KING HELPS 'NOVA CONQUER 'HOLY WAR' TILT IN PALESTRA

Villanova contines their 'City Series' dominance as 'Nova Outlast St. Joseph's in Big 5 Rivalry (Philadelphia Daily News), 97-89.

St. Joseph's Hangs Around for 40 Minutes (Philly Daily News) but 'Nova Counters Each Hawk Punch (Patriot News) to earn the win at the Palestra on the UPenn campus in their annual 'Holy War' contest.

Most of the counter punching came from the shooting tough of Taylor King from beyond the arc. King hit four key three-pointers, each seemingly when the Hawks were trying to climb back into the game. Perfecting the pick and pop, King scored 20 points and added 9 rebounds off the bench. The Duke transfer has found a home in Jay Wright's attack with his understanding of how to pick his spots for his lethal jumper.

Scottie Reynolds led the Wildcats with 22 points and Antonio Pena scored 15. Junior Corey Fisher added 13 points and 6 assists in the win.

Next up for the Wildcats is another City Series game with Temple on Sunday afternoon.

Read more!

VILLANOVA FLEXES BACKCOURT MUSCLE IN WIN OVER TERPS

Villanova flexed their perimeter muscle playing at the Verizon Center on Sunday night against Maryland in the BB&T Classic. Deep-Shooting 'Nova Outlasts Maryland (Philadelphia Inquirer) by making 16 of 39 three-pointers in a 95-86 win over the Terps.

The Wildcats also were able to outrebound Maryland 45-33 and forced 19 turnovers. Senior Scottie Reynolds paced the offense scoring 25 points as Nova's Reynolds is Right at Home (DelCo Times) as Reynolds grew up roughly 25 miles from Washington in Herndon (VA).

Sophomore backcourt mate Corey Fisher contributed 20 points and four assists, was 4-for-6 beyond the arc and ignited an 8-0 run late in the game after Maryland (5-3) cut the deficit to 61-58 with 13 minutes, 33 seconds to go in the game.

Villanova Makes Quick Work of Maryland (Philly Daily News) racing out to a 49-38 halftime lead by making 11 three's in the game's first 20 minutes. Corey Stokes added 18 and Taylor King scored 13 in the win.

The Wildcats are back in action Wednesday against city rival St. Joe's.

Read more!

VILLANOVA ROUTS LOCAL RIVAL DREXEL

Villanova continues to plow forward, even with freshman center Mouphtau Yarou sidelined indefinitely with Hepatitis B and are 7-0 after beating Drexel last night 77-58. Villanova Rolls Over Drexel (Delco Times) behind 19 points and 11 rebounds from Antonio Pena and 16 from Taylor King off the bench. The 'Nova 'd' was impressive, too, as Villanova Stifles Drexel (Philadelphia Inquirer), holding the Dragons to 18 first half points and just 31 percent shooting from the field for the game.

Read more!

MOUPHTAU YAROU COULD MISS SEASON DUE TO ILLNESS

Villanova began the season as a Big East favorite and was widely expected to be a final four contender. With a mix of experienced guards and a nationally acclaimed recruiting class, Jay Wright's squad had a mix of established veterans and high potential newcomers. One player expected to play a huge role in the improvement of the team as they progressed from November into the Big East schedule and in their preparation for the post season was 6-foot-10, 250-lb freshman Mouphtau Yarou. However, Illness May Cost 'Nova's Yarou the Season (DelCo Times). The viral infection that sent him home from Puerto Rico during the Purto Rico Tip-off Tournament could force the center from Benin to miss the remainder of the season.

“Obviously, it’s very serious,” Wright told the DelCo Times by phone on Monday. “We know what it is, but we’re just not ready to say exact what it is until we have all the facts. We won’t be able to do that for a few days. We’re awaiting the final evaluation from the medical experts.”

Yarou will definitely not play when the third-ranked Wildcats (6-0) entertain Drexel (3-4) Wednesday night at the Pavilion, it will be the fifth straight game he has missed.

The loss of Yarou could mean more playing time for Maurice Sutton. The 6-11 redshirt freshman has been solid in the first six games. He has started three times is averaging 4.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and nearly two blocked shots a game.

Read more!