In the Semi-Finals of the San Juan Tourney in Puerto Rico, #5 ranked Villanova held off a late surge by the #18 ranked Dayton Flyers to win 71-65. Villanova advances to the Championship game which will tip-off at 8:00 PM on Sunday and be televised on ESPN2. The Cats will face the winner of tonight's game between Ole Miss and Kansas State. Villanova played better offensively than during the opening game of the tournament against George Mason. The ball-handling, passing and FT shooting were all improved. However, the team still struggled shooting the ball from the field. Despite these difficulties, 'Nova defended and rebounded well enough to surge to an 18 point lead nearing the mid-way point of the second half. At that point the Flyers began to knock down some deep threes and cut the lead to as little as two points. Clutch free-throw shooting and defense down the stretch sealed the Wildcat victory.]]> Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:39:00 GMT Now that was an interesting series of events. First, not long before game time, it was announced that Villanova freshman center, Mouphtaou Yarou returned to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico to be examined by doctors regarding a possible viral infection. Coach Jay Wright runs out a starting lineup consisting of Antonio Pena, Taylor King, Corey Stokes, Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher. A combination of poor Villanova shooting and ball-handling and a whistle-happy refereeing crew led to the Cats being down at half-time with seemingly the majority of the team in some sort of foul trouble. For most of the game, a young George Mason squad made tough shots, battled on the glass and kept a stiff-arm distance lead on 'Nova. After a boatload of missed Villanova free-throws and failed attempts to tie or take the lead in the game, it was a Patriot missed free-throw that gave Villanova the ball with a two shot deficit and a last opportunity. Scottie Reynolds probed the defense and was shut down. He turned and flipped a bail-out pass to Isaiah Armwood. The freshman forward didn't hesitate. Armwood knocked down a three-ball from the wing with 17 seconds remaining and VU had a 69-68 lead. George Mason tried to free a man with a high screen only to have Villanova switch and disrupt the play. The Patriots failed to get off a shot and that quickly a game that appeared lost for the better part of an hour turned into a Wildcat victor]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:16:00 GMT With four visits under his belt, elite point guard prospect Cory Joseph has set a fifth official visit date and will sign in the sprin]]> Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:14:00 GMT Jayvaughn Pinkston has a tough decision to make. The highly recruited senior from Bishop Loughlin H.S. in Brooklyn, NY was to make his college decision on Weds. but changed his mind]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:00:00 GMT While other top prospects who were thought to likely be late signees are making their decisions during the early signing period, five-star guard Josh Selby is expected to stretch his recruitment out until the spring. Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer has the latest on Selby and much more in the Weekly Whisper]]> Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:41:00 GMT Jayvaughn Pinkston and Tobias Harris. Two of the top New York high school players are scheduled to announce their college choices this week. Here is a breakdown of the possibilities for both players]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:00:00 GMT Villanova continued a recent run of dominant play in the Big Five City Series by thrashing Penn 103-65 at the Pavilion. 'Nova ran out to an early lead and never looked back. At one point, a 90-43 VU lead harkened back to the whoopin' for the ages that the Cats laid on the Quakers in the NCAA East Regional Final in 1971 (when 'Nova won 90-47 over an unbeaten Penn squad for a berth in the Final Four). The win was Villanova's 19th in the last 20 Big Five games. Maalik Wayns led the Wildcat scoring barrage with 16 points while five other Cats also scored 12 or more points. Antonio Pena posted a 12 point and 10 rebound double-double. In retrospect it was okay to see the Quakers make a late run to cut the final margin below 43 points - there is something special about that 90-47 score that may be lost a little should the Cats ever post a 50 point beat-down against Penn. ]]> Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:41:00 GMT Sun, 15 Nov 2009 03:16:00 GMT Corey Stokes dropped in 20 points and Antonio Pena contributed 9 points and 10 rebounds to lead 'Nova to an 84-61 win over FDU in the 2009-10 season opener at the Pavilion. Corey Fisher, Dominic Cheek and Maalik Wayns also looked solid in the win ..]]> Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:08:00 GMT James Bell (Guard, Montverde FL) and Markus Kennedy (Forward, Winchendon MA) mrked the opening of the early signing period by signing their LOIs. These Class of 2010 players are now officially Villanova Wildcats. Here are some details on the signings and remarks from the events .]]> Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:07:00 GMT James Bell (Guard, Montverde FL) and Markus Kennedy (Forward, Winchendon MA) verballed to Villanova head coach Jay Wright quite some time ago. Now the early signing period is open and both of these Class of 2010 players are ready to put ink to paper and make their selection of Villanova official .]]> Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:52:00 GMT Talented big men are difficult to come by, but Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon is honing in on skilled post player Maurice Walker of Wolfeboro (N.H.) Brewster Academy. The Panthers could be close to landing a commitment from the 6-foot-10 center. Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer has the latest on Walker and much more in the Weekly Whisper]]> Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:44:00 GMT Wednesday is the first day senior basketball prospects can sign a national letter of intent and 11 of the top-25 prospects in the Rivals150 have yet to choose a school. Rivals.com's Jerry Meyer breaks down the recruiting situations of top prospect Brandon Knight and the rest of the uncommitted prospects in the top 2]]> Mon, 9 Nov 2009 19:55:00 GMT Villanova defeated the Kutztown Golden Bears 110-84 in exhibition action at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. Scottie Reynolds spearheaded a potent scoring attack for the Cats with 27 points. 'Nova shot 60% from the floor and 63% from beyond the arc]]> Fri, 6 Nov 2009 04:04:00 GMT Class of 2010 Forward, Jayvaughn Pinkston is widely considered the best player in New York City in his class. He had an outstanding summer and fall in AAU and IS8 play and now he is in the process of determining where to play his college ball. In Alex Schwartz' debut article for VUSports, he catches us up with Pinkston and his recruiting situatio]]> Thu, 5 Nov 2009 03:40:00 GMT Bishop Loughlin's power forward has stepped up to say there are no challengers. When the senior was asked, who he thought was the No 1 player in the NYC, he responded, "Me, Jayvaughn Pinkston.]]> Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:00:00 GMT Most prospects that end up with offers from elite programs start their life in the spotlight by their junior season. Tight end Will Tye was a late bloome]]> Mon, 2 Nov 2009 00:25:00 GMT The 2009 Eddie Griffin Challenge Sophomore and Junior All-Star games were held Sunday at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken PA. The Philadelphia Class of 2012 team defeated the New Jersey Sophs 84-71 in the first game. The NJ Class of 2011 kncoked off the Philadelphia Juniors 99-87 in the second game. Here are some player notes from the event - focusing primarily on players of interest from a Villanova recruiting perspectiv]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 04:59:00 GMT Yesterday's verbal from 6'3", guard, Achraf Yacoubou, from Lutheran High in NY is great news for Coach Jay Wright and his staff as they look to strike while the iron is hot from last seasons Final Four run and haul in a big time recruiting Class for 2011. In this article we will provide some perspective on this commitment, take a look at what recruits are expected at Villanova tomorrow for Hoops Mania and ponder what lies ahead. ]]> Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:36:00 GMT The 2009 Eddie Griffin Challenge will be held at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken PA on Sunday, October 25th. The event features 3 All-Star Games featuring elite high school basketball players from NJ and the Philadelphia Area. The first game is Philly versus NJ Sophomores at 4:00, followed by the Juniors at 5:30. The nightcap features the Seniors at 7:00 PM. Last year the Philly teams swept all three games]]> Wed, 21 Oct 2009 01:55:00 GMT