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Tyler Perkins Has Room to Grow | Meet the Wildcats

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Villanova Wildcats Sophomore Guard Tyler Perkins

This is one in a series of stories introducing the Villanova Wildcats’ 2024-25 roster.

The first of two Big Five transfer pickups for Villanova this past offseason, Tyler Perkins spent last year with the Penn Quakers, hitting the portal after a strong true freshman campaign: including the ongoing 2024-25 season, Perkins has three years of eligibility remaining.

Perkins averaged 13.7 points per game with Penn, averaging 29.8 minutes per night and starting in 27 of the Quakers’ 29 contests. He connected on 39.1 percent of his shots (34.7 percent of those from three) and added 40 steals and 55 assists on the year, although 53 turnovers committed suggests his passing could use some work.

Perkins stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 205 pounds, a bulky frame for a shooting guard that allowed him to attack the rim on more than 30 percent of his shot attempts with the Quakers. A three-star recruit out of high school at the Landon School in Bethesda, Md., Perkins didn’t receive an offer from Villanova during his initial recruiting cycle, instead receiving heavy focus from Ivy League schools like Brown and Cornell.

He put up 22 points against the Wildcats on Nov. 13, 2023, his fourth collegiate start, a performance that may have helped put him on head coach Kyle Neptune’s radar.

Perkins’ size and physicality also helps him draw fouls — he led the Quakers with 78 free throws made last season, shooting 9-of-12 from the charity stripe in the aforementioned Big Five showdown with Villanova.

Packed House at Guard

Of the eight guards on the Wildcats’ roster this season, five came to the team during the most recent transfer cycle or are true freshmen. As Villanova looks to overhaul the position, it’s difficult to say exactly what type of role Tyler Perkins will carve out for himself: he posted a strong freshman campaign but still has plenty he can do to improve, especially against the staunch competition he’ll face in the Big East.

Through the conclusion of Villanova’s nonconference schedule, Perkins is averaging 24.5 minutes per night and has made two starts, appearing in the season opener against Lafayette (which graduate forward Eric Dixon missed due to suspension after participating in an NBA pre-draft event) and against his old team, the Penn Quakers, after Wooga Poplar was withheld from the starting lineup for showing up late to a team meeting. The first man off the bench for the Wildcats, Perkins puts up an average of eight points and 3.6 rebounds per night, and Villanova’s guard-heavy lineup means he earns plenty of opportunities to check in.

Career Stats:

Year GP MIN FG% 3% FT% REB AST STL PF TO PTS
23-24* 29 29.8 39.1 34.7 76.5 5.3 1.9 1.4 2.2 1.8 13.7
(* denotes seasons spent with Penn Quakers)
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