The Wildcats’ standout big man will be out for Villanova’s game against Lafayette.
Villanova’s standout big man Eric Dixon will serve a one-game NCAA suspension for impermissible participation in an event last spring. He will miss the Wildcats’ season-opener at home against Lafayette on Nov. 4.
The suspension steps from Dixon’s participation in the Portsmouth Invitational back in April, when he was still exploring his options as part of the NBA Draft process. The 6-foot-8 forward ultimately elected to return to Villanova for one last ride for the 2024-25 campaign.
There was early speculation that Dixon would possibly have been required to serve a suspension for 3-4 games, but the one-game suspension is the final ruling.
Dixon led the Wildcats in scoring and rebounding last year, and he’s coming off of a career season where he averaged 16.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He shot 46.5% overall and 34.6% from long range.
In a recent secret preseason closed-door scrimmage against Penn State, Dixon reportedly racked up 38 points and shot 15-of-18 from the free-throw line in just 26 minutes of action, as he led the ‘Cats to a 75-70 victory over the Nittany Lions.