The Villanova Wildcats are preparing for their first Big East battle at the Wells Fargo Center this season. They're taking on the Xavier Musketeers on Friday night, and this isn't the same team over the last few years. Travis Steele as at the helm, taking over for Chris Mack, and Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura aren't stepping foot on that court. So who's left? We also discuss the Lady 'Cats Big 5 crown. With a win over the Penn Quakers, they have swept the Big 5 and secured an outright title. Lastly, congrats to Kate Connolly for winning a pair of tickets to Villanova-Xavier!

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Somehow, we made it this far. It's episode 100! (It technically is, since our 2017 wrap up and post-Wisconsin NCAA Tournament episode didn't transfer over when we switched servers. So although it'll say 99 episodes, this is actually 100!) The Villanova Wildcats are still riding high and undefeated in Big East play after venturing into Omaha and downing the Creighton Bluejays. Another solid outing from Eric Paschall and Phil Booth, with nice supporting roles from Collin Gillespie and Jermaine Samuels. 'Nova is welcoming a new restaurant and bar, could this be a pregame spot for Pavilion games? What's up with Joe Cremo? Where'd Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree's minutes go? This and so much more, and one last call for our Villanova-Xavier ticket giveaway on Twitter!

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The Villanova Wildcats are still in first place and undefeated in Big East play after holding off the St. John's Red Storm at the Finneran Pavilion on Tuesday. It was a hard-fought battle between the up-and-coming challenger St. John's and the defending Big East and NCAA Tournament champions. The Wildcats grinded one out, coming from behind for the win. Seniors were key, as Eric Paschall set the tone in the first half and Phil Booth took over in the second. Now, the 'Cats will prep for a trip to Omaha to take on another one of the top defenses in the Big East, the Creighton Bluejays. We preview Sunday's showdown and answer your questions.

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We're back for the first episode of 2019! After a holiday hiatus, the State of the Nova Nation is back. While the podcast was on break, the Villanova Wildcats have been back on their winning ways. The Wildcats have won three-straight, beating the UConn Huskies, DePaul Blue Demons, and the Providence Friars. We're looking at the good, the bad, and things to address moving forward with this squad. The defending National and Big East Champions are currently atop the conference, but Prime Time Ponds and the St. John's Red Storm are looking to threaten the 'Cats. It's the top scoring defense in the Big East vs. the conference's top-scoring trendy St. John's offense. We also have a few special announcements: we're giving away two tickets to the Jan. 18 Villanova-Xavier game at the Wells Fargo Center, and we're looking to see if there's any interest for a free pick'em contest!

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The Villanova Wildcats are preparing for the second leg of a three-year series with the Connecticut Huskies. 'Nova dominated UConn at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. last year, but now the series heads to the Garden. It'll be Villanova's final non-conference game before taking a decent break before starting Big East play. We preview that game, discuss the importance of Collin Gillespie, a quick look at next year, and we'd like to know--what Christmas song is your all-time favorite and if you had the power, which Christmas song would you delete?

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It was a hard-fought effort for the Villanova Wildcats, but they couldn't topple the Kansas Jayhawks over at Allen Fieldhouse. The good and the bad from that game and why even though 'Nova lost back-to-back games for the second time this year, there's a better feeling overall moving ahead than the pandemonium from earlier this season. Not a big moral victory believer, but there's some good from playing in Kansas' hood. Meanwhile, the women's basketball team put the finishing touches on non-conference play with a solid win over Georgia at home. It will not have a two-week break before resuming action. We also answer your Twitter questions!

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Winning is no birthright, and the Penn Quakers certainly showed that, as they were the first Big 5 team to topple the Villanova Wildcats in their upset win over the 'Cats, ending their record-high 25-straight wins. It wasn't the greatest showing by any means, we unpack that game and the aftermath--which also wasn't very good. Now, the Wildcats are prepping for their trip out to the midwest, where they'll take on Kansas, who has only lost twice to non-conference opponents over the last 10 years.

(Note: Responses to the fan/listener questions regarding JQ were before seeing the brand-new development from Joe Juliano and Philly Inq.)

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Those Hawks were feisty, but the Villanova Wildcats were able to hold off a tough late-game rally to hang on for the win. They will now prepare for a Big 5 finale at the Palestra, when they play the Penn Quakers with another title on the line. With 10 games down, Brendan and Eugene discuss this team's progress so far and the season as a whole. The ever-rising placement on the NET rankings is certainly promising. The 'Cats have looked very different since those back-to-back losses to Michigan and Furman, but how far can this growth go?

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The Villanova Wildcats are still undefeated in Big 5 play, and they won their first game at the Finn in about a month. They couldn't have done it without the play of Jermaine Samuels, who put together a great second half performance down the stretch to help lift the 'Cats to victory over the Temple Owls. Now, they're going to get ready for a game with the Saint Joseph Hawks this weekend--renewing the Holy War. As for the women's basketball team, it will be taking on George Washington on Thursday night, and then continue Big 5 play with a showdown with Temple. We also talk Christmas movies and Joe Cremo's facemask.

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A short and sweet episode! This past weekend was the start of Big 5 play for the Villanova Wildcats men's and women's basketball teams. Both squads had tough battles, but were able to gut it out. The men's team faced a winless La Salle team, while the women's team let us know that the Hawk is still dead.

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