Villanova comes up short vs. UConn, and there is no shortage of questions about the program’s future

NEW YORK — The inevitable had finally happened. Villanova’s narrow lead over Connecticut was gone, and the pro-UConn crowd inside Madison Square Garden — waiting all night for something to get loud about — was noisy and on its feet as midnight neared.

A lone Villanova cheerleader tried to match with his megaphone a “Nova” at the end of every “let’s go Huskies” chant that filled the building.

UConn’s closing run was on, and there was nothing anyone wearing Villanova’s blue could do about it.

For 26-plus minutes, Wooga Poplar did everything he could, with little help from his teammates, to keep Villanova’s season alive. His steal and transition slam with more than 13 minutes to go was a highlight in a game that was going about as good as Villanova could ask for early in the second half. The Wildcats led by four.

UConn, the two-time defending national champion, may not be as good as it has been of late, but its runs can still materialize from anywhere. The Huskies took over the game as Villanova suffered through yet another cold spell in a game it couldn’t afford to have one. The Wildcats (19-14) made just two of their next 16 shots after Poplar’s dunk and fell in a Big East tournament quarterfinal, 73-56.

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“They were just intense,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “They made it hard for us to catch, made it hard for us to get to our sets. They just came after us.”

Poplar led all scorers with a season-high 25 points. He was the only Villanova player with two or more made baskets until there were 7 minutes, 58 seconds left in the second half, when Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, finally had his second make of the night. Poplar accounted for 10 of Villanova’s 15 makes from the field. The Wildcats shot 31.9% from the floor. They made just five of their 24 shots in the second half.

Dixon, in his last meaningful game in a Villanova uniform, shot 2-for-15 from the field and finished with eight points, eight shy of tying Kerry Kittles for the program’s all-time lead.

“It’s not about being my last game. It’s about the group,” Dixon said. “This group gave a lot. It’s just a tough day to have a tough day.”

Villanova led by as many as nine in the first half but failed to convert on numerous opportunities to extend the lead, and once UConn got going it never looked back. The meaningful part of Villanova’s season is over, and there is no shortage of questions about the immediate and long-term future of the program and the job status of Neptune.

Villanova will miss out on the NCAA Tournament because it lost too many games it shouldn’t have, either because of the quality of the competition or because it couldn’t hold a late lead.

“The highs have been high and the lows have been pretty low,” senior forward Jordan Longino said.

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It will be the first time Villanova has missed out on the tournament for three consecutive seasons since 2004, when Jay Wright’s third season on campus came to a close. A historian might point to that for necessary context when evaluating Neptune’s future, but the stat alone ignores the reality of this trio of shutouts. The sport has changed, and Villanova has been well-resourced, and this year’s roster had enough talent to not need a miracle run at this tournament to play meaningful postseason basketball.

Forget the NCAA Tournament, Villanova failed to make it to Friday at the Big East tournament for three consecutive years, a competition the Wildcats used to be the main attraction of.

The Wildcats were sleeping in New York one last night before heading back to campus Friday. Last season, a day after meeting with administration after a second consecutive first-round NIT loss resulted in then-athletic director Mark Jackson publicly backing Neptune. A similar state of the union, this time with a new AD involved, could happen Friday, and the result may not be as kind.

“We just lost a game,” Neptune said when asked if he was concerned about his job status. “I’m thinking about the guys in the locker room that just lost. I’m thinking about our staff that just lost. Just them, we just lost a game and put a lot into it. That’s all I’m thinking about right now.”

Villanova is slated to continue its season in the new College Basketball Crown tournament in Las Vegas. The contract has the top two Big East teams that don’t make the main tournament.

But if Villanova decides it is time for a new coach, it will need to decide on that long before the tournament begins on March 31. And if the school’s administration decides Neptune’s time is over, there will be other dominoes. Will Dixon play in a meaningless game while he prepares for the NBA draft? Will Poplar? Will multiple players already be in the transfer portal? Asked more simply: Will Villanova have enough players to play basketball?

Those questions will have answers soon enough.