College Basketball

Villanova Basketball Transfer Portal: Did Josh Hart Hint at Rodney Rice Signing?

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Mike Lipinski
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Mike Lipinski Sports Editor

Mike Lipinski has been covering Philadelphia sports since 2005. Previous stops include Section 247 Sports, My MMA News, and more. He has been a part of the Sports Talk Philly team since 2019. He is the editor of Philadelphia Phillies content, co-editor for college football covering mainly the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and dabbles in all other sports. Follow him on social media channels -Twitter & Threads- @TheMikeLipinski

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Sports Editor

Published17 Apr 2025

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New Villanova men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard has been active in the NCAA transfer portal as he attempts to remake a Wildcats squad that finished 21-15 (11-9 Big East) and was ousted from the Big East tournament in the quarterfinals by UConn. 

Willard recently raided fellow Big 5 program Temple, signing away Owls’ forward Zion Stanford. And now the former University of Maryland head coach might be targeting a player he is very familiar with, Rodney Rice. 

Rice, who spent 2022-2024 with the Virginia Tech Hokies, entered the transfer portal a year ago and landed with the Maryland Terrapins coached by none other than Kevin Willard. Under Willard’s guidance, Rice averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while nailing 43.4% of his shots from the floor and 37.4% of his shots from beyond the arc for a Terps team that made the 2025 Sweet Sixteen. 

So, is Rice headed to Villanova? 

Former Villanova great and current New York Knicks star Josh Hart seemingly hinted as much with a not-so-subtle tweet.

Get it, rice?!

The obvious Rice-Willard connection seemingly makes the ‘Cats the front-runner but there’s a slew of other high-major programs that are in the mix for the versatile guard. Programs that could land Rice’s services include Tennessee, USC, Kansas, and Oklahoma. 

Rice has already stated he wants to focus on winning at his next stop. The Wildcats, despite not living up to Villanova standards, had a record comparable to some of the other teams reportedly interested in Rice.

About the NCAA Transfer Portal

  • The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal opened on March 24, 2025, and will close on April 22, 2025
  • Players entering the portal are eligible to sign with new teams during a limited period from April 16 to April 25, 2025
  • Unlike college football, the college basketball transfer portal is a single 3o-day window where players have the ability to enter the portal and seek a new team
  • Players may transfer outside of the transfer portal window if a head coaching change is made, there is a loss of athletic aid, or a program is discontinued