First things first so we don't have to mention it again. The officiating was terrible tonight, for both teams. There were multiple stretches where each team got a favorable whistle, and the officials robbed the fans of the game's two biggest impact players in Maalik Wayns and Chane Behanan. At one point, the ESPN crew mentioned that the officiating was good because each team was called for the same amount of fouls - 21. Seriously, that happened.

Back to the action. Villanova put together one of it's best first halves of the night, even with Wayns sitting for long stretches due to foul trouble. Villanova took a 44-39 lead into the halftime with a very balanced scoring attack that saw 6 players with at least 5 points, including James Bell who led 'Nova with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

After the break though, it was a different story after Wayns really put himself in foul trouble. More after The Jump.

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Villanova Wildcats		Louisville Cardinals
	vs.
(10-10, 3-5) | NR		(15-5, 3-4) | #25

Tonight is a real test of how much this Villanova team has turned it around. Louisville is one of the toughest places to play in the conference and although they've not been up to their preseason hype, they're still a very strong team, even with the injuries they've experienced.

See you all in the game thread tonight, I'm finally back in America!

Make it two in a row for the Villanova Wildcats, as they came from 10 points down to force overtime and then push through for the win, 79-76 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon.

Maalik Wayns made it three straight games with at least 25 points for 'Nova, finishing Saturday's contest with 28 points on a very nice 10-18 day from the field. It was Wayns who hit a jumper with 30 seconds left in the game to tie it and send it to overtime.

Villanova also got what's becoming a regularly scheduled solid performance from JayVaughn Pinkston in his New York City homecoming. The freshman scored 13 points and added 12 rebounds (5 offensive). Perhaps less likely, but an important cog in today's win was Dominic Cheek, who finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds.

James Bell made it two straight strong games with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals.

Villanova trailed by as much as 10 points in the second half before a late surge, aided by some not-so-great free throw shooting from the Johnnies, allowed them to get back into the game.

Cheek and Bell both hit huge 3-pointers in overtime as Villanova launched itself into the lead with an 8-1 run, but St. John's wouldn't go away and Villanova had to fend off a last second three point attempt to secure the win.

Villanova Wildcats		St. John's Red Storm
	vs.
(9-10, 2-5) | NR		(8-10, 2-5) | NR

Let's get 2 in a row! I'm currently in travel struggles trying to get back to NYC and am stuck in Los Angeles as snow is all over the east coast. May or may not be able to watch...