Good Morning, Nova Nation 3/9: Headed To The 'Ship!

'Cats Roll Past Seton Hall, Set To Take On #1 UConn In BIG EAST Title Game TONIGHT

March 09, 2026

The Official Newsletter of Villanova Athletics

Good Morning, Nova Nation. Free up your night, folks.

We’ve got plans to cheer on the ‘Cats TONIGHT!

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

🏀 We Going To The ‘Ship
👏 The Power Of Three
🥍 Raising The Bar
🔷 And much more!

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

🔼 We Going To The ‘Ship. The second-seeded Villanova women’s hoops squad started fast and never looked back, racing to a 62-48 win in the BIG EAST Tournament semifinals to set up a Monday night date with #1 UConn in the BIG EAST title game.

Brynn McCurry led three Wildcats in double-figures with 16 points, while Jasmine Bascoe added 15 on the night. Denae Carter was the third ‘Cat in double-digits with 11 points, along with a team-high seven rebounds.

Tonight’s title game against the Huskies is set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

🔼 Finishing Strong. The Villanova men’s hoops squad put together one of its strongest offensive performances of the year to wrap up the regular season, defeating Xavier, 91-78, on Senior Night.

Duke Brennan, one of the seniors honored, led the show with his 14th double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds. He also surpassed the 1,000-point mark in the victory.

🔼 The Power Of Three. Even before heading up to NYC for the BIG EAST Tournament, the Villanova men’s hoops team is already hauling in the hardware.

On Sunday, the league announced its yearly awards with a trio of Wildcats being recognized.

Freshman guard Acaden Lewis earned Second Team honors, while Duke Brennan and Tyler Perkins both earned spots on the Third Team.

🔼 Tourney Time. All the early morning workouts. All the late night film sessions. All the blood, sweat and tears were for moments like this.

This week, the third-seeded Villanova men’s hoops squad is set to take on the 2026 BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The ‘Cats earned a bye into Thursday’s quarterfinals, where they await the winner of sixth-seeded DePaul and 11th-seeded Georgetown. Tip time on Peacock is set for 9:30 p.m.

🔼 Raising The Bar. A record-breaking effort by junior Emma Verhoest led the way for the Villanova women’s lacrosse team to pick up its third straight victory, a 14-12 win at Vermont on Friday afternoon.

Verhoest broke her own school record, recording 19 draw controls to lead the ‘Cats in a hard-fought back-and-forth battle.

🔼 Winning Weekend. Opening up conference play with a series win is always good. Doing so on the road… even better!

The Villanova softball squad did just that, taking two of three in the Windy City from DePaul, including a Saturday extra inning win to seal the series victory for the ‘Cats.

🔼 California Dreamin’. The Villanova women’s water polo crew enjoyed its trip out west, picking up five wins in six matches during its trip to California, with the only loss coming at the hands of #3 USC.

The ‘Cats picked up victories over McKendree University (19-7), CSUN (11-10), Chapman University (26-5), Concordia University Irvine (12-6) and Fresno Pacific University (14-5).

🔼 Sunday Sweepin’. The Villanova men’s tennis team continued to defend its home turf, moving to 4-0 at home with a dominant 7-0 sweep of Coppin State on Sunday evening.

The ‘Cats controlled the match from start to finish, claiming the doubles point before rolling through singles play to secure the shutout victory.

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.

Monday, March 9th
🖼️ Brandywine Museum of Art: John Sloan’s Street Theater
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. #1 UCONN @ 7pm l Peacock
(BIG EAST Championship Game - Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville, Conn.)

Tuesday, March 10th
⛳️ Fore! The Planet Indoor Mini Golf at Linvilla Orchards
⚾️ Baseball vs. La Salle @ 3:35pm (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.)

Wednesday, March 11th
🤔 Trivia Night at 2SP
🥎 Softball at Monmouth @ 3pm
🤽 Water Polo at La Salle @ 6:30pm (Pomona, Calif.)

Thursday, March 12th
📚 Brandywine Museum of Art: Children’s Read-Aloud Program
🎾 Men’s Tennis vs. Creighton @ 2:30pm (Queens, N.Y.)
🏀 Men’s Basketball at BIG EAST Quarterfinals @ 9:30pm l Peacock
⛳️ Men’s Golf at People’s Championship (St. Simon’s Island, Ga.)

Friday, March 13th
🎶 Live Music at WaR3house 3
🥎 Softball vs. Butler @ 3:30pm
⚾️ Baseball at Charleston Southern @ 6pm
🏀 Men’s Basketball at BIG EAST Semifinals @ 8pm l Peacock (with quarterfinal win)
👟 Track & Field at NCAA Indoor Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
⛳️ Men’s Golf at People’s Championship (St. Simon’s Island, Ga.)

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Have a great one, Nova Nation!