These are the 10 questions surrounding Villanova basketball, men and women

The Villanova Wildcats are heading into a new basketball season with the usual optimism that flows at this time of year.

On the men’s side, a retooled roster via the transfer portal and four freshmen provide some hope that this group, with its balance of experience and youth, will push the program forward. For the women, coach Denise Dillon enters the season with a good deal of optimism, despite the loss of last year’s top scorer in Lucy Olsen, who left for Iowa in the wake of Caitlin Clark’s departure.

The Wildcats will get their seasons underway next week, with the men hosting Lafayette on Monday (8 p.m., FS1) and the women opening with Wake Forest on Nov. 10 (2 p.m.). But before all of that, here are a few key questions to ponder:

The Wildcats haven’t reached the NCAA Tournament since Kyle Neptune took over for Jay Wright. Neptune is 35-33 in two seasons. Villanova has too much invested in the program, and too much NIL support, for that trend to continue. Plus, a new athletic director is coming.

With Olsen gone to follow in Clark’s footsteps at Iowa, there’s no clear No. 1 scoring threat. Dillon believes she has enough scoring depth overall, but the leaders might not emerge right away.

There are three newcomers: Ryanne Allen from Vanderbilt, Lara Edmanson from Santa Clara, and Bronagh Power-Cassidy from Holy Cross. Power-Cassidy comes in off a strong 2023-24 season, with 16.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Maddie Webber made the Big East all-rookie team last season and is the top returning scorer on this year’s team.

Eric Dixon is back for his fifth season and will play a new position since Villanova brought in a transfer center Enoch Boakye. Dixon, who turns 24 in January, may need to carry the team at times. He is on the preseason watch list for the Naismith Award, so many believe he’s more than capable.

» READ MORE: Villanova’s last tune-up before the basketball opener raises a question: Who’s No. 2 behind Eric Dixon?

Dixon carrying Villanova is nothing new. He did that plenty in 2023-24. But if Villanova wants to make the NCAA Tournament, it will need someone to step into the No. 2 role and take some pressure off Dixon. Wooga Poplar? Jordan Longino?

The women’s City Series goes to the pod format the men started last year, and the culminating tripleheader is Dec. 6 at Finneran Pavilion. Will fans show up — on a Friday, to boot? If not, expect questions about moving it off the Main Line to the Palestra or another more central location next season.

Everyone knows about Paige Bueckers and UConn. Creighton also is in the Associated Press’ preseason women’s Top 25 at No. 21. Beyond that, a lot remains to be seen, and that could open the door for ’Nova to surpass its No. 6 ranking in the conference preseason poll.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats also are looking to be better than their No. 7 ranking in the Big East preseason poll behind teams like St. John’s (No. 5) and Providence (No. 6) and one spot ahead of Butler.

Villanova hasn’t looked the same mostly because the Wildcats haven’t had good enough point guard play. La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus will provide a boost in the playmaking department. But will his size (listed at 5-foot-11) translate to the physical Big East?

Villanova’s men were in a lot of games last year because of their elite defense. The Wildcats ranked 13th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rating. But they were 87th on offense. Will the additions of Poplar, Brickus, and others help flip the script?

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