It is a new era on the Main Line. Kevin Willard is starting his year at the helm of Villanova basketball. The Wildcats are returning only two players from last season.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Villanova basketball.
Villanova basketball has not made the NCAA Tournament in the last three years. Because of that, former head coach Kyle Neptune was dismissed in March after the Big East Tournament ended in a loss to the University of Connecticut in the second round. Now Willard has been brought in to bring the program back to its winning ways.
The Wildcats have 13 new players on the roster. It’s a complete rebrand on the Main Line.
Villanova losing Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer last season, this offseason, is the biggest loss it has had in recent years. Dixon, an AP All-American, averaged 23.3 points to lead the Wildcats in scoring. It will be tough to replace a player with the physicality and skillset Dixon had, but Willard is attempting to craft a solution.
Coming off a Sweet 16 run with Maryland, Willard has brought in a mix of young and veteran talent to try to make a statement in the Big East this upcoming season.
The biggest recruit Villanova pulled in was four-star guard Acaden Lewis. The freshman was originally committed to Kentucky but decommitted and joined the Wildcats in April. He was a star in high school at Sidwell Friends in Washington, D.C., the alma mater of former Wildcats Josh Hart and Sadiq Bey.
It will be the first season Villanova has two players listed at seven feet or taller since the 1991-92 season. Redshirt sophomore transfer Braden Pierce, 7-0, will most likely see time off the bench, while freshman forward Nico Onyekwere, 7-1, might not see much time in his first season.
Willard takes pride in saying this Wildcat team has a lot of depth. He has stated that he plans to rotate up to 12 players if he can. With a moderately difficult non-conference schedule, starting with BYU, it will be a litmus test to see how Villanova will handle Big East play come December.
Head coach: Kevin Willard (1st season at Villanova, 19th season overall))
2024-25 record: 21-15 (11-9)
2025 postseason finish: College Basketball Crown Semifinals (104-98 OT loss to UCF)
Notable departures:
- Eric Dixon (23.3 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 40.7 3P%)
- Wooga Poplar (15.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, 38.7 3P%)
- Jordan Longino (11.1 PPG, 2.4 APG, 2.4 RPG, 1.0 SPG)
- Jhamir Brickus (9.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 1.9 RPG, 47.3 3P%)
- Enoch Boayke (4.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 65.9 FG%)
- (only returning two Wildcats)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. BYU (Nov. 3) – Hall of Fame Series
- at La Salle (Nov. 19)
- vs. Temple (Dec. 1)
- Big Five Classic (Dec. 6)
- at Michigan (Dec. 9)
- vs. Pitt (Dec. 13)
- at Wisconsin (Dec. 19) – Milwaukee Showdown
Projected Rotation
PG: Acaden Lewis (6-2, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #33 ranked recruit
SG: Tyler Perkins (6-4, 212, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 6.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.4 SPG
SF: Zion Stanford (6-6, 205, Jr.)
2024-25 Stats: 13.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 52 FG% (Temple)
PF: Matthew Hodge (6-8, 220, R-Fr.)
2024-25 stats: 13.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 55.2 FG% (Indiana)
C: Duke Brennan (6-10, 250, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.4 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 52% FG (Grand Canyon)
6: Tafara Gapare (6-9, 215, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 2.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 9.2 MPG (Missouri)
7: Bryce Lindsay (6-3, 194, Rr-So.)
2024-25 Stats: 13.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.2 APG, 40.8% 3FG (James Madison)
8: Chris Jeffery (6-3, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #172 ranked recruit
9: Braden Pierce (7-0, 245, R-So.)
2024-25 Stats: 2.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, 5 GP, 7.2 MPG (Maryland)
10: Malachi Palmer (6-6, 215, So.)
2024-25 Stats: 1.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 8.4 MPG (Maryland)
11: Devin Askew (6-5, 195, Gr.) – Out Indefinitely With Knee Sprain
2024-25 Stats: 18.9 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 37.6% 3FG (Long Beach State)
Villanova basketball team MVP: Acaden Lewis
With Askew out indefinitely due to a knee sprain, the keys have been handed to the freshman, Lewis.
Lewis, the four-star guard, decommitted from Kentucky to join Willard and the Wildcats this offseason. He also took visits to Saint John’s, Georgia, and Miami.
It is rare to see a freshman lead a team as the primary ballhandler in this era of college basketball, but Lewis has the talent and mindset to make an impact early in his collegiate career. He was the fifth-best point guard in the class of 2025 and No. 35 overall, according to 247Sports.
During his junior year of high school at Sidwell Friends, he was named Gatorade Player of the Year for the District of Columbia.
His impact needs to be felt immediately for Villanova, which is looking to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.
Villanova basketball make-or-break player: Tafare Gapare
There is limited game film on Gapare after averaging only 10 minutes a game off the bench at Maryland last season.
However, Gapare has shown glimpses of his athletic ability at Villanova’s open practice in July, as well as in the dunk contest at the 2025-26 kickoff event at the beginning of September. Gapare, a senior, has a great vertical game and could become a key for Villanova’s defense.
The Wildcats have struggled with second-chance opportunities and rebounds in general the last few seasons.
Gapare will likely start on the bench, but if he can have a breakout season, the Wildcats might be one season closer to getting a troubled program back to its winning ways.
Key analytic: Youth
Willard has completely revamped the Wildcats’ roster this offseason. Even the coaching staff is entirely new, except for assistant Ashley Howard. Notably, he only brought in one graduate transfer and three seniors.
Eight of the transfers or freshman recruits have multiple years of eligibility remaining. Most likely, two players – Lewis and Hodge – will start for Villanova with three years of eligibility left after this season.
Willard has stressed that it has been a goal to retain players for multiple years and develop them during this era of collegiate basketball. It could turn out to be a good thing, or inexperience could hurt the Wildcats this season.
Villanova basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 5th in the Big East
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 exit