Why Is Eric Dixon Not In The Wooden Award Conversations?

There has not been much to celebrate for the Wildcats since the end of the Jay Wright era.

Since Wright hung up his collection of suits for good, which resulted in a Final Four Appearance in 2021, Villanova has yet to reach 20 wins in the next three seasons, as they currently sit at 17-12 with one regular season game remaining.

Instead of anticipated growth, the Wildcats have stayed consistent, with a winning percentage around .500 in every season under Neptune, leading to questions about the future of the program that was once the gold standard.

In the team’s lack of success, their lone bright spot has been former Wright recruit Eric Dixon and his development in the Big East.

The 24-year-old saw his first collegiate action as a Redshirt Freshman, playing about 8 minutes per game for the loaded Wildcats team that featured four soon-to-be NBA products.

When a spot opened for Dixon his sophomore year, he became a stereotypical big man in Wright’s system, averaging 9.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

It seemed like Dixon was on trajectory to be yet another Wildcat to finish their time at Villanova and become an NBA product, clashing against the growing trend of one-and-done collegiate athletes. He would have the possibility of following players like Josh Hart, Eric Paschall or Dante Cunningham.

So, right on cue, Dixon elevated his game yet again over the next two seasons, averaging 15.4 then 16.6 points a night in his junior and senior years.

While this could have been enough to get drafted following his four playing years, especially in an NBA Draft not regarded as deep as in years past.

Instead, Dixon elected to play for a fifth year, which unlocked an offensive display that had yet to be seen from the Pennsylvania native.

On the year, Dixon is averaging 23.3 points per game on 46% shooting on the floor and 43% from downtown.

This point per game mark leads the NCAA in points per game, and it is not relatively close. Dixon leads all college players by nearly an entire point per game, where if we filter this leaderboard to only players of Power Five programs, he has just over a 2.5 point per game lead.

Despite these scoring metrics, Dixon’s name has not circulated into player of the year conversations, with Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Auburn’s Johni Broome turning the competition into a two-horse race.

Is Dixon’s performance this season not comparable to Flagg and Broome, or is Dixon being left out of the conversation due to the success of the team Dixon plays for?

It is understandable for these two players to be atop the Wooden Award odds, as Flagg has led Duke to a 26-3 record on the season behind 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a steal and block per contest.

While Flagg is a pro prospect expected to go first overall in this year’s draft, Broome is the typical college big man, averaging 18.6 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game in the SEC. This level of production has went a long way to the Tigers’ top-seed with a 26-2 record.

While a basketball player’s value has always relied upon their team’s success more than any other major team sport, Dixon may be deserving of the opposite treatment, being able to score at his volume despite a lack of secondary options helping the Southpaw this season.

After Dixon’s 23.3 points per night, the second-closest scorer is Wooga Poplar at 14.6. Jordan Longino sits in third, as these three are the only ones on the team to average over 10 points per game.

This is the main reason for Dixon’s field goal attempts per game being 4.5 more than over his career, including a 2.3 raise in three-point field goals.

This lack of depth has led to some of Dixon’s best games being forgotten as it came in a losing effort, including his season-high 38 points against Maryland and 33 points against Columbia, which both came without a win for the Wildcats.

So, instead of Dixon potentially having an argument similar to players like Oscas Tshiebwe or Denzel Valentine, Dixon’s marketing campaign should push the narrative or Obi Toppin or Jimmer Fredette.

Despite the team’s results not aligning with a player’s season statistics, this should not impact a player’s claim for being the best overall in the sport.

Dixon has led a personal season that should be remembered, that includes scoring statistics without a lack of efficiency to reach the per game totals.

This factor of Dixon’s game was specifically shown in his most recent game at Seton Hall, where he led the Wildcats to a come from behind victory with his fourth 30+point game of the season. Dixon scored 25 of his 32 points in the second half after a slow offensive start, which sparked a double-digit comeback, thus showing what Dixon has to do night in and night out to keep his team alive in games.

While Flagg, Broome, and the other candidates for the award are vital to their team’s success, there may not be an argument for anyone else more valuable to their respective team than Dixon has been for Villanova.