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Report: Villanova Fires Head Men's Basketball Coach Kyle Neptune After Three Seasons
Villanova parted ways with men's basketball coach Kyle Neptune on Saturday morning, according to multiple reports. The move follows Villanova's 73–56 loss to UConn in the Big East tournament quarterfinals Thursday.
The Wildcats finished their season with a 19–14 record and went 11–9 in Big East play.
Neptune, who replaced legendary coach Jay Wright after his retirement in 2022, went 54-47 over his three seasons at Villanova. The Wildcats have not made the NCAA tournament since 2022, which was the school's last season under Wright. The Wildcats qualified for the NIT the past two seasons under Neptune, losing in the first round in both appearances.
News: Villanova has fired Kyle Neptune, sources told Fox Sports. He went 54-47 in three seasons and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament, going 19-14 with national leading scorer Eric Dixon this year.
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 15, 2025
Now, the Wildcats will bring in a new coach in attempt to rediscover the program's championship standards set over the Wright era. Villanova won the national title in 2016 and '18 under Wright. He also led them to the Final Four in 2009 and '22.
Neptune spent time on Villanova's staff under Wright since 2008. He was named as Fordham's head coach in 2021, where he would serve only one season before replacing Wright.
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Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.