Erik Reynolds II (2) poses after Saint Joseph's victory over Temple in the Big 5 Classic on December 2, 2023. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
December 29, 2023
Big5Hoops.com
This season already has had its share of thrills and spills for Philadelphia Big 5 teams. With nonconference play just about completed and conference games beginning in earnest next week, now is a great time to take a snapshot look at each team as they enter league play.
DREXEL (7-6)
Drexel and Villanova tip off in the Big 5 Classic fifth-place game on Dec. 2. The Dragons went on to win 57-55 for their best win of the season. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Justin Moore 12.8, Amari Williams 11.1, Lamar Oden, Jr. 7.5; Rebounding: Williams 8.1, Oden 6.0, Garfield Turner 4.0, Lucas Monroe 4.0; Assists: Moore 2.7, Williams 2.1, Oden 1.3
What’s Working: The Dragons have size and athleticism to compete with most teams on any given night. With preseason CAA Player of the Year Williams, at 6-foot-10, 265 pounds, anchoring the post, the Dragons will not be outmuscled in the paint. Drexel is averaging 41.5 rebounds per contest while limiting opponents to 31.0 boards per game. The Dragons’ 10.5 rebounding margin ranks 15th in the country. (All national rankings and statistics in this column are for games through Dec. 23.)
What Needs Work: Drexel struggles making shots, especially from long range. The Dragons have connected on 72 of 249 3-pointers, which is good for just a 28.9 percent clip. That percentage ranks 322nd of 351 teams. They will need to get into the mid-30’s, at least, to have any chance of winning the CAA.
Best Win: This is easy. Drexel defeated then-No. 19 Villanova 57-55 on Dec. 2 at the Wells Fargo Center in the Big 5 Classic fifth-place game for the school’s first-ever Big 5 win. Williams had 12 points, six rebounds and five blocks, including a game-clinching rejection of the Wildcats’ Justin Moore’s layup try with three seconds left. The Dragons had their best shooting game of the season from distance, making 8 of 16 3-pointers.
Worst Loss: In their last game, on Dec. 22 at Bryant, the Dragons were routed 104-86 and had their worst defensive performance of the season. The Bulldogs made 39 of 62 (62.9 percent) field goals, including 15 of 22 (68.2) from 3-point range. That never is going to get it done. Obviously, Drexel will need to defend much better than that going forward.
Path to NCAA Tournament: The Dragons will need to win the CAA tournament, which begins March 8 in Washington, D.C., to make their sixth trip to the Big Dance. Drexel was picked to finish third in the league, behind Charleston and North Carolina-Wilmington. The conference appears wide open, with 10 of the league’s 14 teams having a .500 or better record through games played last weekend. Drexel has a chance but will need to start finding the range from long distance.
Key Conference Games: The Dragons will play at preseason favorite Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 10 at 3:30 p.m. The Cougars are 9-2 and beat very good Saint Joseph’s, 89-82 at home on Dec. 21. The Dragons begin CAA play with a big one, hosting North Carolina-Wilmington on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 7 p.m. UNCW, which was selected second in the preseason poll, is 8-4 and has an 80-73 victory at then-No. 12 Kentucky on Dec. 2 on its resume. Those two contests, more than any others, will tell if the Dragons are true contenders for a conference title.
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LA SALLE (9-3)
La Salle’s Khalil Brantley and coach Fran Dunphy speak to reporters after Brantley’s 40-foot buzzer beater in the Big 5 Classic third-place game on Dec. 2. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Khalil Brantley 16.0, Jhamir Brickus 14.3, Anwar Gill 11.3, Daeshon Shepherd 10.8; Rebounding: Rokus Jocius 6.0, Shepherd 5.8, Brantley 5.2; Assists: Brickus 5.4, Brantley 4.4, Gill 3.4
What’s Working: With Brantley, Brickus and Gill, La Salle is deep, talented and experienced in the backcourt. All three are threats to score 20 or more points on any given night and can hit inside and outside. As a team, the Explorers make 9.3 shots from the 3-point arc per contest, good for 48th in the country. They will have to keep hitting at a similar clip from distance to make some noise in the Atlantic 10.
What Needs Work: The Explorers have a size disadvantage every night, with the 5-foot-11 Brickus and 6-1 Brantley in the backcourt. They have some strong and talented post players, but La Salle’s size discrepancy in general shows up in rebounding on the box score. The Explorers give up an average of 37.3 boards per contest while only grabbing 36.1 themselves. The minus-1.2 rebounding margin ranks 262nd in the country. La Salle is not going to be a great rebounding team, but going forward the Explorers will need to focus on fighting as a team for every carom off the rim.
Best Win: Brantley’s 40-foot heave from just over half court at the buzzer incredibly banked in to give the Explorers a thrilling, 93-92 overtime win over Penn in the Big 5 Classic third-place game on Dec. 2 at the Wells Fargo Center. The improbable shot is one of the highlights of the entire college basketball season, and the win was the most exciting for the Explorers since Ty Garland’s “Southwest Philly Floater” propelled them past Mississippi and into the Sweet 16 of the 2013 NCAA tournament.
Worst Loss: The Explorers really don’t have a “bad” loss on their resume, but their 106-99 triple-overtime defeat at Temple on Nov. 29 was a heartbreaker. La Salle could’ve earned a spot in the Big 5 title game against St. Joe’s, and Brickus gave them a chance with a game-tying 3-pointer that forced overtime with 3.5 seconds left. The Explorers had control in OT and were up five with 35 seconds to play and still held a four-point advance with 20 ticks left. But Temple’s Steve Settle III hit a 3-pointer with two seconds remaining in the first OT to tie it, and the Owls eventually outlasted La Salle.
Path to NCAA Tournament: Somewhat incredibly, the Garland, Tyreek Duren and Ramon Galloway squad of 2012-13 is the Explorers’ only NCAA team in the last 31 seasons. La Salle’s only chance to get back this season is to win the A-10 conference tournament. The Explorers were picked dead last of 15 teams in the league’s preseason poll, so it would seem shocking for them to win it. But La Salle has shown it’s a good team that league foes can’t overlook. They have experience against strong opposition, losing at then-No. 9 Duke 95-66 on Nov. 21 and playing No. 24 Miami real tough in Coral Gables before falling 84-77 on Dec. 16. So, yeah, it’s improbable for the Explorers to win the league, but they are the kind of live underdog that astute horsemen don’t ignore at the race track.
Key Conference Games: Explorers fans will find out if an A-10 title is more than just a pipe dream when they host Dayton on Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. The Flyers, who were picked to win the A-10 in the preseason, are 9-2 and own a win over St. John’s. Additionally, a pair of contests against Saint Joseph’s will be a litmus test for La Salle. The Explorers play at Hagan Arena on Monday, Jan. 15 at 4 p.m., and they host the Hawks on Saturday, Feb. 3 at noon.
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PENN (8-5)
Penn coach Steve Donahue speaks to reporters after the Quakers’ loss to La Salle in the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 2. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Clark Slajchert 18.8, Tyler Perkins 14.9, Sam Brown 12.0, Nick Spinoso 10.2; Rebounding: Spinoso 7.5, Perkins 6.1; Assists: Spinoso 3.6, Slajchert 3.2, Perkins 2.2
What’s Working: The Quakers can really shoot the ball from the field. They are 64th in the country in field-goal percentage at 47.4. And they really excel from long range. Brown (27 of 58, 46.6 percent), Slajchert (36 of 83, 43.4 percent) and Perkins (24 of 67, 35.8 percent) all hit the 3 at a high rate. As a team, Penn is No. 10 in the country at 40.2 percent from the arc. Penn’s ability to make from long range also opens the floor up on the inside for bigs like Spinoso. This will be a huge asset come Ivy play.
What Needs Work: As well as the Quakers connect from the outside, they are 298th in the country in free-throw percentage at 66.5 percent. You’ve got to figure great shooters like Brown, Slajchert and Perkins all can up their percentages from the mid-70’s where they are now. That will really help offset frontcourt starters Spinoso (51.1%), George Smith (58.3%) and Ed Holland III (65%), who have not been consistently making from the foul line. This statistic bears watching because the Quakers can’t afford to give up easy points from the charity stripe in expected close games against the likes of Yale, Princeton and Cornell.
Best Win: We’ll go with last Saturday’s 77-73 OT win at Rider. The Broncs’ record is deceiving because they have played a brutal schedule. They are talented and the preseason favorite in the MAAC for good reason. Penn was lights out in the first half, making 15 of 33 (45.5 percent) from the field and 9 of 19 (47.4 percent) from the arc. The Quakers struggled after halftime but did just enough to pull out a very good victory.
Worst Loss: The Quakers’ 83-80 OT loss at Maryland-Eastern Shore on Nov. 18 gets the nod here. MES is just 2-8 and its only other victory is against Division III Cairn. Penn almost pulled off an incredible comeback in this one. The Quakers trailed by six with 23 seconds left in OT before Brown hit a pair of 3-pointers within seven seconds to tie it. But the Hawks’ Elijah Johnson nailed a 3-pointer with three seconds to play in the extra session to win it. The situation was entirely different, of course, but Johnson’s 3 looked a lot like Kris Jenkins’ game-winning play for Villanova in the 2016 NCAA title game.
Path to NCAA Tournament: The Quakers will need to earn the Ivy’s automatic bid by winning the conference’s tournament. First, Penn needs to qualify for Ivy Madness, which features the top four of the league’s eight-team contingent meeting in the semifinals on Saturday, March 16 at Columbia’s Levien Gymnasium at either 11 a.m. or 2 p.m., with the winners playing at the same location at noon the next day for the league championship. The Quakers were picked fifth in the league’s preseason poll, behind Yale, Princeton, Cornell and Brown. Princeton won its first nine games before losing at St. Joe’s, 74-70 on Dec. 10. The Tigers are currently 11-1. Yale (7-6), which has played a tough schedule, and Cornell (9-2) also are in very good shape heading into the Ivy League. Brown (4-9) has played a good schedule but dropped several games against teams you’d think it would beat. Harvard and Columbia both are 8-3 and confident heading into league action. Bottom line: Penn is good, but the Quakers will have to be great to win the Ivy. Likely every game, with the possible exception of Dartmouth, will be tough and crucial to ensure a spot in Ivy Madness.
Key Conference Games: The Quakers will play each league team twice. They’ll have the Ivy’s top two preseason teams as follows:
Penn at Yale, Saturday, Feb. 3, 7 p.m.; Yale at Penn, Friday, Feb. 16, 7 p.m.
Penn at Princeton, Saturday, Feb. 10, 6 p.m.; Princeton at Penn, Saturday, March 9, 6 p.m.
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SAINT JOSEPH’S (9-3)
Saint Joseph’s (l-r) Rasheer Fleming, Erik Reynolds II, coach Billy Lange and Lynn Greer III speak at a press conference after the Big 5 championship game on Dec. 2. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Erik Reynolds II 17.4, Cameron Brown 11.7, Xzayvier Brown 11.6, Rasheer Fleming 11.3, Lynn Greer III 11.3; Rebounding: Fleming 7.0, C. Brown 5.2, Greer 4.8; Assists: Greer 4.3, Reynolds 3.1, X. Brown 2.8
What’s Working: The Hawks can run and gun with just about anybody in the country. Coach Billy Lange came to St. Joe’s from the 76ers bench, and he has brought a pro-style offense to Hawk Hill. It’s all about the 3 in the NBA, so it’s no surprise to see the Hawks doing it, too. St. Joe’s is tied for fifth in the country by making an average of 11.1 3-pointers per contest. When the plethora of long-range shots are falling, like at Villanova on Nov. 29, the Hawks are nearly impossible to beat.
What Needs Work: My first thought is defense. The Hawks can score with anybody, but seemingly anyone – from what I have watched – can score on them. Maybe I’m wrong, though, because none of their defensive statistics stand out as really poor. More middle-of-the-pack stuff on defense, which is fine considering how good they are on offense. I will say defense needs work, though, if the Hawks are going to win the A-10. However, the stat that is more glaring is the 12.1 turnovers per contest, which lands St. Joe’s at tied for 161st in the country. This one really surprised me because, in Reynolds, Greer and Brown, the Hawks have great ball-handlers. A strange, 21-turnover game in a 64-55 win over Sacred Heart on Nov. 26 is pulling the average up. That game seems to be an anomaly, but the Hawks need to bring down this number.
Best Win: The Big 5 Classic championship victory over Temple on Dec. 2 that resulted in a Saint Joseph’s banner in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center is the win that is the most historic. However, St. Joe’s best victory and the one that resonates most with its supporters is the 78-65 defeat of Villanova at the Pavilion on Nov. 29. The Hawks were double-digit underdogs to the Wildcats, who were fresh off a dominating showing en route to winning the Battle 4 Atlantis title in the Bahamas. But St. Joe’s just blitzed the Wildcats, making 29 of 51 (56.9 percent) field goals and 14 of 27 (51.9 percent) 3-pointers.
Worst Loss: In a true head-scratcher that has had and likely will continue to have a major negative effect on this year’s squad, St. Joe’s lost 57-54 at home on Nov. 17 to Texas A&M-Commerce. If not for this defeat, the Hawks likely would have had serious consideration for the AP Top 25 and would be a legitimate NCAA at-large team to watch. Bad losses happen, but teams like St. Joe’s without a lot of Quad 1 opportunities are hurt even more by something like this. To their credit, the Hawks recovered well from the defeat in which they shot 18 of 66 (27.3 percent) from the field and 6 of 30 (20 percent) from 3-point range.
Path to NCAA Tournament: The most probable road back to their first trip to the NCAA trip since 2016 is for the Hawks to win the A-10 tournament. This definitely is doable for this team. To get an at-large bid, St. Joe’s probably would have to win at least 16 of its 18 league games and reach the conference tournament title game. That A-10 mark would have to include a win over Dayton. Let’s give the Hawks a win over Loyola on Friday, 16 league wins and victories in the A-10 quarterfinals and semifinals before a loss in the title game. That’s a 28-6 record. I would think that would be enough for an at-large bid, especially if Villanova continues to play the way it has started in the Big East, making the Hawks’ road win at Villanova look better and better. Would a similar scenario with a 27-7 or 26-8 mark be enough? I wouldn’t take my chances if I were the Hawks.
Key Conference Games: At No. 22 in the latest Net rankings, Dayton is the best opportunity in league play for the Hawks to earn a statement victory. St. Joe’s will host the Flyers, who received four votes in the AP Top 25 this week, on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. This is pretty much a must-win for the Hawks to have a chance of an at-large bid, barring maybe running off victories in their other 17 league games. VCU hasn’t started as strong as predicted, but the Rams have had a tough schedule and a first-year coach. I’m guessing VCU will be tough in the A-10 and figure St. Joe’s matchup in Richmond on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 4 p.m. will be an important one for the Hawks.
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TEMPLE (7-6)
Temple coach Adam Fisher addresses the media after the Owls lost to St. Joe’s in the Big 5 Classic title game. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Hysier Miller 17.4, Jahlil White 12.4, Jordan Riley 11.3; Rebounding: White 7.1, Sam Hofman 6.8, Steve Settle III 5.6, Riley 5.5; Assists: Miller 4.5, Settle 1.6, White 1.6
What’s Working: From what I have seen, the Owls are a resilient bunch. It is going to take some time for first-year coach Adam Fisher, someone who has a very good track record as a recruiter, to build the program up the way he wants. One thing the current group does well is attack the basket and get to the line. Before Sunday’s 55-54 win over Portland to cap a 1-2 trip at the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii, the Owls ranked 43rd nationally by making 16.7 free throws per contest. (After the win over the Pilots, Temple is making 16.2 foul shots per game.)
What Needs Work: One reason the Owls work hard to get to the rim and the charity stripe is they don’t shoot well from the outside. This is an area Fisher knows he needs to address. Before their win over the Pilots, Temple ranked 265th nationally in 3-point percentage at 31.2 percent. The Owls dipped to 30.5 percent from the arc after going 7 of 30 from long range versus the Pilots. It is going to be challenging for the Owls to be a factor in the American Conference without connecting from the outside. And, truth be told, expectations are low in the conference, as the Owls were picked 12th of 14 teams in the league’s preseason poll.
Best Win: Temple’s 106-99 triple-overtime home victory over La Salle on Nov. 29 earned the Owls a berth in the first-ever Big 5 Classic championship game.
Worst Loss: Temple was downed 78-73 by Columbia on Nov. 18. The Lions were picked to finish last in the Ivy League, though they have been a surprising 8-3.
Path to NCAA Tournament: Temple has played in the NCAA tournament just twice (2016 and 2019) since ending six consecutive seasons in the Big Dance in 2013. The Owls will have to win the American tournament, which begins March 13 in Fort Worth, Texas, to get back. Never say never, but this is a long shot for the Owls this season.
Key Conference Games: After reaching the Final Four last season, Florida Atlantic is 10-2 and moved up to No. 7 this week in the AP Top 25. Temple will get a crack at FAU in Boca Raton, Florida on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. The other top dog in the American, No. 19 Memphis (10-2), comes to the Liacouras Center on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. Even if it’s only to earn some national recognition for a night, Temple will have a pair of opportunities for signature wins.
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VILLANOVA (9-4, 2-0 Big East)
Villanova honored former coach Jay Wright by renaming the road outside of the Pavilion Wright Way before the Wildcats’ game against St. Joe’s on Nov. 29. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
Team Leaders: Scoring: Eric Dixon 14.9, Justin Moore 13.3, Tyler Burton 9.4, Jordan Longino 9.3; Rebounding: Burton 8.1, Dixon 6.5, TJ Bamba 3.9, Hakim Hart 3.9; Assists: Moore 2.2, Bamba 2.1, Longino 2.1
What’s Working: Villanova has been a roller-coaster team this season – really good when they’re up and not so much when they’re down. However, in spite of the frustration this understandably causes those within the program and their supporters, it is reasonable to expect from a team that had so much turnover. The Wildcats played amazingly well in the Bahamas while running past Texas Tech, North Carolina and Memphis to win the Battle 4 Atlantis title. Then, they returned home and were flat in consecutive losses to St. Joe’s and Drexel. Now, they seem to have their mojo back after last Wednesday’s thrilling 68-66 OT win at No. 12 Creighton, followed by an 84-48 rout at DePaul on Saturday. One thing Villanova is doing really well, as per custom on the Main Line, is making its free throws. The Wildcats rank second in the country in free-throw percentage at 81.9 percent. This figures to be huge in the tough Big East battles ahead.
What Needs Work: A common theme in the Wildcats’ losses is struggles from 3-point range. They shot 35 for 128 (27.3 percent) from the arc combined in defeats to Penn, St. Joe’s, Drexel and Kansas State. Their season average of 33.4 percent is 182nd nationally. Villanova hits enough 3-pointers to keep teams honest. Obviously, shooting well from long range will help, like when they went 12 of 22 (54.5 percent) against DePaul. If the shots aren’t falling, though, Villanova will need to abandon the continued barrage from long range and work to get the ball inside, which is exactly what they did against Creighton and didn’t do against Drexel.
Best Win: The Dec. 13 win at Creighton was huge for Villanova in so many ways, most of all just getting confidence back after a three-game losing streak. It started the Wildcats off on the right foot in Big East play and gave them another Quad 1 victory to hang their hat on come Selection Sunday should they not win the Big East tournament. Eric Dixon was huge in that contest, as he’s been all season, by scoring 32 points and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer with 28 seconds left in OT.
Worst Loss: The Drexel loss on Dec. 2 in the fifth-place game of the Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center gets the nod. The Wildcats were 5 of 27 (18.5 percent) from 3-point range in the game and finished a shocking 0-3 in Big 5 competition.
Path to NCAA Tournament: The three-time NCAA national champions missed out on the Big Dance last season. They are in good, not great position at the moment. It would really help Villanova’s NCAA at-large chances for Drexel, Penn and St. Joe’s to do well in their respective conference play. The Wildcats also control their own destiny with plenty of opportunities for wins in Quad 1, where they are 3-0 this season. UConn (No. 5), Marquette (10), Creighton (22) and Providence (25) all are ranked in the AP Top 25 this week, and several Big East schools (including Villanova, which got six votes this week) are knocking on the door of the Top 25. The Wildcats will get two chances each at the aforementioned four schools and already are 1-0 versus the Bluejays. I’d guess that splitting eight games with UConn, Marquette, Creighton and Providence and going 9-3 in the remaining 12 league games will be enough for Villanova. That would put the Wildcats at 20-11 and, based on the strength of conference, would be enough to get them back to the Big Dance.
Key Conference Games: Marquette was picked to win the league and UConn selected to finish third. Here’s a look at when Villanova plays those two teams:
At Marquette, Monday, Jan. 15, 2:30 p.m.; Host Marquette, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Host UConn, Saturday, Jan. 20, 8 p.m., Wells Fargo Center; At UConn, Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m.
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Phil Martelli joins Ken Krsolovic and me in Spaces
We held our first-ever Spaces on Wednesday night, and former Saint Joseph’s radio voice Ken Krsolovic was gracious to join us to talk about his time broadcasting the Hawks. (We wrote about Krsolovic in last week’s column.) About 53 minutes into our conversation, former Hawks coach Phil Martelli unexpectedly joined our conversation. In case you missed it, the full recording can be found on our X page HERE.
We will be hosting our next weekly Spaces on Monday night from 8-9 p.m. I will be recapping the weekend’s games and talking to you from 8-8:30 p.m. We will be joined by former Philadelphia Tribune writer Donald Hunt from 8:30-9 p.m. to talk about former Temple Owls coach John Chaney. Head over to our X page HERE to access the link to join.
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Villanova remains atop Big 5 rankings
Big 5 Hoops Rankings
(Through games Dec. 24)
1. Villanova (9-4)
2. Saint Joseph’s (9-3)
3. La Salle (9-3)
4. Penn (8-5)
5. Temple (7-6)
6. Drexel (7-6)
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Penn’s Slajchert tops Big 5 in scoring
Big 5 Hoops Scoring Leaders
(Through games Dec. 24)
1. Clark Slajchert, Penn, 18.8
T2. Erik Reynolds II, St. Joe’s, 17.4
T2. Hysier Miller, Temple, 17.4
4. Khalil Brantley, La Salle, 16.0
T5. Tyler Perkins, Penn, 14.9
T5. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 14.9
7. Jhamir Brickus, La Salle, 14.3
8. Justin Moore, Villanova, 13.3
9. Justin Moore, Drexel, 12.8
10. Jahlil White, Temple, 12.4
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Drexel’s Williams leads Big 5 in rebounding
Big 5 Hoops Rebounding Leaders
(Through games Dec. 24)
1. Amari Williams, Drexel, 8.1
2. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.5
3. Jahlil White, Temple, 7.1
4. Rasheer Fleming, St. Joe’s, 7.0
5. Sam Hofman, Temple, 6.8
6. Tyler Perkins, Penn, 6.1
T7. Lamar Oden, Jr., 6.0
T7. Rokus Jocius, La Salle, 6.0
9. Daeshon Shepherd, La Salle, 5.8
10. Steve Settle III, Temple, 5.6
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La Salle’s Brickus tops Big 5 in assists
Big 5 Hoops Assists Leaders
(Through games Dec. 24)
1. Jhamir Brickus, La Salle, 5.4
2. Hysier Miller, Temple, 4.5
3. Khalil Brantley, La Salle, 4.4
4. Lynn Greer III, St. Joe’s, 4.3
5. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 3.6
6. Anwar Gill, La Salle, 3.4
7. Clark Slajchert, Penn, 3.2
8. Erik Reynolds II, St. Joe’s, 3.1
9. Xzayvier Brown, St. Joe’s, 2.8
10. Justin Moore, Drexel, 2.7
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Last Week’s Results
Friday, Dec. 22
Bryant 104, Drexel 86
Old Dominion 78, Temple 63
Saturday, Dec. 23
Penn 77, Rider 73, OT
Villanova 84, DePaul 48
Sunday, Dec. 24
Temple 55, Portland 54
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This Week’s Schedule
Friday, Dec. 29
7 pm, Loyola (Md.) at Saint Joseph’s
Saturday, Dec. 30
2 pm, Howard at La Salle
7 pm, Penn at Houston
Monday, Jan. 1
12 pm, Hampton at Drexel
Tuesday, Jan. 2
9 pm, Penn at Auburn
Wednesday, Jan. 3
6:30 pm, George Mason at La Salle
7 pm, Saint Joseph’s at Rhode Island
8:30 pm, Xavier at Villanova
Thursday, Jan. 4
7 pm, UNC-Wilmington at Drexel
7 pm, Temple at South Florida
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Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. His byline regularly appears on Associated Press stories. Big5Hoops.com is his second website dedicated to Philadelphia college basketball. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages.