I Bleed Blue and White

As the summer rapidly progresses along, we draw closer and closer to the college basketball season.  Today, Villanova learned their Big East home and away opponents for the upcoming season.  Also of note, Villanova will play West Virginia, Marquette, and Georgetown twice, both home and away. 

Without a doubt, Villanova has one of the toughest schedules in the Big East, and Andy Katz agrees with this assessment.  He says,

Already you can see Villanova will have the toughest slate in the Big East if the predictions hold up.

Additionally, Katz breaks down some of the early tournaments, such as the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, which Villanova will participate in.  Another ESPN writer, Pat Forde, ranked his most recent top ten rivalries.  Villanova-Pittsburgh comes in at #5 on Forde’s list.  Forde, on why the rivalry is hot now,

If you saw that memorable East Regional final last spring, you know why. Scottie Reynolds snatched away Pitt’s first Final Four in eons with a last-second drive, giving Nova a leg up in the Pennsylvania hoops hierarchy. It also gives the Wildcats a leg up in what many people believe will be the Big East rivalry of the next decade as Jay Wright and Jamie Dixon turn down other jobs and become even more entrenched. Nova could be the favorite to win the league this season, with Reynolds pulling out of the draft and returning to potentially haunt Pitt again. And even after losing the guts of a great team, you cannot discount the perennially competitive Panthers.

The rivalry will continue to heat up as the Wildcats have to travel to Pittsburgh this year to face the Panthers.  Pitt always plays well at home, as the atmosphere is always great for college basketball, but tough for road teams to play in.  We are curious to hear your thoughts on Villanova’s Big East opponents or the Villanova-Pitt rivalry.

As the NBA Draft rapidly approaches, prospects, especially projected 2nd-rounders, try to get in as many workouts as possible for various teams.  Recently, Dante Cunningham has worked out for the Charlotte Bobcats on June 12th, the Utah Jazz on June 15th, and he has a workout scheduled with the Portland Trailblazers today, June 17th.  After these workouts, the media caught up with Dante down in Charlotte and out west in Utah to discuss these sessions. 

ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi is back with an updated version of his notorious bracketology.   For what it’s worth, Lunardi projects Villanova as a #2 seed, but reading into March Madness projections on June 17th is way too premature to say the least. 

Pat Forde, of ESPN, also came out with his top ten teams for next season.  For Forde, Villanova ranks #2 behind the Kansas Jayhawks.  His take on the Cats:

When Scottie Reynolds re-upped, the Wildcats became Big East favorites and a national title threat. Reynolds returns to join three other key players from last season’s Final Four team, plus coach Jay Wright adds one of the nation’s best recruiting classes and Duke transfer Taylor King. Replacing Dante Cunningham’s points, rebounds and leadership will be the hard part.