Good Morning, Nova Nation 1/23: Second Helpings

'Cats Use Second Half Surge To Claw Past Georgetown

January 23, 2026

The Official Newsletter of Villanova Athletics

Good Morning, Nova Nation. You know the best part? He’s only a freshman!

What all do we have in today’s edition? Check it out below!

🏀 Second Helpings
🖥️ For Your Viewing Pleasure
🏈 Hardware Haul
🔷 And much more!

Tommy’s Tavern + Tap is proud to be an Official Partner of Villanova Athletics!

🔼 Second Helpings. Not how you start, it’s how you finish.

The Villanova men’s basketball team used a 16-1 burst to open the second half to break open a tight battle on their way to a 66-51 win over Georgetown in BIG EAST action Wednesday night.

Tyler Perkins led the Wildcats with 16 points while Acaden Lewis added 15 points and a season-high seven rebounds.

Eight home wins equals Eight-Thousand Dollars for Bringing Hope Home. United Healthcare will continue to donate One-Thousand-Dollars to Bringing Hope Home for every home win this season! The more we win, the more Bringing Hope Home wins thanks to the generosity of United Healthcare. United Healthcare is a proud partner of Villanova Athletics.

🔼 For Your Viewing Pleasure. With the current weekend forecast, you’re going to need something to watch. We’ve got you covered.

Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota returns TONIGHT for Episode 7 featuring a sit-down interview with sophomore guard Malachi Palmer, a behind-the-scenes spotlight on Nova’s phenomenal in-arena host James Jackson, and more!

Episode #7
Friday, January 23 – 7:30pm on NBC Sports Philly
Friday, January 23 – 8:00pm on NBC Sports Philly+
Saturday, January 24 – 4:00pm on NBC Sports Philly
Sunday, January 25 – 9:00am on NBC Sports Philly
Monday January 26 – 6:00pm on NBC Sports Philly+

🔼 Hardware Haul. This week at the annual Philadelphia Sportswriters Banquet, the Villanova University football team was honored as the Philadelphia Area Team of the Year.

The Wildcats are coming off a season where they tallied a 12-3 overall record and a 7-1 CAA mark. Villanova earned playoff wins over Harvard, Lehigh and Tarleton State, before falling to Illinois State in the national semifinals.

🔼 Preseason Praise. Coming off its first appearance in the BIG EAST title game, Villanova women's lacrosse was picked to finish second in the 2026 BIG EAST Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference Tuesday afternoon.

Four Wildcats were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, led by unanimous selections Rose Christie, Elena Torres and Emma Verhoest. Leslie Iorio rounded out the group.

🔼 Making Waves. With five individual victories in wins over Richmond and James Madison, sophomore swimming standout Alana Leen was named BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week.

🔼 Class Acts. It was a record-setting semester for Villanova Athletics in Fall 2025 as the grade point average for 585 student-athletes from 24 varsity sports was a new high of 3.546.

🔼 Super Spirit. Last week, the Villanova Wildcats Spirit Squad showcased their talent at the 2026 UCA & UDA College Cheerleading & Dance Team National Championships, held at the Walt Disney Resort. The weekend was highlighted by the Wildcats Dance team earning a ninth-place finish in the Jazz Routine category and a sixth-place finish in the Game Day Routine category.   

What’s Ahead is brought to you by our friends at Visit Delco, the #1 source for information on all there is to see and do in Delaware County, PA. Find fantastic places to stay, incredible food and drink, and music and art—and you may even find a few surprises.

Friday, January 23
🎶 Live Entertainment at Streetlight Kitchen & Bar
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. Salem @ 2pm
🏊 Men’s Swimming & Diving at Pittsburgh @ 4:30pm
🖥️ Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota @ 7:30pm (NBC Sports Philly)
🖥️ Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota @ 8pm (NBC Sports Philly+)

Saturday, January 24
⛸️ Glice Skating at Linvilla Orchards
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. TBD @ 10:45am (Providence, R.I.)
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. Sacred Heart @ 11am (West Point, N.Y.)
🏊 Men’s Swimming & Diving at West Virginia @ 11am
🏀 Men’s Basketball at UConn @ 12:30pm l Fox
🏀 Women’s Basketball at St. John’s @ 2pm
🖥️ Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota @ 4pm (NBC Sports Philly)
🎾 Women’s Tennis at Army @ 5pm
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. TBD @ 5pm (Providence, R.I.)
👟 Track & Field at Penn Elite Invitational

Sunday, January 25
🍷 Wine & Cheese Pairing at Penn Woods Winery
🖥️ Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota @ 9am (NBC Sports Philly)

Monday, January 26
⛳️ Fore! The Planet Indoor Mini Golf at Linvilla Orchards
🖥️ Inside Villanova Basketball presented by Toyota @ 6pm (NBC Sports Philly+)

Tuesday, January 27
🎨 The Lunar Project at Main Line Art Center
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. Providence @ 7pm l Tickets

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Have a great one, Nova Nation!