Eric Dixon, new-look Villanova vies for victory over Lafayette

Villanova knows it will be able to count on Eric Dixon this season.

As for his supporting cast? The Wildcats will begin figuring that out on Monday night when they host Lafayette in Villanova, Pa., in the season opener for both teams.

Villanova was picked to finish seventh in the 11-team Big East after going 18-16 (10-10 in the conference) and falling in the first round of the NIT last season. Coach Kyle Neptune is entering his third season at the helm after replacing two-time national champion Jay Wright.

Lafayette was picked to finish sixth in the 10-team Patriot League after finishing 11-21 (10-8 in the league) under coach Mike McGarvey.

Dixon was named to the All-Big East second team for the second straight season after averaging a team-high 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds in 34 games. He is the lone major returnee for Villanova. Fellow starters Tyler Burton and Justin Moore each graduated, while Mark Armstrong declared for the NBA draft following his sophomore season and TJ Bamba transferred to Oregon.

Villanova picked up four key transfers in guards Jhamir Brickus (La Salle), Tyler Perkins (Penn) and Wooga Poplar (Miami) as well as forward Enoch Boakye (Fresno State).

Brickus (13.9 points per game), Perkins (13.7) and Poplar (13.1) were all double-figure scorers at their previous stops, while Boakye averaged 7.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Neptune hopes the natural familiarity between Dixon and fellow Philadelphia-area products Brickus and Perkins will help hasten the chemistry-building process for Villanova.

"I think it's a definite benefit for our program, having guys that knew each other before they played each other," Neptune said. "Any type of synergy that you can have before the season -- any type of camaraderie or even just knowing someone before I think helps build trust and build cohesion."

Lafayette will have a more defined rotation Monday thanks to the return of leading starters Devin Hines (9.8 points per game) and Justin Vander Baan (9.3). The seniors were each named to the all-Patriot League third team last year.

Guard Mark Butler, who averaged 7.4 points and a team-high 3.7 assists while starting all 32 games last season, also is back. Rotational members Ryan Pettit, Chris Rubayo, Luka Savicevic and Joshua Wyche, all of whom played in at least 29 games, also have returned to the team.

"I feel really good about returning (almost) 70 percent of our production and then adding a group of talented freshmen to go along with some really experienced and seasoned upperclassmen," McGarvey said.

--Field Level Media