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‘Dark Horse’ Candidate Emerges for Villanova Head Coach Opening

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Wadleigh | Last updated Mar 17, 2025 11:09 AM ET

The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball team finished the season with a 19-14 record and an 11-9 Big East mark.

The Wildcats lost to UConn in the Big East tournament on Thursday, 73-56, meaning they once again were going to miss out on the NCAA Tournament.

As a result, Villanova decided to move on from head coach Kyle Neptune after spending three seasons leading the program.

Neptune finished his Villanova tenure with a 54-47 record and zero NCAA Tournament trips, and now the program is searching for another head coach.

Several names have been tossed around, including VCU's Ryan Odom and Northwestern's Chris Collins.

Now, another prominent name has been linked to the job: UCLA head coach Mick Cronin, per Adam Zagoria of NJ.com.

"A big-name dark horse is in the mix for the coaching opening at Villanova, NJ Advance Media has learned. UCLA coach Mick Cronin is a “dark horse” contender for the job along with Northwestern’s Chris Collins, multiple people close to the situation said," Zagoria wrote.

He also mentioned Collins and Odom as well as New Mexico head coach Richard Pitino, although he revealed that Collins and Cronin are the "leading contenders."

Cronin's resume is impressive as the current UCLA coach also has been with Murray State and Cincinnati.

The 53-year-old has a 502-233 record including a 2021 Final Four trip with UCLA.

Moreover, he was previously in the Big East as the coach at Cincinnati, so a return to the conference could be interesting.

In March 2022, UCLA signed Cronin to a six-year contract that ties him to the program through the 2028-29 season. Last year, Cronin's name was tied to the Louisville opening, so it's not surprising to see his name reappear.

While Villanova searches for a new coach, the Wildcats are set to play against Colorado in The Crown Tournament in Las Vegas as Mike Nardi is the interim coach.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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