Suffice it to say that Villanova basketball had a busy offseason. Coach Kyle Neptune hit the road and Maryland boss Kevin Willard was brought in to replace him. Given the coaching change and the portal turnover, Villanova might not even faintly resemble last year’s team. Here’s three portal takeaways heading into 2025-26.
Top 3 Villanova portal takeaways
3. Last year’s team is basically gone
The convergence of factors noted above, as well as a veteran roster, basically blew up last year’s Villanova team. The Wildcats won 21 games, but already stood to lose the top four scorers as they were all seniors. Those four players accounted for 2,099 of 2,664 Villanova points last year.
On top of that, the Wildcats had eight players enter the portal. There’s virtually no one left from last season. Junior guard Tyler Perkins (6.3 ppg) is about the only returning player who’ll be a familiar face to most Villanova fans. Good or bad, it’s a new group.
2. Willard brought help with him
Given the roster decimation, it was almost essential that new coach Kevin Willard bring some help with him. Malachi Palmer and Braden Pierce both transferred over from Maryland with their coach. Neither has elite stats, but the 6-foot-6 Palmer will add size and potential at the guard position, while Pierce is a 7-footer with experience.
Willard also added a late recruit from Maryland, four-star guard Chris Jeffrey. At the very least, Willard brought three players in who will certainly provide quality depth to a fairly thin team. But the Maryland guys may end up being genuinely significant immediate contributors.
1.It’s an interesting collection of players, but where’s the star?
While Willard and the Terps have added six players in the portal, the burning question remains of who will be the star. Even a Villanova team that missed the NCAA Tournament had forward Eric Dixon (23.3 ppg) and Wooga Poplar (15.3 ppg).
Willard and the Wildcats have put together a roster, but who will be Dixon or Poplar type of scorer? Duke Brennan averaged 10.4 points per game at Grand Canyon. Zion Stanford averaged 13.1 points per game at Temple. Bryce Lindsay averaged 13.4 ppg at James Madison.
But which of those guys can make the jump from a decent scorer at a lower league to the bucket-getter at a Big East school? It’s one thing to make plays in the obscure minor conferences, but who will score against St. John’s or UConn?
What do you think of Villanova’s portal additions? Share your take below in our comments section!
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Edited by Joe Cox
