Three reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic

Two seasons down, two trips to the NIT — back-to-back first-round eliminations — Villanova men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after taking over the program from Jay Wright.

Third time’s the charm?

That’s the hope Outline After the Wildcats reshuffled their roster in the transfer portal. Neptune thinks this is the best team he’s ever had, but until the games are played, this is all just conjecture.

That starts Monday, when Villanova opens the 2024-25 season at home against Lafayette (8 p.m., FS1).

Here are three reasons for optimism and three reasons for pessimism.

Why should you be optimistic?

1. Dixon is back and might be better than ever.

Eric Dixon returns to campus for his sixth year at Villanova and fifth year as an active player. He had a great summer training, tested the NBA waters and made improvements to his game. More importantly, Villanova brought in traditional center Enoch Boakye (Fresno State), which allowed Dixon to play a more natural position for him at power forward. We have already seen how different this looks in scrimmages and exhibition matches; Because Dixon, a plus-shooter, has made a lot of three-pointers — some in a catch-and-shoot style — and gets the ball from different spots. .

He is clearly Villanova’s best player and has the potential to be the Big East player of the year. Like last year, the Wildcats will be in many games thanks to his skills.

2. There are a number of potential X-factors.

Maybe if Moore hadn’t been constantly injured, Dixon would have had a good running mate in Justin Moore last season. But it was, and Villanova didn’t have many reliable second options on most nights.

There are a handful of potential secondary scoring options this time around. Miami transfer Wooga Poplar is an NBA prospect who shoots well from deep. La Salle transfer Jhamir Brickus is the first true point guard the Neptune has and needs to make Villanova’s pick-and-roll game more effective immediately. Jordan Longino is finally healthy and looks like he will be a significant contributor. Penn transfer Tyler Perkins looks like a do-it-all guard that Villanova could use in different situations.

3. The environment is generally good.

eight months after hitting rock bottomIn fact, things may be going well for Villanova and Neptune. A hugely successful transfer portal move – even Max Shulga debacle — combined with 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting class ranked No. 24 nationally, positive vibes are moving in the Wildcat world. Neptune too soon Commitment received from 2025 top 50 prospect Dante Allen for next year. Now the Wildcats just need to win a few games.

Why should you be pessimistic?

1. Dixon is back and still Villanova’s best player.

We’ve seen this movie before. Dixon, who will receive a one-match suspension Coming into the season, he was Villanova’s best player the last two seasons, and we know how it ended. Maybe that’s unfair to Dixon, who is also an all-league player, but as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Maybe the secondary options above could make a difference, but they’ll need to show it before anyone will really believe it.

2. Climbing the Big East ladder is challenging.

Villanova was picked seventh in the Big East coaches’ preseason poll. Look, no one knows anything about anyone’s team until the games start and the movie comes out, but the other 10 coaches in the conference suspect there are six better teams than Villanova.

Remember, only three Big East teams have won the championship NCAA Tournament Last season. Maybe this was an anomaly, but other teams got better, too.

3. Neptune may be coaching for his job.

Villanova is searching for its next athletic director, and athletic directors sometimes choose to do their own hiring. Bad news for Neptune? Maybe. No matter what, the pressure continues. The Wildcats have too many resources (NIL and such) to consistently miss the NCAA Tournaments, and Neptune knows he needs to lead this team into the field of 68. Maybe he thrives under pressure, but this is definitely not a comfortable place to be. A season begins.