In Kyle Neptune’s third season, the Wildcats – who were ousted in the first round of the NIT in Neptune’s first two seasons after nine straight NCAA tournament appearances (excluding 2020, which did not host a tournament) under Wright – may have hit the ground running with a 90 :80 loss at The Pavilion to Columbia in the Ivy League.

Villanova, which didn’t allow more than 90 points in a game during Neptune’s first two seasons, posed a threat to Columbia 26 times. The Lions made 24 of those free throws. They also made 8 of 24 3-point attempts and shot 29 of 54 (53.7%) from the field.

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