Villanova routed Penn 93-49 at the Pavilion on November 19, 2024. The Wildcats have won five of six. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
November 19, 2024
VILLANOVA, Pa.—You walk into the Pavilion for an early-season game at Villanova, and the vibe is off. At best, there is apathy among Nova Nation. At worst, there is disgust. People wonder whether the coach should be replaced. Everything just feels, well, off.
The year is … 2011. The coach is … Jay Wright.
Because of his unprecedented run of success in 21 seasons at the helm until his surprise retirement in 2022, people either forget, don’t remember, or don’t know that even Wright had struggles at Villanova. Believe it or not, Wright did not even have a .500 record in the Big East in any of his first three seasons on the Main Line.
And then, in 2011-12, Wright struggled to a 13-19 mark overall and 5-13 Big East record.
I was there then and clearly remember an early-season game where the walls felt like they were caving in around the coach.
Similarly, the vibe was off entering the Pavilion for Tuesday night’s Big 5 game against Penn. There was apathy, at best, among Nova Nation. At worst, there was disgust. People have been talking in chat rooms and tap rooms as to whether the coach should be replaced. Kyle Neptune was booed, once again, during introductions at Villanova’s on-campus home. Everything just felt, well, off.
There really isn’t a bigger storyline on the Main Line than Neptune’s status as head coach in his third season following Wright.
You know what changed things for Wright? Winning. Yeah, that changes the vibe quickly, reverses apathy, and chills the seat under the coach. You know what Wright did? He won a pair of national titles and went to another Final Four, in 2022, his fourth appearance in college basketball’s Super Bowl, after getting there for the first time in 2009.
You know what can change things for Neptune? Winning. Yeah, that’ll change the vibe quickly, reverse apathy, and chill the seat under the coach. You know what Neptune did Tuesday night? He led the Wildcats to a 93-49 rout of Penn. People did leave early, not out of disgust but because they had better things to do than watch a near 50-point blowout.
No one would ever compare beating a Quakers team picked seventh of eight teams in the Ivy League to a national title, of course. But it’s a start for Villanova and Neptune.
“I thought tonight was a good step in the right direction as far as getting better and being more cohesive,” Neptune said.
The Wildcats have been teetering, some small rises, some small dips, but haven’t been consistently getting better, the coach said. Not until Tuesday night, when they stifled the Quakers into a hard-to-believe scoring drought that lasted more than 10 ½ minutes over both halves. It was tied at 26 with 8:55 left in the first half, but Penn didn’t get another point until there was 18:22 remaining in the contest, a 10:33 span in which Villanova scored all 17 points.
Game, set, match.
“That’s who we have to be,” Neptune said after Villanova held the Quakers to 26.9 percent field goal shooting. “I thought we were way more cohesive. I thought overall we played a great defensive team.”
The Wildcats got a big lift early from Tyler Perkins, the Penn transfer who finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, and three steals against his former teammates. Then, they leaned on Eric Dixon (23 points), Jhamir Brickus (16 points, 4-for-4 on three-pointers), and Wooga Poplar (19 points).
The win, and the way in which Villanova did it, allows everyone in the program—and those around it—to catch their breaths and relax. It snapped a four-game Big 5 losing streak, marking Villanova’s first win over a Philadelphia school since a 71-64 victory over Saint Joseph’s on December 17, 2022. It lands the Wildcats in the third-place game, against the Temple-La Salle loser on November 30 at Glaser Arena, on December 7 at the Wells Fargo Center.
Most importantly, it’s a potential building block for the Cats.
Build on it against Maryland in Newark on Sunday, and the vibe will get a little better, the calls for Neptune’s job a little quieter.
Do it again against Rider next Wednesday, and then again at home on December 3 versus a very good Cincinnati team, and then beat either Temple or La Salle, whichever loses their matchup on Nov. 30 at Glaser, in the third-place game of the Big 5 Classic, and then push aside FDU in the final tune-up for Big East play and, well, that’s a six-game winning streak heading into conference play.
It’s not too late for Neptune and Villanova. People forget that Wright didn’t win right away. Yes, yes, yes, I know all about the NIL and the transfer portal and Neptune inheriting a team that went to the Final Four. However, Justin Moore was not the same player after getting injured in the Final Four. And the transfer portal and NIL help, but just having talented players doesn’t make a great team.
Is it easier for Neptune than Wright trying to build a winner? Well, in some ways, yes it is. He can plug holes, like bringing in a shooter like Poplar and a point guard like Brickus, quickly. But Wright had the benefit of building with young players who did whatever he asked, starting four sophomores and a freshman in 2003-04, the third straight season in his first three that the Wildcats didn’t make the NCAA tournament. After that, though, with the foundation in place, Wright went on a historic run.
Can Neptune go on a similar run? My guess would be no, in part because Wright is among the best coaches in college basketball in the last three decades and, in part, because it always is going to be harder to keep a core together these days.
Can Neptune get back to the NCAA tournament? For me, the talent is there to answer in the affirmative. It will be on the coach and the players to put it all together, to build on Tuesday’s performance.
It’s really not complicated in sports, though maybe not the easiest for those in the profession. Want to better the vibe? Want to garner support? Want to take the heat off yourself and your program?
It’s really simple: Just win.
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.