The Villanova basketball schedule is rapidly changing every day. The team is still at Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, abiding by the bubble rules and staying as healthy as possible.
Some of the Wildcats’ opponents cannot say the same.
There have been numerous changes already to Villanova’s schedule including games against fellow local Philadelphia area schools Temple and Saint Joseph’s. Two additional teams stepped up to give the Wildcats some competition.
Here is a more in-depth look into the recent schedule changes for Villanova basketball.
Temple Game: Postponed
The Temple Owls are having issues with COVID-19. Temple’s basketball program is temporarily shut down because of an outbreak within the players, coaches and staff. Villanova was scheduled to play a home game against Temple on Dec. 3. With that said, a decision was made to cancel the game, leaving Villanova without an opponent to play.
But Villanova wasn’t the only team that was down a game due to Temple’s outbreak.
So, what do two teams who are down a game do?
The teams play against one another to make up for the Temple game.
Virginia Tech game added
Virginia Tech ended up being the team that needed a game to play. So, the then-ranked No. 3 Villanova Wildcats played the then-ranked No. 18 Virginia Tech Hokies. The game happened on Saturday at Mohegan Sun in “Bubbleville.”
The game was a great addition to Villanova’s schedule, especially playing a ranked team early in the season. But, the result was a different story.
It was back and forth the entire game until Villanova pulled away to a 12-point lead. The Wildcats ended up blowing the large lead as the Hokies battled back, and the game went into overtime. Virginia Tech won the game, which resulted in the Wildcats’ first loss of the season and its ranking to drop to No. 12.
St. Joseph’s postponed
The Wildcats were also supposed to play Saint Joseph’s at its home court Finner Pavillion on Wednesday, Dec. 2, one day before the then-scheduled Temple game. We know Temple was canceled due to COVID-19, right?
Well, so was the Saint Joseph’s game.
St. Joe’s announced that the players, coaches and staff members of the basketball team have to quarantine due to positive COVID-19 tests. The positive tests put all basketball activities on hold for the next 14 days.
With all that said, Villanova was yet again without a team to play. Luckily the Wildcats are still in the Mohegan Sun’s bubble, so the local Hartford Hawks decided to challenge head coach Jay Wright and his team.
Hartford Game: Addition
The Hartford game is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1 at Mohegan Sun. The evening game marks Villanova’s fourth game of the season and only the second time these two teams have faced each other.
It is hard to know exactly how this game will go for numerous reasons. The Hawks only played one game this season, so the scouting report is not dense or very detailed. Also, as I said before, this is only the second run these teams will have together, so there are many unfamiliarities.
With all that said, I am confident the Wildcats will pull off the win, and to be honest, I am just happy there is a game to be watched.
