Villanova Standouts Eric Dixon, Wooga Poplar Named to All-Area Academic Team

Villanova seniors Eric Dixon and Wooga Poplar received honors for their athletic and academic abilities, with Dixon receiving the 2024-25 Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area Men’s Basketball Performer of the Year award, while Poplar also received a spot on the All-Area Academic team.

Per the Villanova press release, the sports communications offices of each of the academic institutions in the Philadelphia area vote on who receives the award. Justice Ajogbor (Saint Joseph’s) and Sam Brown (Penn) also represented the Big 5 on the six man team.

This marks the latest in a series of honors for the outgoing athletes, as Dixon landed as a unanimous selection to the First Team All-Big East list and remaining in the running for a series of national athletic awards for much of the 2024-25 season, while Poplar picked up a down ballot spot on the Third Team.

Dixon led the NCAA in points per game last season with 23.3, making 40.7 percent of his three-point shots as a 6-foot-8 wing. His efforts vaulted him into the No. 1 spot on Villanova’s all-time scoring leaderboard. Poplar averaged 15.3 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Wildcats, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard with the athletic ability to do a little of everything. As of right now, Dixon looks like a likely late second round pick in the June NBA Draft on account of his age, while Poplar could start to creep into the draft conversation after a strong performance in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, a pre-draft league for NBA hopefuls looking to bolster their résumé.