Kevin Willard said getting to the NCAA Tournament was a good ‘first step’ at Villanova. What’s next?
Good first step? Sure. But the last two outings should show Willard and Villanova that there’s still plenty of work to be done to bring the program back to where they think it should be.
SAN DIEGO — The sour ending was almost fitting in a way.
Kevin Willard has on multiple occasions over the last few weeks called reaching the NCAA Tournament in his first season at Villanova a good “first step.” But the lasting images of the 2025-26 Villanova men’s basketball season might be how it ended rather than the path to snapping what was a three-year tournament drought under Kyle Neptune.
Villanova entered the postseason with a 24-7 regular-season record. The Wildcats then got bullied by last-place Georgetown in a Big East quarterfinal game and collapsed in crunch time Friday in San Diego at Viejas Arena, where they were outscored 15-3 over the final six minutes in a first-round NCAA Tournament loss.
Good first step? Sure. But the last two outings should show Willard and Villanova that there’s still plenty of work to be done to bring the program back to where Willard and school administration think it should be.
» READ MORE: Villanova melts down late in first-round loss to Utah State
It is work that will start right away, but it was worth reflecting on a season that ended abruptly in defeat. And who better to start with than Tyler Perkins, the junior guard who was the only holdover who scored points on last year’s team?
“With a lot of pride,” Perkins said when asked how he’d remember the year. “We weren’t picked to be in the tournament, we weren’t picked to be third place in the Big East. This definitely hurts. I feel like we should definitely be going further than the first round, but on the bright side it’s a step forward. I can tell you now, next year it won’t be like this. It’ll be a lot better.
“It’s definitely good for all of us, especially young guys, to be in this, go to the Big East tournament, lose in the first game and feel the pain and feel what it takes to win these games so next year, down the stretch, we’re sharper and know how to win these games.”
It was all of the right perspective, but it assumes the core will remain the same. It is the most obvious difference from the old era of this sport to the new one. There were no Eric Dixons or Jordan Longinos in the locker room Friday evening, two players who have four or more years of context and life experience at a place dealing with defeat and all of the emotions that come with the end of a basketball season.
That’s not to say it was a locker room that didn’t care. Devin Askew and Duke Brennan played in their final basketball games. Bryce Lindsay stared blankly ahead, his 25 points and six made three-pointers not enough to get Villanova to the next round. But there were plenty of reminders of the business that is college basketball.
» READ MORE: The persistence of Tyler Perkins helped Villanova get back to the NCAA Tournament
“I love it here, but right now I’m trying to be here for my seniors,” Perkins said when asked about his plans for next year.
Of anyone in the room, Perkins, who transferred to Villanova after a year at Penn, seems the most likely to return. Villanova will do its best to keep players like Perkins, Lindsay, Acaden Lewis, Matt Hodge, Malachi Palmer, and possibly others. But everyone in the locker room Friday essentially became a free agent when the buzzer sounded.
Lewis, a freshman who had an argument to be the Big East freshman of the year, made that clear when asked to summarize his first college basketball season.
“We had a hell of a season,” he said. “These guys are great dudes. They picked me up every time I fell, I picked them up every time they fell. I can’t complain about these guys. These guys did a hell of a job just mentoring me and helping me move on to my next level of basketball.”
Lewis hasn’t been shy about his desire to get to the NBA as soon as possible. Does that mean he’s going now?
“We’ll see how that goes,” he said. “I haven’t made any decisions like that. Even if I do, I’m super grateful for everyone here. No plans like that. I haven’t even talked about it. The season is fresh and that’s not something to worry about yet.”
A reasonable talent evaluator would probably say Lewis has a lot to work on, which means he’ll probably make more money in college next year than he would be going pro.
Villanova likely will have the money to keep him and the other players it wants on next year’s roster.
» READ MORE: Kevin Willard says viral sideline interview was ‘a joke’ after Villanova’s NCAA Tournament loss
Willard hasn’t been shy about wanting to build around the nucleus, and said as much Friday when asked how to build on the first step.
“I just think we did a great job of developing a really good culture, setting the tone of how we want to play, getting back to that,” he said. “I just think, again, it’s getting some of these young guys back, developing them some more and just adding in the right guys. I think we need to become a little bit more physical. I think that’s the biggest thing.
“When Matt [Hodge] went down, we just became really small. So just making sure we add the right pieces to a really good, young core that’s fun to coach.”
It will start with re-recruiting the young players. The transfer portal opens April 7, and Willard and general manager Baker Dunleavy, if they haven’t already, will be busy talking to agents.
In the days leading up to the NCAA Tournament, Willard said his message to his young team was to enjoy the experience.
“You’re not promised it next year,” he said on Tuesday before practice at Villanova. “They could leave this program and go to another one and be on a bad team.”
Then he smiled and added: “If they stay here they won’t be on a bad team.”
The pressure is on.