Three reasons for optimism, pessimism as Villanova begins its 2024-25 season
Here's why 'Nova fans should feel optimistic, and pessimistic, as the Wildcats open their 2024-25 men's basketball season.
Two seasons down, two trips to the NIT — with consecutive first-round exits — for Villanova men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after taking over the program from Jay Wright.
Third time’s the charm?
That’s the hope on the Main Line after the Wildcats retooled their roster in the transfer portal. Neptune thinks this is the best team he’s had yet, but it’s all hypothetical until the games are played.
That starts Monday, when Villanova opens its 2024-25 season at home vs. Lafayette (8 p.m., FS1).
Here are three reasons for optimism, and three reasons for pessimism.
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Why you should be optimistic
1. Dixon is back, and may be better than ever.
Eric Dixon is back on campus for his sixth year at Villanova and fifth as an active player. He had a great summer of workouts, tested the NBA waters, and has made improvements to his game. More importantly, Villanova brought in a traditional center, Enoch Boakye (Fresno State), who will allow Dixon to play a more natural position for him at power forward. We’ve already seen in scrimmages and an exhibition game how different that looks, as Dixon, a plus-shooter, has taken plenty of three-pointers — some of the catch-and-shoot variety — and is getting the ball in different spots.
He’s obviously Villanova’s best player and has the potential to be Big East player of the year. Like last year, the Wildcats will be in a lot of games strictly because of his skills.
2. There’s a cast of potential X factors.
Maybe Dixon would have had a good running mate in Justin Moore last season if Moore wasn’t consistently banged up. But he was, and Villanova didn’t have many reliable second options on most nights.
This time around there are a handful of potential secondary scoring options. Miami transfer Wooga Poplar is an NBA prospect who shoots well from deep. La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus is the first real point guard Neptune has had, and should immediately make Villanova’s pick-and-roll game more effective. Jordan Longino is finally healthy and looks like he’ll be a key contributor. Penn transfer Tyler Perkins looks like a do-it-all guard Villanova can use in different situations.
3. The vibes are generally good.
Eight months after what looked like rock bottom, things might actually be looking up for Villanova and Neptune. A pretty successful transfer portal haul — even considering the Max Shulga fiasco — combined with a 2024 recruiting class that 247Sports ranked 24th nationally has the positive vibes moving in Wildcat world. Neptune also recently got a commitment from top-50 2025 prospect Dante Allen for next year. Now, the Wildcats just need to win some games.
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Why you should be pessimistic
1. Dixon is back, and he’s still Villanova’s best player.
We’ve seen this movie before. Dixon, who will serve a one-game suspension to start the season, has been Villanova’s best player for the last two seasons and we know how they ended. Maybe that’s unfair to Dixon, who is, again, an all-league player, but the proof is in the pudding as they say. Perhaps the secondary options above make the difference, but they’re going to need to show it before anyone really believes it.
2. The climb up the Big East ladder is challenging.
Villanova was picked seventh in a preseason poll of Big East coaches. Look, no one knows anything about anyone’s teams until the games start and the film is out there, but the other 10 coaches in the conference suspect there are six better teams than Villanova.
Remember, only three Big East teams made the NCAA Tournament last season. Maybe that was an anomaly, but other teams got better, too.
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3. Neptune may be coaching for his job.
Villanova is searching for its next athletic director, and athletic directors sometimes like to make their own hires. Bad news for Neptune? Maybe. Regardless, the pressure is on. The Wildcats have too many resources (NIL and the like) to consistently miss NCAA Tournaments, and Neptune knows he needs to guide this team to the field of 68. Maybe he thrives under pressure, but it’s certainly not a comfortable spot to be in as a season tips off.