Villanova Receives College Basketball Crown Invite

Villanova Men’s Basketball received a bid to the College Basketball Crown invitational tournament, set to begin on Monday, March 31 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season in 2024-25, leading to the firing of head coach Kyle Neptune, but the Crown tournament will provide graduating athletes like Eric Dixon with one last chance to suit up for Villanova. Assistant Mike Nardi, promoted to the interim head coach position in the wake of Neptune’s firing, issued the team’s official statement on Monday morning.

This is a unique situation for our team,” Nardi said. “It’s been a tough week for the Villanova Basketball Family. Our team enjoyed playing for Kyle and appreciates everything he did for all of us.

“We’re fortunate in that each of our guys, as of today, is on board to continue to compete together at the Crown. We want to represent Villanova University and this program by playing hard, smart, together and with pride in a way that honors the efforts of the players and coaches who came before us. Go Nova Nation!”

Each of Villanova’s five starters this season are out of college eligibility, another reason for participation: there won’t be the same mass exodus of transfers that often comes with a coaching change in this era of college basketball.

The Wildcats will face off against Colorado at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1 in the opening round of the Crown tournament, with the Buffaloes already accepting their bid.

Other Big East programs in the tournament include Butler, DePaul and Georgetown. Click here for the full Crown bracket.