As schools like Duke and North Carolina soldier on after losing their institutional coaches, Villanova is finding it harder to recover from the loss of Jay Wright.
In Kyle Neptune’s third season, the Wildcats — who have been ousted in the first round of the NIT in Neptune’s first two seasons after nine straight NCAA tournament appearances (this excludes 2020, in which no tournament was held) under Wright — might have hit rock bottom with a 90-80 loss in The Pavilion to Columbia of the Ivy League.
Villanova, which didn’t allow 90-plus points in a game in either of Neptune’s first two seasons, put Columbia to the line 26 times. The Lions made 24 of those free throws. They also made 8 of 24 3-point attempts, and shot 29 of 54 (53.7%) from the field.
The last time Villanova allowed 90 or more points in a game was Jan. 6, 2018, when the Wildcats defeated Marquette, 100-90.
Villanova is now 36-34 under Neptune, and 1-1 in the fledgling 2024-25 season.
Here’s what college basketball social media had to say about another devastating loss during Neptune’s tenure.