2025-26 Villanova Men's Basketball Preview

Photo Credit: Villanova Social Media

Finally, we are back for another exciting season of college basketball. For those of you who aren’t familiar with my work, I spend most of my year covering the Philadelphia Union of MLS. However, from 2020-2022, I focused primarily on college basketball betting. Life and responsibilities got in the way after 2022, and although I couldn’t dedicate my time to betting hoops, I kept a close eye on the Big East. I plan on monitoring the Big East again this season, but I would like to specifically focus on Villanova and Kevin Willard. So, without further ado, let’s dive into the 2025-2026 Villanova Wildcats!

No More Neptune

Jay Wright’s legacy at Villanova speaks for itself. He took a solid program and turned it into a powerhouse during his 20-year run as head coach. Coach Wright won multiple Big East titles, made 16 NCAA tournament appearances with four Final Fours, and won two National Titles in three seasons. By the end of Jay’s run as coach, Villanova had entered the “blue-blood” conversation. Coach Wright stepped down after the 2022 season, and Kyle Neptune, a former assistant under Wright, took over as head coach.

Neptune left the Fordham Rams after an 8-10 record in the A-10, and he hoped to pick up where Jay left off. Unfortunately, Neptune’s tenure couldn’t end soon enough for Villanova fans. Despite earning a share of the Big 5 title in 2022-23, and winning the Battle 4 Atlantis in 2023-24, there were far more disappointments than successes. Last year, Neptune’s squad lost to Columbia, while the year before they were beaten by Penn, St. Joes, and Drexel (losses that would seemingly never happen under Wright). Kyle was let go after a 31-27 record during his three-year tenure, with zero appearances in the NCAA tournament.

It’s tough for any coach to replace a Hall of Famer, and the bar that Jay Wright set is very high. Nova fans expect a tournament appearance each season, and anything less than that is no longer acceptable.

Welcome Kevin Willard

Coach Kevin Willard was selected to replace Kyle Neptune after the 2024-25 season, and he’s shared a similar path as St. John’s coach, Rick Pitino. Kevin started his coaching career as Pitino’s assistant with the Boston Celtics before making stops at Louisville, Iona, Seton Hall, and Maryland. He’s had success in the Big East before too. Willard’s Pirates won the Big East tournament in 2016, and the regular season title in 2020. He also won Big East Co-Coach of the Year in 2016 (shared with Wright) and in 2010 with Iona in the MAAC.

Last year, Willard earned a 2nd seed in the Big Ten Tournament with Maryland, and they grabbed a 4-seed in the NCAA tournament. Many fans had the Terrapins as a dark horse to make a run at the Final Four, but a Sweet Sixteen appearance is still an admirable accomplishment.

Considering his time with Pitino, Coach Willard will bring a pressure defense that will be needed in a physical Big East conference. From an offensive standpoint, Willard emphasizes ball movement between his five players on the court, as well as using the pick-and-roll. Additionally, he has been known to change his offense and adapt to his players and their strengths.

2025 Wildcat Roster

Speaking of players, Coach has assembled a roster that should be competitive in his first year, but there are a handful of concerns before their November tip-off, including a slew of injuries. Here’s a few key players to watch in the 2025-26 season.

Tyler Perkins

Not many players have been carried over from Neptune’s squad, but their key returner is Tyler Perkins. He shined in the Ivy League at Penn before he transferred to Villanova under Neptune. The 6’4” guard proved to be a valuable rotation piece last season and averaged 6.3ppg and 4.3rpg. This season, Coach will rely on Tyler to be a more prominent leader in each game, especially with the injury to Devin Askew (we’ll discuss him in a bit). Perkins has proven to be a good defender and rebounder, and assuming a growth in offense, Tyler should be a key part of the Wildcat’s backcourt.

Prior to the season, Nova faced off against VCU and Virginia. Against VCU, Perkins had 14 points, 5 steals, and 5 boards. In their game against Virginia, Tyler had 11 points, 6 boards, and made 5-6 free throws.

Devin Askew

Speaking of Askew, the 6’5” guard transferred to Nova with high expectations. Devin has had an interesting college career. He spent one season at Kentucky before doing the same at Texas. After limited starts with the Longhorns, Askew took his talents out West and played two seasons at Cal. Unfortunately, injuries plagued his two-year stint with Cal, and he would eventually make his way to Long Beach State. Devin found some success in the Big West, and most importantly, he remained healthy for the full season. In 32 games, Askew averaged 18.9ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.5apg, and 37.6% from behind the arc. Needless to say, Askew was expected to score and facilitate for Coach Willard, but his impact for the Wildcats will be delayed. On September 25th, news broke that Devin had suffered a knee injury during the Summer, and there was a belief that he could return for Conference Play in late December. However, after the VCU exhibition, Coach Willard gave us some promising news. According to Coach, he believes that Askew will be back after the BYU game, so we could see Devin as early as November 8th!

Despite his inability to get on the court, Coach Willard spoke with media on October 1st and highlighted Askew’s assistance off the court. Specifically, Willard praised Devin for how he’s provided guidance to freshmen Acaden Lewis and Chris Jeffrey.

Acaden Lewis

Acaden Lewis is a 6’2” guard from Washington D.C. who will be asked to make an immediate impact for Willard to start the season. Lewis was the D.C. Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 and became a highly touted point guard from the Class of 2025. As mentioned above, Coach Willard will frequently use the pick-and-roll in his offense, and Lewis’ skillset appears to be a perfect fit for Willard’s squad. Additionally, he’s unafraid to take a contested shot from deep, or slash into the paint for a tough bucket. There’s a lot to like from the Freshmen guard out of Sidwell Friends. Also, Saddiq Bey and Josh Hart are former graduates of Sidwell Friends too, so maybe that’s a good sign for things to come!

Acaden saw time against VCU and Virginia. Against the Rams, Lewis had 15 points, 3 assists, and shot 7-12 from the field. Against UVA, Acaden led the Wildcats with 16 points. He also had 5 assists, but shot poorly from 3 going 1-6.

Duke Brennan

We’ve talked about the big shoes that Neptune had to fill in Wright’s absence, but let’s talk about another significant absence for Nova: Eric Dixon. The undrafted NBA talent spent five seasons with the Villanova Wildcats, where he became one of the best players in the Big East. He capped off his five-year run by leading the nation in scoring during his final season with 23.3ppg, which earned him Second Team All-American and First Team All-Big East. Dixon left Villanova as the school’s all-time leading scorer, and he has since been signed by the Charlotte Hornets.

So, which big man will replace Eric Dixon this season? Well, Duke Brennan certainly has the chance to impress in his first season as a Wildcat. The 6’10” Senior has joined Willard from Grand Canyon University. With GCU, Duke helped his team win the WAC in 2025, and he earned himself All-Defensive Team honors. In a quote from Villanova.com, Coach Willard said the following regarding Brennan, “He’s a hard-working, physical player that will go above and beyond for his team to win. He lives in the gym and none of us are surprised that he’s been a big winner throughout his career”. Williard is somewhat familiar with Duke as well from last season, as Maryland knocked out the Antelopes in the NCAA Tournament’s First Round.

Considering Willard’s desire to play the pick-and-roll, Duke’s ability to get to the paint off the screen and create down low will help give Willard some options on the offensive side of the ball. Also, with Acaden Lewis as a primary contributor on the court, having an experienced player like Brennan will bring a veteran presence to the lineup.

The GCU transfer saw 25 minutes against VCU, where he put up 10 points, 7 rebounds, and was 5-6 from the field. He did also have 4 fouls, so Duke will need to be more cautious while on defense. In the UVA exhibition, Brennan scored 4 points in 25 minutes, and added 5 rebounds and only 2 personal fouls.

Zion Stanford and Bryce Lindsay

Again, with Askew out and working himself back into game shape, Willard will rely on two more transfers to step up in his place: Zion Stanford from Temple and Bryce Lindsay from James Madison.

Both players come to the Main Line with scoring ability. First, let’s start with Zion. The 6’6” Philly native spent two seasons at Temple, and he showed noticeable improvement during his second year. In 2024-25, Zion averaged 13.1ppg, 4.5 rpg, and shot 34.9% from 3. I would like to focus on Stanford’s final six games though. During that stretch, he averaged 19.8ppg and 6.8rpg. Also, in the 2nd Round of the AAC Conference Tournament, he posted 17 points, 7 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 2 Blocks, and 1 Steal against Tulsa in a 75-71 loss.

Stanford has size at 6’6” to play in different positions on the floor, and he offers some versatility for Willard as he experiments with his lineup. Considering the physicality of the Big East, I expect Stanford to fit in just fine this year. Unfortunately, this talented transfer won't be ready for the start of the season. Zion is dealing with an ankle injury and is "still in a boot for another two weeks" as of October 19th. Coach Willard mentioned that he might be back by December.

Next, we have Bryce Lindsay. The 6’3” Baltimore native started his college career at Texas A&M before playing 31 games for JMU. In 2024-25, Bryce scored 13.4ppg and shot 40.8% from 3. This earned him Sixth Man of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the Sun Belt. Acaden Lewis is an incoming freshman, and despite his pedigree, he will need time to adjust to higher competition. Also, even with Tyler Perkins expected to improve this season, the entire offense cannot fall on him before Askew’s return. Lindsay comes into Villanova as a proven scorer, and his shooting ability should create space for others to find the basket.

Bryce played the most minutes against VCU, but didn't have the most eye-opening performance. Lindsay ended the night with 12 points, but shot 1-5 from three and had 4 turnovers. Unfortunately, Lindsay was unable to play against Virginia due to illness.

Remaining Roster

Askew, Perkins, Lindsay, Brennan, Lewis, and Stanford are six serviceable players that offer tons of upside. Beyond that, Willard will need to experiment with his bench to discover the other contributors. Malachi Palmer, Tafara Gapare, and Braden Pierce offer size and familiarity for Willard as they followed him from Maryland. Speaking of Gapare, he was also dealing with an injury, but Coach had him on the floor against UVA for 15 minutes. Palmer also played against Virginia and turned some heads with his performance. Malachi had 13 points and 5 rebounds, but shot 2-7 from three, and only 5-17 from the field in 35 minutes.

Malcolm Flaggs from Grand Canyon is another 6’6” guard that could provide shooting and bench depth, but Willard mentioned that he will be "out for a while" as he deals with an achillies injury. Also, Matt Hodge (who was ineligible last season for Nova due to academic purposes) is a 6’8” forward that could see time with Brennan in the front court. Ultimately, Willard’s squad has the potential to become the 4th or 5th best team in the Big East, and we know they’ll be stout defensively under Willard. It’s now up to Coach to make the most of this newly assembled roster, and hopefully the injuries heal up quick as he prepares for the season.

2025-26 Schedule and Big East Conference

I do believe Villanova fans will have some patience with Willard as he rebuilds the program after Neptune. However, there are opportunities for the Wildcats to earn an NCAA Tournament bid in Willard’s first season. ESPN’s preseason rankings have UConn and St. John’s as top 5 programs, and rightfully so. Hurley and Pitino retooled their rosters and should be Title Contenders entering this season. I don’t think the Wildcats are a better squad than either of those schools on paper, but 1 win against each of them could be crucial when March rolls around.

In the Non-Conference, Villanova has a few opportunities for key wins. The Wildcats open their season against BYU, a preseason top 10 squad that brings significant offensive firepower to the floor, including future NBA Draft Pick: A.J. Dybantsa. Willard will also be taking on Dusty May’s Michigan team in Ann Arbor, and Greg Gard’s Badgers in Milwaukee. With neither of these games at Finneran Pavilion, the Wildcats will need to put together a complete effort if they look to earn a statement win before Conference Play.

In the Big East, there’s a clear understanding that St. John’s and UConn are the leaders of the pack. However, there’s uncertainty for the other 9 teams. Once again, Shaka Smart has avoided the Transfer Portal, and he will rely on continuity and development to climb the Big East Standings. For Creighton, the loss of Ryan Kalkbrenner is a significant one. The 4-Time Big East Defensive Player of the Year was a force to be reckoned with in the paint, but Coach McDermott has a retooled squad that should compete for a top spot in the conference. Ed Cooley of Georgetown, Thad Matta of Butler, and Kim English of Providence are three coaches coming into the season on the hot seat (although, differing in degrees of temperature). Cooley is still looking to bring Georgetown back into relevancy, English is trying to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time as the Providence coach, and Matta’s second stint with Butler has consisted of two under .500 seasons and an 8th place Conference finish in 2024. It doesn’t get much better for the remaining squads in this conference. Shaheen Holloway has limited resources with Seton Hall, and the Pirates will likely sit near the bottom of the conference again. Richard Pitino Jr. will be entering his first season with Xavier, and despite his most recent success at New Mexico, his Musketeers aren’t projected to be competitive in the Big East this year. Lastly, Chris Holtmann’s first season was promising for the future growth of the DePaul Blue Demons, but they still finished with a 4-16 Big East record last season.

A few years ago, the Big East was considered a deep conference, but that’s not the case this time around. Coach Willard has a proven track record, and if there was ever a time that he could sneak into the NCAA Tournament, it would be this season. Don’t be surprised to see the Wildcats sitting on the bubble if everything goes according to plan under their new coach.

Final Thought

Coach Willard hopped on the Big East Rewind Podcast on October 29th. If you haven't given this conversation a listen, I definitely recommend doing so. At the end, Willard discussed what fans should expect from the Wildcats. Coach wants this team to get up and down the floor, and he expects to play a lot of his roster. Although Kevin said he may not press as much as he did with the Terrapins, Coach still believes this will be a fun, physical, and tough squad that can compete for a Big East Title.

That interview gave me a lot of hope for the first season under this new coaching staff. Although I’m not sure if Willard can replicate what Wright did during his legendary tenure, there’s a bit more certainty. Kevin has won at each stop, and as a Two-Time Coach of the Year winner, his floor should be much higher than what we’ve seen the last few seasons at Villanova. It may take a couple of years, but there’s a real hope that the Wildcats can return to their dominant form in the NCAA.