Villanova routed Penn 93-49 at the Pavilion on November 19, 2024. The Wildcats have won five of six. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
December 9, 2024
It was another exciting week of basketball in the Big 5, with some outstanding performances both individually and as a team. There also were some disappointments and setbacks, as we detail below. Let’s take a look back at the games played between December 9–15.
5 Big 5 Stars of the Week
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova: Dixon continued his torrid pace, scoring 27 points to lead Villanova to an 86-72 win over FDU on Wednesday at the Pavilion, to earn the honor as Big5Hoops.com’s top star for the second straight week. He made 9 of 13 field goals. Dixon is averaging 25.8 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 52.3 percent from three-point range.
2. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s: Fleming was a bright spot in Saint Joseph’s disappointing 78-75 home loss to Charleston on Tuesday, netting a career-high-26 points. He made 10 of 14 field goals, including 4 of 6 three-pointers. The junior from Camden is averaging 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range.
3. Wooga Poplar, Villanova: Poplar made 3 of 6 shots from beyond the arc and 7 of 13 overall to help the Wildcats defeat FDU 86-72 at home on Tuesday. The Miami transfer and Philly native raised his three-point percentage from 31.4 percent to 35.9 by hitting 7 of 13 long-range shots in his last two games.
4. Kobe MaGee, Drexel: MaGee continued his fine season by lead Drexel with 17 points in Saturday’s 77-70 win at Albany, making 7 of 13 field goals and 2 of 4 from three-point range. He added five rebounds. MaGee is averaging 15.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from long range.
5. Eric Acker, La Salle: Playing in his first game of the season, the Long Island transfer scored 13 points in 22 minutes in the Explorers’ 93-67 loss at North Carolina on Saturday. Acker made 5 of 10 field goals, including 3 of 6 three-pointers. La Salle’s backcourt of Corey McKeithan, Deuce Jones, and Eric Acker suddenly looks really good.
5 Big 5 Takeaways
1. Watch out for Villanova. The Wildcats are playing really good basketball, having won five of six, and enter a wide-open Big East. Two-time defending national champ UConn is the favorite, but the Huskies have shown they can be beaten, losing all three games in Maui. Villanova is playing defense to match its offense, which has been good all season. The Wildcats lead the Big East in three-point percentage at 40.5 percent. If they keep playing like this, there’s a good chance they’ll be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022.
2. Watch out for La Salle. The Explorers not only got Demetrius Lilley (wrist/hand injury) and Jahlil White (unknown) back for Saturday’s game against North Carolina, but they got a great contribution in the debut of Eric Acker, who scored 13 points against the Tar Heels. La Salle is going to be a tough out in the Atlantic 10 and won’t finish last, as predicted in the preseason.
3. Watch out for Drexel. The Dragons have as good of a backcourt as anyone in the Coastal Athletic Conference with Kobe MaGee (15.9 ppg) and Yame Butler (13.5). And Cole Hargrove (11.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg) has been a force down low. There’s no way the Dragons won’t finish 11th in the 14-team CAA as predicted if they keep this up.
4. Conference tournament or bust for Saint Joseph’s. The Hawks’ three home losses to Central Connecticut State, Princeton, and Charleston have eliminated their NCAA at-large chances. St. Joe’s only path to the Big Dance is by winning the A-10 tournament, which won’t be easy considering how good the league has looked in nonconference play.
5. Temple is back. The Owls played suffocating defense in Sunday’s win at a pretty good Hofstra team that was picked third in the CAA in the preseason. They were helped by the return of Lynn Greer III, who had nine points and five rebounds in 17 minutes.
Last Week’s Story Links
-12/12/24: Bracy Column: New Big 5 format is a success, but Hall of Fame recognition needs to change
-12/11/24: Wooga Poplar beginning to find his comfort zone at Villanova
-12/10/24: Home loss to Charleston raises two big questions for Saint Joseph’s
Big 5 Season Records
(Through 12/15/24)
Drexel 7-4
Villanova 7-4
Saint Joseph’s 6-4
Temple 6-4
La Salle 6-5
Penn 3-7
Combined: 35-28 (.555)
Big 5 Scoring Leaders
(Through 12/15/24)
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 25.8
2. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 21.0
3. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 17.8
4. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 16.9
5. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 15.9
6. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 15.7
7. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 15.4
8. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 14.5
9. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 13.5
10. Yame Butler, Drexel, 13.5
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders
(Through 12/15/24)
1. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 8.9
2. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 8.6
3. Demetrius Lilley, La Salle, 7.5
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.1
T5. Jahalil White, La Salle, 6.4
T5. Steve Settle III, Temple, 6.4
7. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 6.3
8. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 5.9
T9. Quante Berry, Temple, 5.6
T9. Babatunde Durodola, 5.6
Big 5 Three-Point % Leaders
(Through 12/15/24)
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 52.3
T2. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 50.0
T2. Anthony Finkley, Saint Joseph’s, 50.0
T2. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 50.0
5. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 45.7
6. Jason Drake, Drexel, 43.5
7. Tyler Perkins, Villanova, 40.4
8. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 39.5
9. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 38.8
10. Yame Butler, Drexel, 37.5
Big 5 Assist Leaders
(Through 12/15/24)
1. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 5.6
2. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 5.1
3. Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s, 3.8
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 3.4
5. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 3.3
6. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 3.1
7. Jason Drake, Drexel, 2.9
8. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 2.8
T9. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 2.3
T9. Steve Settle III, Temple, 2.3
Last Week’s Results
Monday, Dec. 9
VCU 66, Penn 47
Tuesday, Dec. 10
Charleston 78, Saint Joseph’s 75
Temple 110, Holy Family 81
Wednesday, Dec. 11
Villanova 86, FDU 72
Saturday, Dec. 14
North Carolina 93, La Salle 67
Drexel 77, Albany 70
Sunday, Dec. 15
Temple 60, Hofstra 42
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Drexel at Howard, 4 pm
Seton Hall at Villanova, 7:30 pm, Peacock
Wednesday, Dec. 18
FDU at La Salle, 6:30 pm
Davidson at Temple, 7 pm
American at Saint Joseph’s, 7 pm
Friday, Dec. 20
Rider at Penn, 6 pm
Saturday, Dec. 21
Penn State at Drexel, Wells Fargo Center, Noon
Saint Joseph’s vs. Virginia Tech, Palestra, Noon
Immaculata at La Salle, 2 pm
Villanova at Creighton, 4 pm, FS1
Temple vs. Rhode Island, Springfield, Mass., 6:30 pm
Sunday, Dec. 22
Penn at George Mason, 2 pm
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.