UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Villanova arrived here Monday night after a charter bus trip from campus as it sets sights on a 2020-21 season opener Wednesday night against former BIG EAST rival Boston College.
 
Monday brought another twist as the University of Rhode Island replaced Baylor in the 2K Empire Sports Classic event being held here at "Bubbleville" on the grounds of the Mohegan Sun resort. The revised pairings for Wednesday's opening night now find Arizona State vs. Rhode Island in a 7 p.m. contest with the No. 3 Wildcats clash with the Eagles pushed back to a 9:30 p.m. approximate tip time as the second game of the evening session.
 
Wednesday night's doubleheader will air on ESPN with Jon Sciambi and Jay Bilas on the call. The Villanova radio broadcast of the BC contest can be found on the new home of Wildcats' men's basketball, 95.7 Ben FM, with Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby describing the action.
 
For the Wildcats, this first road trip under the specter of the COVID-19 pandemic is very different than sojourns made to in-season events in previous years.
 
"Normally, we would have come up on Tuesday for the game Wednesday," noted head coach Jay Wright, who is about to begin his 20^th season as Villanova's head coach. "But we needed to be up here in time to get tested on Monday night and then were tested again Tuesday. We have a routine we like to stick to on the road, but you have to remain flexible because there are a lot of different things to account for.
 
"All of us as players and coaches are excited to play games. We're also a little anxious too. We just want to get out there."
 
Wednesday night's matchup renews an old rivalry that has been mostly dormant since the Eagles departed the BIG EAST for the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005. The two schools last met in the 2006 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in Minneapolis. That contest was a classic, won in overtime by the Wildcats' 60-59 when Will Sheridan was credited with the game-winning field goal off a baseline inbound feed from Kyle Lowry. An attempted shot block was ruled to have been goaltending.
 
Wright coached against the Eagles eight times early in his Villanova tenure as head coach (4-4).
 
"I have some great memories of the rivalry," Wright notes. "There were some battles even going back to my time as an assistant with Coach (Rollie) Massimino (1987-92)."
 
Villanova endured some injuries in the preseason. Senior guard Collin Gillespie and sophomore Justin Moore missed preseason time but have practiced regularly of late. Senior forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree (shin injury) and Bryan Antoine (right shoulder) are not expected to be in uniform in either of the scheduled matchups here.
 
"As coaches, we don't really know what to expect," stated Wright. "We missed all that time last summer, had a COVID pause in the fall and then some injuries when we returned. We haven't scrimmaged so it's hard to get a handle on where we are. I think Wednesday night will be educational. I just hope it's in a fun way."
 
Villanova will then face either Arizona State or Rhode Island on Thanksgiving night at either 7 or 9:30 p.m.