Villanova basketball has not been its normal self. Two straight years of heading to the NIT and losing in the first round is different from what the program strives for or settles for.
The team is two years removed from the ‘Wright Era’ and there is no looking back.
With that, head coach Kyle Neptune has a make-or-break season in his sightline. His original contract was set up for three years. With two seasons stamped into the history books, Neptune has reached a crossroads. Make the tournament or everything hangs in the balance.
Villanova basketball has already improved and restructured their team this offseason. Eric Dixon is back. Three freshmen are on the way in. Someone has almost replaced all the portal transfers. That should be enough for fans on the Main Line to relax and enjoy what’s ahead, right? Nope.
There are three things Neptune and staff need to prioritize if they want to see the madness in March.
1. Win Big 5 matchups
While plenty of work needs to be done in the practice gym and film room, which can be said for any sports team, there is always room to improve.
In Villanova’s case, there is a very specific key to unlocking a spot on the coveted March Madness bracket. That key is winning the Big 5 (City 6) games.
The selection committee looks at various factors when adding teams to the tournament. Non-conference games are certainly one of those factors. Villanova is known for its dominant runs in the Big 5 tournament. For years it was more surprising when they lost compared to when they won.
That was not the case last season. In the three Big 5 games Villanova played, it did not win a single one. After Drexel joined the Big 5 for the first time there were officially six teams in the tournament. The Wildcats finished dead last in sixth.
If Villanova would have swept their Big 5 games, the Wildcats might have been a little closer to dancing in March as a bubble team.
If the team can win those winnable games, it is one less worry come crunch time in conference play.
2. Rebounding
Last season Villanova ranked 203rd in the country in rebounds per game. Their leading rebounder, Eric Dixon, ranked 201st in total rebounds (222).
The Wildcats are already working to fix that gap in their game. Dixon has returned and will play one last season. Recently Villanova signed Fresno State transfer Enoch Boakye. The center towers at 6’10 and 240 pounds. Boakye was right on par with Dixon and had 224 total rebounds last season and averaged 7.7 rebounds a game.
A healthy Nnana Njoku can also provide useful size in the paint. Njoku entered last season in his healthiest form. He shined in his limited minutes and proved to be a useful tool off the bench. That was until a knee surgery sidelined him for the rest season in late January.
The tools and weapons are there for Neptune and Villanova. All that is left is to put the pieces together and execute.
3. Three-point shooting
A recurring theme in every Villanova basketball loss last season was three-point shooting. Spectators, commentators, and media would watch on as Villanova pulled the three ball seemingly whenever and wherever they wanted to. The thing is, it was not working.
What makes that even worse is the team lost their sharpshooter Brendan Hausen in the transfer portal to Kansas State.
The Wildcats shot a combined 33.76% from the three-point line last season. That was only good enough to rank 192nd overall in the nation.
Last season, Villanova basketball shot 40.5% at the three-point line (199 for 491). In their losses, they only shot 30.1% from the three-point line (126 for 418).
It is clear that when the three start dropping it correlates to success for Villanova.
Max Shulga was a solid solution to that shooting issue, but he made a 180 and returned to VCU.
Neptune will have to find a replacement for what Shulga would have brought to the table and fix the shooting amongst the returning players.
If Villanova can win their Big 5 games, rebound and dominate their opponents physically, and shoot well from three, the Wildcats might be dancing their way to a March Madness run for the first time since 2022.
This isn’t an NCAA tournament team, in fact, it’s possible they were 9th or 10th in the BE prior to a couple of late transfers.