As expected after Michigan State’s loss to Florida on Friday, Your Villanova Wildcats have climbed to No. 3 in the country in both the Associated Press (media) and ESPN/USA Today (coaches) polls. The 6-0 ‘Cats host Drexel on Wednesday and play Maryland on Sunday night down in Washington, D.C.

And if you’re into some additional reading, Terry Toohey of the Delaware County Daily Times did a feature that was published Saturday on Antonio Pena and the terrific start he’s had this season. To no one’s surprise, Pena had learned a lot last year from Dante Cunningham. If he continues to play well in the post, ‘Nova can live up to its lofty ranking. That said, we do think the 51-34 rebounding disparity against La Salle on Saturday is a bit of a cause for concern. And the Explorers’ length seemed to give the Wildcats a lot of trouble, especially with their 3-2 zone in the first half. But we’ll see.

Also, Dick “Hoops” Weiss of the New York Daily News wrote a piece published Sunday that discusses how coach Jay Wright has turned Villanova into an elite program. There’s even the revelation that Wright wanted to redshirt freshman Isaiah Armwood this season because of the ‘Cats’ talent glut, only to be rebuffed by Armwood’s father. And Corey Fisher talks about how excited he was watching ‘Nova’s four-guard lineup back in 2006, which pretty much convinced Fisher he wanted to play on the Main Line. The entire piece, which includes some interesting ‘Nova basketball history, can be read here.

Links: Top 25s for Week of Nov. 30 [ESPN.com]
Pena coming up big for ‘Nova [Delco Times]
Hoops Weiss on Jay Wright and Wright’s successes [New York Daily News]