Denise Dillon is the head coach of the Villanova University women's basketball program in Villanova, Pennsylvania, and the 2025-26 season marks her sixth year leading her alma mater. Over her first five seasons at Villanova, she compiled a 114-51 overall record and a 63-26 mark in BIG EAST play. Her teams reached the NCAA Tournament twice, earned one WNIT berth, and advanced to the WBIT twice, including a run to the championship game and another to the semifinals. Entering 2025-26, her overall record across 22 seasons as a head coach stood at 443-262.
Villanova posted four straight 20-win seasons under Dillon from 2021-22 through 2024-25. In 2024-25, the Wildcats finished 21-15 overall and 11-7 in conference play, then reached the WBIT semifinals for the second year in a row. The year before, Villanova made the title game of the inaugural WBIT. In 2022-23, Dillon led one of the best seasons in program history as the Wildcats went 30-7 overall and 17-3 in the BIG EAST, set a school record for victories, reached the conference championship game for a second consecutive season, and advanced to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in school history. Villanova received a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and served as a first- and second-round host site, only the second time the program had hosted NCAA women's tournament games. The Wildcats beat Cleveland State and Florida Gulf Coast at Finneran Pavilion to reach the regional semifinals, and the victory over Florida Gulf Coast gave Dillon her 400th career win.
