For anyone hanging around before tipoff, a couple updates...

Cam Whitmore is in uniform and it appears he will play toady. He is not listed as a starter. I have seen the projected starters be wrong before, but usually they are correct.

In addition, Mark Armstrong is listed as a starter in place of Jordan Longino.

Mohammed, a 6-6 guard out of Charlotte, will take an unofficial visit to Villanova this weekend. The four-star prospect is currently ranked 54th in his class. He is one of a handful of 2024 prospects to receive early interest from Villanova, and he holds an offer.

2024 is shaping up to be an incredibly important class for Villanova and Mohammed would be a great addition, so pretty important opportunity for the staff this weekend.

I know that message board discussion hasn't really been our thing around here, but I'd love to get everyone's thoughts on this...

It's obviously way too early to make any kind of definitive judgement on Neptune, but at the same it's impossible not to question what we're seeing right now. With that in mind, I want to know what everyone thinks about the process to replace Jay. Was it the right decision to keep it in the family and hire someone familiar with the program? Or would you have preferred to conduct a true national search for a big name/proven coach? I've been turning this question over the past few days and still can't come to a conclusion. Really curious what the thoughts of the fan base are.

Taking it a step further, do you think it would have been better for Jay to make his announcement earlier or to have announced in April that next season would be his last? I understand why he didn't and can respect the reasons for it, but having that extra time to figure out the next hire and how to approach it could have been invaluable.

Anyway, just something that I've been thinking about recently and would be really interested to hear everyone's opinion.

Cats lose fourth in a row, fall to 2-5.

Things are threatening to get out of hand.

Cats suffer another close loss and find themselves in an unfamiliar position.

Villanova is finally on the board in the class of 2023 as 6-8 G/F Jordann Dumont committed to the Wildcats Tuesday afternoon.

Originally from Montreal, Dumont plays at Hamilton Heights in Tennessee. He played with Canada's national team at the U18 FIBA Americas Championship, chipping in 8.5 points while helping Canada to a bronze medal. He connected on 36% of his threes at the tournament. Dumont averaged 23 points and eight rebounds during his junior year at Hamilton Heights.

Dumont provides some reinforcements at a position of need, and it's great to have a commitment in the 2023 class.

A good start for Kyle Neptune and the 2022-23 Wildcats.

A win is a win.

Unlike some other recent visits by players without offers, Kris Parker's visit resulted in an offer from Villanova.

Parker is a four-star recruit ranked 75th in the class.

Parker joins Jordann Dumont as 2023 prospects with Nova offers. There are reports that Dumont plans to commit on Sunday.

A disappointing result against Big 5 rival Temple.

Recently offered 2023 F Jordann Dumont is set to visit Nova this weekend, per his school.

Another 2023 prospect, Kris Parker, is also set to be on campus this weekend although it doesn't appear that he has an offer yet.

Could be a key weekend as the Cats look to get on the board in the 2023 class.

Getting ready for tomorrow's season opener by going over the digital game notes and there are a couple of interesting things that jump out. First, under "possible starters" are listed Slater, Daniels, Dixon, Armstrong and...Arch. While somewhat to see Arch listed there, it makes more sense after learning that Longino missed two weeks of practice in October with "knee soreness" and officially carries a day-to-day designation.

I would have guessed a starting five of Slater, Daniels, Dixon, Armstrong and Longino. If he is limited in any way, it opens the door for either Arch or Brizzi, and the game notes seem to hint an edge for Arch. It will be interesting to see how the starting five shakes out and to monitor Longino's usage.

We already have a lot to watch with a new coach taking over, particularly with how he handles the rotation as well as minutes for freshmen, and now it looks like we'll have another wrinkle to pay attention to.

Four-star guard Kris Parker, ranked 75th in the class, will visit Villanova next weekend. Nova has been in to see Parker at Crossroad Academy in Florida in the last week. Another name to keep an eye on in addition to recent 2023 offer Jordann Dumont.

It's hard to know what to make of this, as Nova has had several unoffered 2023 prospects visit campus only to have those players never get an offer, so it's fair to wonder if this is another example of that. It's not something that I recall happening very often in my time covering the program so it's a little unusual that it's happened several times this summer/fall. That being said, it also appears clear that Neptune and Co. are not mailing it in with the 2023 class just yet, and maybe Parker ends up with an offer before next week's visit or leaves the visit with an offer.

Both Parker and Dumont are listed at 6-8 and therefore have the height to fill what looks to be an area of need in next year's roster and it would be ideal to land a commitment or two in 2023 as to not have to rely on the portal to fill out the roster as we wait for 2024 recruiting to hopefully resemble are more typical cycle. For now we'll keep an eye on Dumont's recruitment and wait to see if Parker ends up with an offer.

A new offer in the class of 2023 has gone out to 6-8 forward Jordann Dumont. Dumont attends Hamilton Heights Academy in Tennessee.

A bit of surprise Tuesday in the Big East coaches poll, as the Cats land in third.

2023 international prospect Alex Toohey is expected to visit Villanova this week. The 6-8 forward is from Australia and is known for his athleticism and versatility as well as for his willingness to compete on both ends of the floor. In addition to Villanova, Toohey is expected to visit Gonzaga, Michigan and Davidson. It will be interesting to see if he emerges form his visit with an offer as the cupboard is currently bare for Nova in the class of 2023. A little recruiting tidbit to keep an eye on as much of our attention shifts to the upcoming season.

2023 F Zayden High as committed to North Carolina. With that, Villanova has no real offers out for the class of 2023 (DJ Wagner technically has one, but he's not coming to Nova) and the class remains empty. It remains to be seen if the staff will pivot and look to get some late offers out (Bryce Lindsay was recently on campus) or if the program is punting on the class of 2023. The number of offers already out for the class of 2024 kind of make me lean towards the latter. For now, it's time to shift attention towards the season and the start of the Kyle Neptune era.

2023 F Zayden High, Villanova's lone remaining target in the 2023 class after Elmarko Jackson committed to Kansas this week, is set to announce his commitment on Sunday. High is choosing between Villanova, Michigan, North Carolina, Arkansas and Texas. Much like Jackson, this feels like a long shot for Nova at this point, but we'll see.

No surprise here, but 2023 G Elmarko Jackson has committed to Kansas. Zayden High, Villanova's lone remaining target in 2023, is set to announce his decision on Sunday.

Some pretty big news that kind of flew under the radar on Tuesday as former Nova great Randy Foye and former Nova assistant Ashley Howard will serve as co-executive directors of the Friends of Nova collective, an organization that will help to connect Villanova basketball players to NIL opportunities.

“Playing basketball at Villanova University was the honor of a lifetime and this opportunity to kick off Friends of Nova really means a lot to me,” Foye said in a statement released by Blueprint Sports, a company that helps organize and manage NIL collectives. “We are thrilled to give back and work hand-in-hand with supporters, fans, community members and alumni to build something meaningful and open doors to new possibilities for future generations of student-athletes.”

“Friends of Nova will allow us to help provide opportunities for student-athletes to not only capitalize on their name, image and likeness, but connect with their community and learn about financial literacy,” Howard said in the same statement. “I look forward to spearheading this initiative alongside Randy to help support our Wildcat family and help the Villanova community be a part of something bigger.”

The release describes the collective as follows: "Local and national businesses, as well as community supporters, have multiple options to engage with Villanova student-athletes. Friends of Nova builds partnerships between businesses, brands, and student-athletes for marketing opportunities, including online influencer campaigns, local appearances, youth sports coaching, speaking engagements, and more. Additionally, tax-deductible contributions can also be made through the BPS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) partner organization formed to educate, encourage, and assist student-athletes in their efforts to engage with the local community through charitable causes."

This is obviously great news for current Wildcats, who should have greater opportunities to take advantage of NIL while at Nova. Of course, this should also be helpful in recruiting. It will be interesting to see how this takes shape and the impact it has and it's an exciting and important development that should better position Villanova in the new college sports landscape.

Some other schools in Blueprint Sports' portfolio include Tennessee, Arizona, UNLV, Gonzaga and Penn State.

One of the two remaining realistic 2023 Nova targets, Elmarko Jackson is set to announce his college decision on Thursday. The announcement is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Jackson was on campus for the Blue/White scrimmage last week. Following the stop at Nova, he visited Notre Dame, wrapping up his visits to his five finalists, which also include Miami, Kansas and Texas.

There's not a great feel for what Jackson is thinking at this point, but my gut tells me this won't be a commitment to Villanova. However, as I always say, strange things can happen in recruiting and the lack of a clear favorite or much buzz at all seems to lend itself to potential surprises.

Some discouraging injury news.

Our takeaways from our first look at the 2022-23 Wildcats.