It would take overtime, but the 2024-25 basketball season for Villanova officially ended in Las Vegas on Saturday, following a 104-98 loss to Central Florida. It was a riveting semifinal game of Fox Sports’ College Basketball Crown tournament;

Villanova eked out a 60-59 win over USC in the quarterfinals. The team's leading scorer was Eric Dixon, who scored 28 points and was 5-for-11 from beyond the arc. Wooga Poplar added 16 points and seven rebounds for the Wildcats.

USC held a 31-27 lead at halftime and built that up to a 12-point advantage less than five minutes into the second half. Then Dixon woke up. He was responsible for 14 of Villanova's points during a 16-2 run in the middle of the half, giving the Wildcats a 45-43 lead.