LAS VEGAS — If there was any doubt surrounding why Villanova energy ahead Eric Dixon, a graduate scholar and the reported beneficiary of a number of profitable NIL offers over the course of his profession, wished to proceed enjoying after the Wildcats missed the NCAA Event for a 3rd straight season — which prompted the college to fireplace embattled head coach Kyle Neptune — the reply turned clear throughout the first eight seconds of Tuesday’s opening-round sport on the Faculty Basketball Crown. It was on the primary possession, after only one cross from level guard Jhamir Brickus, that Dixon launched a 3-pointer from the highest of the important thing in a transparent signal of intent. He entered the night needing 9 factors to interrupt this system’s all-time scoring mark held by Kerry Kittles, a two-time consensus All-American within the mid-Nineteen Nineties, and Dixon wasted no time embarking on his pursuit of the file in what may have been the ultimate sport of his profession.
That Dixon missed the preliminary try did little to dissuade his quest for historical past. He drilled a troublesome fadeaway from the left baseline with 15:11 remaining to notch the primary bucket on his scoring ledger and buried a triple on the following possession. By the 9:48 mark, at which level Dixon related on one other 3-pointer that prolonged the Wildcats’ result in 13, there was now not a single identify atop the varsity’s scoring record. And when Dixon dribbled from proper to left throughout the lane a couple of minutes later, pump faking his defender to create some area, he swished a brief jumper that pushed his level complete to 2,244 — essentially the most in Villanova historical past. Dixon’s teammates stood and cheered alongside the bench whereas a jersey-wearing fan filmed the scene on his cellphone from the premium courtside seats.
“I attempted to not pay a lot consideration to it,” Dixon mentioned with a sheepish smile. “I believe I heard just a little little bit of response within the crowd. However for me, simply going on the market and being with this group, being on the market and having enjoyable, seeing [my teammates] smiling, that is why we’re out right here to play. We’re out right here to play collectively, to win and revel in it. It was a pleasant little second, however I am making an attempt to maintain the principle factor the principle factor.”
In his one hundred and sixtieth look for the Wildcats — which is 38 extra video games than Kittles performed — Dixon completed with 22 factors on 8-for-13 capturing in a sport that was by no means shut. Villanova’s lead stretched to twenty with 2:40 remaining within the opening half as Dixon and teammate Wooga Poplar (team-high 24 factors) almost outscored Colorado by themselves on the break. The Wildcats cruised to an 85-64 victory that extends their season for at the least two extra days underneath interim coach Mike Nardi, who coached alongside each Neptune and Jay Wright after starring for Villanova as a participant, earlier than a quarterfinal matchup with USC on Thursday night time right here at MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment.
However the actuality surrounding Villanova this week is that no matter occurs in Las Vegas will at all times be overshadowed by the varsity’s determination to rent Maryland head coach Kevin Willard because the everlasting successor to Neptune, whose last file of 54-47 total and 31-29 within the Huge East was deemed unacceptable when the Wildcats failed to succeed in the NCAA Event but once more, even with this system’s enviable NIL sources and a roster housing multiple future professional. Neptune’s standing because the handpicked successor to Wright, who gained two nationwide titles and made a quartet of Closing 4 appearances, may solely shield him for thus lengthy as soon as he proved incapable of replicating something near that stage of success. Villanova fired Neptune on March 15, two days after the Wildcats fell to UConn within the second spherical of the Huge East Event.
A training search carried out by athletic director Eric Roedl lasted two weeks earlier than Villanova landed on Willard, who spent three seasons at Maryland and guided the Terrapins to the Candy 16 on this yr’s NCAA Event, in the end shedding to Florida. Information of the Wildcats’ determination to rent Willard broke three days later, although hypothesis about his future had dominated the school basketball panorama for many of Maryland’s run by means of the Huge Dance as soon as he started expressing frustration with the varsity’s monetary dedication to his program. Willard, 49, is right here in Las Vegas to spend time with Villanova’s gamers and employees throughout the Faculty Basketball Crown and made a quick tv look by way of Zoom on Tuesday night time from his lodge room.
“When the job got here open,” Willard advised studio host Rob Stone on FS1, “it is actually simply a kind of jobs which you could’t cross up as a result of it is among the finest basketball jobs within the nation. To be again within the Huge East, to be a part of this household and tradition, it is simply such an honor.
“The type of play is certainly going to vary. What’s not going to vary is that this nice tradition and this brotherhood that Jay [Wright] has created. I believe it is the most effective tradition in all of faculty basketball. I am not going to vary the Villanova manner in any respect.”
However what Willard should change is the gamers — and plenty of them. The beginning 5 Nardi chosen on Tuesday night time featured two graduate college students in Dixon and Brickus, alongside three seniors in Poplar, heart Enoch Boakye and small ahead Jordan Longino. All of them might be out of eligibility when the Wildcats’ season ends later this week, be that within the quarterfinals of this match or past. The one highschool participant dedicated to Villanova for the 2025 recruiting cycle was four-star small ahead Dante Allen, the No. 64 total prospect within the 247Sports Composite, however he backed away from his pledge every week after Neptune was fired.
Willard’s deep ties to each the convention and the northeast area ought to help in his efforts to retool the roster. A local of Lengthy Island, Willard spent a part of his enjoying profession at Pittsburgh from 1994-97, which uncovered him to the Huge East at a time when his father, Ralph Willard, was main this system. He later labored at Louisville underneath Corridor-of-Fame coach Rick Pitino and ultimately turned a head coach himself at Iona (2007-10) and Seton Corridor (2010-22) earlier than taking up the Terrapins. Willard guided Seton Corridor to 4 consecutive NCAA Tournaments at one level and introduced the Pirates to the Huge Dance 5 occasions total, although it wasn’t till this season at Maryland when he superior past the opening weekend for the primary time, a perpetual knock on his credentials.
Now, Willard’s major objective at Villanova might be to keep away from this system’s first four-year NCAA Event drought because the early 2000s, when the Wildcats transitioned from former coach Steve Lappas to Wright.
“I believe Kevin is a terrific coach,” mentioned DePaul head coach Chris Holtmann, whose crew additionally participated within the Faculty Basketball Crown this week, throughout an interview with FOX Sports activities. “We have had lots of battles over time between Huge Ten and Huge East. I believe he’ll do a extremely good job.
“I’d count on Villanova to most likely — sooner slightly than later — get proper again to the place they had been [under Jay Wright] after they had been a perennial crew that superior within the match.”
And within the meantime, as Willard acclimates himself to a brand new set of challenges behind the scenes right here in Las Vegas, the Wildcats’ pursuit of a postseason title will proceed as Dixon’s scoring complete rises.
Michael Cohen covers school soccer and school basketball for FOX Sports activities. Observe him on Twitter @Michael_Cohen13.
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