Villanova Basketball’s Jay Wright will face-off with former Big East coach Chris Holtmann
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The Wildcats will be on the road, but they’ve had a week to prepare.
By BrendanJReilly@BrendanReilly37 Nov 11, 2019, 6:30am ESTShare this on Facebook (opens in new window)
Happy Veterans Day Nova Nation! First off, a heart-felt thank you to all of our country’s service men and women. And a special thank you to those Villanova Alumni who have served or are serving. Words are not appreciation enough for the sacrifices you have all made, or continue to make on a daily basis. Sincerely, thank you for your service. And for anyone looking to engage more with veterans from a Villanova angle, I highly suggest giving our friends at Villanova Vets a follow on Twitter. And with that said, back to the far less important distraction of basketball.
This week marks the first two of four games Villanova has scheduled against teams from Ohio this season. First up is Ohio State, a team Villanova hasn’t been matched up with since 2003. The Wildcats are 1-1 all time against the Buckeyes, with both games being decided by a single point. But it’s not the schools or the players that are the central story line in this contest, it’s the coaches.
Chris Holtmann is now in his third season at Ohio State, but before that he spent three years at Butler as a member of the Big East. Holtmann took over just one year after the Big East realigned, a milestone that has also marked Villanova’s dominance in the conference. Jay Wright hasn’t just ruled over the Big East, but has won two National Championships during that time and is arguably one of the best coaches in the country. Don’t take my word for it, Chris Holtmann agrees.
But since that 2013-14 realignment season, Holtmann holds a very unique distinction. He’s the only coach that currently has an active winning streak against Jay Wright in the last seven years. Hotlman’s Butler Bulldogs defeated Wright’s Wildcats twice in the 2017 season, and then Holtman left for Ohio State before facing Villanova again. Only Creighton’s Greg McDermott (2014) and Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard (2014-15) have managed to beat Wright in consecutive games, but neither was able to do it a third time. On Wednesday, Holtmann will get the opportunity to be the first coach to accomplish that feat since Wright has been elevated into the conversation for the nation’s best coach.
I don’t love his chances.
In other “news”, Myles Powell suffers a serious ankle injury, Jay Wright reflects on Eric Paschall’s time at Villanova, and Villanova Football returns to its winning ways with a 4th quarter comeback. Enjoy!
Villanova vs The State of Ohio
Evidence of Talented Ohio State Team in Early Stages of Development Apparent in Blowout of UMass Lowell | Eleven Warriors
There'll be more to learn on Wednesday against Villanova, but even in a blowout win over UMass Lowell, the pieces of a talented and developing Ohio State team were readily apparent.
32
The Wildcats will be on the road, but they’ve had a week to prepare.
By BrendanJReilly@BrendanReilly37 Nov 11, 2019, 6:30am ESTShare this on Facebook (opens in new window)
Happy Veterans Day Nova Nation! First off, a heart-felt thank you to all of our country’s service men and women. And a special thank you to those Villanova Alumni who have served or are serving. Words are not appreciation enough for the sacrifices you have all made, or continue to make on a daily basis. Sincerely, thank you for your service. And for anyone looking to engage more with veterans from a Villanova angle, I highly suggest giving our friends at Villanova Vets a follow on Twitter. And with that said, back to the far less important distraction of basketball.
This week marks the first two of four games Villanova has scheduled against teams from Ohio this season. First up is Ohio State, a team Villanova hasn’t been matched up with since 2003. The Wildcats are 1-1 all time against the Buckeyes, with both games being decided by a single point. But it’s not the schools or the players that are the central story line in this contest, it’s the coaches.
Chris Holtmann is now in his third season at Ohio State, but before that he spent three years at Butler as a member of the Big East. Holtmann took over just one year after the Big East realigned, a milestone that has also marked Villanova’s dominance in the conference. Jay Wright hasn’t just ruled over the Big East, but has won two National Championships during that time and is arguably one of the best coaches in the country. Don’t take my word for it, Chris Holtmann agrees.
But since that 2013-14 realignment season, Holtmann holds a very unique distinction. He’s the only coach that currently has an active winning streak against Jay Wright in the last seven years. Hotlman’s Butler Bulldogs defeated Wright’s Wildcats twice in the 2017 season, and then Holtman left for Ohio State before facing Villanova again. Only Creighton’s Greg McDermott (2014) and Seton Hall’s Kevin Willard (2014-15) have managed to beat Wright in consecutive games, but neither was able to do it a third time. On Wednesday, Holtmann will get the opportunity to be the first coach to accomplish that feat since Wright has been elevated into the conversation for the nation’s best coach.
I don’t love his chances.
In other “news”, Myles Powell suffers a serious ankle injury, Jay Wright reflects on Eric Paschall’s time at Villanova, and Villanova Football returns to its winning ways with a 4th quarter comeback. Enjoy!
Villanova vs The State of Ohio
Evidence of Talented Ohio State Team in Early Stages of Development Apparent in Blowout of UMass Lowell | Eleven Warriors
There'll be more to learn on Wednesday against Villanova, but even in a blowout win over UMass Lowell, the pieces of a talented and developing Ohio State team were readily apparent.
