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The Villanova Wildcats disappointed in 2023-24, posting an 18-15 overall record. This, coming on the heels of a 17-17 campaign the year prior.
Supporters of the program are rightfully frustrated after watching their team win a pair of national titles in the not-so-distant past under Jay Wright. Without its Hall of Fame head coach, though, Villanova has struggled mightily.
Kyle Neptune took over a program fresh off a 30-8 season in which it made the Final Four. In his two seasons at the helm, the Wildcats are just 35-32.
In Year 1, the team made the NIT before losing its opener to Liberty.
There was a slight improvement in Year 2, though the NIT was still the eventual destination. This time, the Wildcats would host as a No. 1 seed.
Unfortunately, it made for a scene more embarrassing than that previous first round exit in 2023.
Videos quickly surfaced on social media showing the Finneran Pavilion stands completely empty just before opening tip.
The crowd moments after the National Anthem was played. There are still a few people on the concourse but the late start is definitely impacting the Villanova faithful 😬 pic.twitter.com/zcOLhHosgQ
— Tommy Godin (@tommygodinjr) March 21, 2024
This was after the National Anthem.
Oof.
No one was interested in supporting a potential NIT run, and not even cheap beer could attract viewers!
The school reportedly explained in an email earlier this week that it planned to hand out drinks (beer, seltzers), hot dogs, other concession items at the low, low price of just $2.
In an email, Villanova Athletics announced that Wednesday and Thursday’s NIT and WBIT games will feature the following concessions items for $2:
– domestic beer
– hard seltzer
– soft drinks
– hot dogs
– soft pretzels
– popcorn— Colin Beazley (@colin_beazley) March 18, 2024
It didn’t work!
A late 9 PM start on a Wednesday night might be reason for the older crowd to stay home. As for students, they can’t even blame spring break, which was in the first week of March.
The showing made a loud statement about fans’ unhappiness with the program, potentially speeding up a coaching change that seems inevitable if the NIT appearances become a yearly occurrence.
Can Kyle Neptune turn things around at Villanova? Until his does, the underwhelming attendance will likely continue. The Wildcats lost the contest, 70-61.
Luckily, no one was watching!