From Eric Dixon's record night to Kevin Willard's arrival, all eyes on Villanova

LAS VEGAS — If there was any doubt surrounding why Villanova power forward Eric Dixon, a graduate student and the reported beneficiary of several lucrative NIL deals over the course of his career, wanted to continue playing after the Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season — which prompted the university to fire embattled head coach Kyle Neptune — the answer became clear within the first eight seconds of Tuesday's opening-round game at the College Basketball Crown. It was on the first possession, after just one pass from point guard Jhamir Brickus, that Dixon launched a 3-pointer from the top of the key in a clear sign of intent. He entered the evening needing nine points to break the program's all-time scoring mark held by Kerry Kittles, a two-time consensus All-American in the mid-1990s, and Dixon wasted no time embarking on his pursuit of the record in what could have been the final game of his career.

That Dixon missed the initial attempt did little to dissuade his quest for history. He drilled a difficult fadeaway from the left baseline with 15:11 remaining to notch the first bucket on his scoring ledger and buried a triple on the next possession. By the 9:48 mark, at which point Dixon connected on another 3-pointer that extended the Wildcats' lead to 13, there was no longer a single name atop the school's scoring list. And when Dixon dribbled from right to left across the lane a few minutes later, pump faking his defender to create some space, he swished a short jumper that pushed his point total to 2,244 — the most in Villanova history. Dixon's teammates stood and cheered along the bench while a jersey-wearing fan filmed the scene on his phone from the premium courtside seats.

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