturday afternoon in Providence, Rhode Island, the Villanova men's lacrosse team dropped a 15-11 affair to the lowly Providence Friars. With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 8-6 on the year and 4-2 in the Big East. The win for the Friars is their first ever Big East win, as they end the season at 2-12 overall, 1-5 in the conference.

The loss could prove to be quite costly for Villanova, as they were in prime position to obtain an at-large spot in the 16 team NCAA Tournament. Now, the chances of an at-large bid are virtually gone, so the Cats will most likely have to win the upcoming Big East Tournament to be held this week at Villanova Stadium. The winner of the conference tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova, the #2 seed in the Big East Tournament, will open up with the 3rd seeded Syracuse Orange on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 PM. The winner advances to the championship game on Saturday against the winner of the St. John's-Notre Dame game.

"I think that ship (Villanova joining the FBS ranks) has sailed," Talley said. "We are pretty...

2012-04-26T14:55:58Z

"I think that ship (Villanova joining the FBS ranks) has sailed," Talley said. "We are pretty bitter about how we were treated in that process. I just hope all of this expansion stuff settles down and let's us have a conference to play football in for the next few years." - Andy Talley

A Late Spring Fling With Towson And Villanova

Villanova's Jay Wright working on foundation for future success

2012-04-26T02:06:18Z

Villanova's Jay Wright working on foundation for future success

"We've got to re-create it. That goes to your point of kind of starting over. I know that's an ugly term to fans, and probably to anybody, but it's not something we're afraid of. That is where we are. We're back where we know we have to prove ourselves again."

-Wright, discussing what needs to happen to get the program back on track

A pair of twin blue-chippers, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, from near Houston, reportedly are visiting...

2012-04-25T15:37:50Z

A pair of twin blue-chippers, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, from near Houston, reportedly are visiting Villanova this week.

Aaron and Andrew Harrison will visit Villanova