4.) Villanova
Since the departure of the legendary Jay Wright, Villanova has failed twice to make a return to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Kyle Neptune with consecutive sixth place finishes in the Big East.
With pressures mounting, Neptune and Co. have acquired a four man transfer class to pair alongside the return of last season’s leading-scorer Eric Dixon.
Most prominent of which has been the addition of Philadelphia native and Miami (FL) guard Wooga Poplar who averaged 13.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 2.1 APG as a starter this past season.
At 6-foot-5, Poplar brings size, athleticism and scoring to the Villanova roster and is reportedly looking to be more of a ball handler as well after tentatively playing more on the wing during his tenure in Miami.
Subsequently joining him in the Wildcat backcourt will be an inter-Big 5 transfer with Jhamir Brickus arriving from La Salle where he averaged 13.9 PPG and 4.8 APG as a 2023/24 All-A10 Third Team Selection.
Listed at 5-foot-11, some feel Brickus is undersized for the Big East but his resume of success in the A10 would suggest otherwise as a talented scorer and passer shooting 43% from the floor and 40% from deep.
Villanova’s second inter-Big 5 transfer was marked by the coup of Penn’s Tyler Perkins who averaged 13.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 1.9 APG as a freshman for the Quakers.
Although Perkins burst onto the scene in the Ivy League this past season, he’s got multiple years of eligibility and will need time to acclimate to become a consistent contributor at the Big East level.
To complete his roster, Neptune added former top-100 prospect and 6-foot-11 forward Enoch Boakye from Fresno State who looks primed to step in beside Dixon in Villanova’s front court.
After struggling at Arizona State, Boakye finally found his footing this past season with a move to Fresno State where he averaged 7.5 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.2 BKPG to showcase his improved rebounding and defending.
There’s certainly a lot of question marks surrounding who’ll play what role for Neptune next season but the Wildcats will need Poplar, Brickus and Boakye to improve if this program is to return to the NCAA Tournament.Â
3.) La Salle
In a critical offseason for La Salle as it prepares to unveil a new arena, it seemed early the Explorers would falter with Khalil Brantley, Rokas Jocius, Anwar Gill and Brickus all departing for the portal.
However, head coach Fran Dunphy has quietly been improving the program with five transfer additions to try and surpass consecutive finishes of just under .500.
Announcing his commitment to La Salle early into the 2024 offseason was Demetrius Lilley, a 6-foot-9 forward and Philadelphia native who spent two seasons at Penn State making just 25 appearances.
After almost transferring to La Salle a season ago, former UCLA and DePaul forward Mac Etienne finally joins Dunphy and Co. where he’ll look to lead the frontcourt beside Lilley.
For our third inter-Big 5 transfer of the offseason, the Explorers acquired a veteran wing and proven defensive commodity in Temple’s Jahlil White who’s set to earn starters minutes if he can stay healthy.
In the backcourt, Dunphy bolstered the roster with the additions of Eric Acker from Long Island and Rider’s Corey McKeithan who each bring a different skill set.
Acker, a 2023/24 NEC All-Freshman selection, was a decent scorer and passer for a poor Sharks program but fits into that undersized La Salle guard mold we’ve come to know well.
McKeithan will be relied upon as more of a 3-and-D type contributor, coming off the bench as a graduate senior for a roster that’s lacking a lot of on court DI experience.
While it’ll be an uphill battle for La Salle to be competitive in both the A10 and Big 5 with a fairly new look roster, the Explorers are heading in the right direction under Dunphy.Â
