Villanova to open its nonconference schedule with three home games before Big 5 Classic

The Villanova men’s basketball team will have three games before its Nov. 12 showdown with Big 5 rival St. Joseph’s, a sentence that normally would be benign in any other season.

But if star forward Eric Dixon is indeed suspended for three games, like players who previously participated in the nonsanctioned pre-NBA draft Portsmouth Invitational only to return to school, Villanova would have its best player back to face a talented St. Joe’s team to kick off the Big 5 Classic.

The Wildcats on Friday announced their 2024-25 nonconference schedule. They open the season with three home games: Nov. 4 vs. Lafayette, Nov. 6 vs. Columbia, and Nov. 8 vs. NJIT.

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Villanova hasn’t opened a season with three games in five days in a nontournament setting in at least the last 25 years. It’s hard to believe the scheduling wasn’t intentional in an effort to get Dixon on the court for what is one of Villanova’s most competitive nonconference games of the season.

Villanova coach Kyle Neptune told The Inquirer in June that the school plans to appeal a suspension, should one be handed down. The NCAA has not announced a punishment. Previous suspensions for Portsmouth participants were announced in October in prior years.

The St. Joe’s game, which will be played at Hagan Arena, is one of the marquee games on a relatively light nonconference schedule by Villanova standards. The Hawks are expected to contend for an Atlantic 10 title and beat Villanova at Finneran Pavilion last season.

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Villanova also has power-conference games against Virginia (Nov. 15 in Baltimore), Maryland (Nov. 24 in Newark, N.J.), and Cincinnati (Dec. 3 at home).

The Wildcats retooled their roster in the offseason via the transfer portal and the 2024 high school recruiting class. They haven’t made the NCAA Tournament in each of Neptune’s first two seasons, missing out on March’s fun two years in a row for the first time since 2004.

With Dixon back after testing the NBA draft waters, and talented transfers like Wooga Poplar (Miami) and Jhamir Brickus (La Salle) around, the Wildcats hope they’re turning the corner.

Here is the full nonconference schedule: