Big East Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2024-25 season

9. Villanova Wildcats

This is a very strange year for Villanova and Kyle Neptune. The losses of TJ Bamba, Brendan Hausen, Lance Ware, and Trey Paterson to the portal alone were already some huge hits to their roster. Mark Armstrong also announced he would not be making his return, most likely due to his potential in the NBA, as well as the bleak outlook for Villanova next season. 

They have lost their veterans like Eric Dixon, young talent, and key contributors. Like Seton Hall, their roster will be built up with a bunch of new faces this season. They have some strong freshmen coming in with Josiah Moseley, Matthew Hodge, and Malcolm Thomas making their way to the Wildcat program. 

But they have not done much in the portal, which will be a key aspect to watch when it comes to the rebuilding of their roster. They have to make replacements at just about every position and decide what they will do with their big-man situation now that Dixon has left. Whenever a team loses their lead guard and big man, unless you are UConn, it will be tough to make that type of rebuild happen so quickly. 

Villanova still has the brand to make moves and move up the rankings but the time this fall comes around, but as it stands there is not much to look at here with this team. Neptune is in a Major prove-it moment here, because if they do finish this low, the hot seat may just get a bit warmer if they miss the tournament yet again. They will have to find a way to meet the Villanova standard, but that is much easier said than done.