Temple celebrates after defeating Davidson for the program's 2,000th victory. (Photo: @TUMBBhoops/X Account)
By AARON BRACY
December 22, 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 16-22.
5 Big 5 Stars of the Week
1) Elijah Gray, Temple: On Wednesday against Davidson, the Fordham transfer scored on a layup with 4 seconds remaining to lift Temple to a 62-61 win and the program’s 2,000th victory. Temple joined Duke, UNC, Kentucky, UCLA, and Kansas in the exclusive club for at least 2,000 wins.
2) Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s: Reynolds shook off early-season struggles with a big week, netting 25 in Wednesday’s 84-57 win over American and then 27 in Saturday’s 82-62 victory against Virginia Tech at the Palestra. He made 44.4 percent (8 of 18) three-pointers in the two games.
3) Eric Dixon, Villanova: Dixon continued his torrid play, scoring 25 in Tuesday’s Big East conference opening win against Seton Hall at the Pavilion before following it with 27 points in Saturday’s 86-79 defeat at Creighton. Dixon made 51.4 percent (18 of 35) of his field goals against the Pirates and Bluejays.
4) Deuce Jones, La Salle: The rookie from Trenton scored nine straight points to help La Salle come back from a late, 13-point deficit in Wednesday’s 77-72 victory over FDU. Jones finished with 23 points, along with nine rebounds.
5) Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s: The Rutgers transfer did a little bit of everything for the Hawks in blowout wins over American and Virginia Tech, helping to fill the void of point guard Xzayvier Brown (strained hamstring), who sat out both games. Simpson averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in the two contests.
5 Big 5 Takeaways
1) Saint Joseph’s Defense: On Wednesday against American, Saint Joseph’s came out pressing the Eagles up the court. It was the first time I’ve seen that style early in the game from the Hawks in the last two years, and it worked beautifully for the home team. St. Joe’s scored 18 of the first 22 points on the way to an easy win. They continued to defend at a high level, often using up-the-court pressure, in Saturday’s 20-point rout of Virginia Tech at the Palestra. The Hawks have the athletes and the depth to play that style, and I’d think we’ll see much more of that this season.
2) Villanova’s Defense: The Wildcats have been playing really good basketball of late, especially offensively. That continued on Saturday at Creighton when Villanova shot 50 percent (32 of 64) from the field and 40 percent (8 of 20) from three-point range. The problem, though, is the Wildcats couldn’t stop the Bluejays. Part of that is just an unconscious shooting day for Creighton, but part of that was Villanova leaving Bluejays sharpshooters too open. Creighton finished 55.4 percent (31 of 56) from the field and 14 of 25 (56 percent) from three-point range. Stating the obvious, Villanova is going to have to defend the perimeter better to contend in the Big East.
3) What is going on with Penn? The Quakers got routed once again, losing by double-digits for the sixth time with Sunday’s 85-53 loss at George Mason. Penn was outscored 50-28 after halftime against the Patriots. The Quakers (4-8) have lost their eight contests by a whopping average of 18.8 points per game that include a 44-point blowout at Villanova. Penn is shooting just 38.9 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three-point range. One of the surprises in the entire Big 5 is the slow start of Sam Brown. The sophomore guard drained 43.3 percent (61 of 141) from long range as a freshman last season but is hitting at just a 23.3 percent clip (14 of 60) this season. There also are rotation issues. For instance, Dylan Williams, who began the season as the team’s starting point guard, did not play due to a coach’s decision in Friday’s 79-66 home win over Rider and then played just eight minutes against Mason. There’s much to fix for Penn.
4) Drexel is a tough out. Oddsmakers gave Drexel little chance against Penn State, installing the Dragons as a 16 1/2-point underdog. But there was Drexel within a pair of points with four minutes left in the eventual 75-64 loss to the Nittany Lions at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. Watch out for the Dragons in the Coastal Athletic Conference. They were picked 11th in the league, but it would be a surprise here if they didn’t contend for the CAA title.
5) A perfect home mark for La Salle. Saturday’s expected blowout of Division III Immaculata completed a perfect 6-0 nonconference mark for the Explorers at brand-new Glaser Arena. Clearly, the arena is going to be more of a home-court advantage than the old gym. The competition, though, will get tougher in the Atlantic 10. Still, the Explorers look like a team that can defend its home court this season.
Last Week’s Story Links
-12/19/24: Wednesday roundup: Temple wins 2,000th game on a historic night for the Big 5
-12/21/24: Derek Simpson’s all-around impressive play helps Saint Joseph’s rout Virginia Tech
Big 5 Season Records
(Through 12/22/24)
Saint Joseph’s 8-4
Drexel 8-5
La Salle 8-5
Villanova 8-5, 1-1 Big East
Temple 7-5
Penn 4-8
Combined: 43-32 (.573)
Big 5 Scoring Leaders
(Through 12/22/24)
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 25.8
2. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 20.3
3. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 16.7
4. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 16.6
5. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 16.5
6. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 16.1
7. Xzavier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 15.7
8. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 14.8
9. Yame Butler, Drexel, 13.8
10. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 13.2
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders
(Through 12/22/24)
1. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 8.8
2. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 8.5
3. Demetrius Lilley, La Salle, 7.2
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 6.9
5. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 6.6
6. Steve Settle III, Temple, 6.5
7. Jahlil White, La Salle, 6.1
8. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 5.8
T9. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 5.6
T9. Enoch Boakye, Villanova, 5.6
Big 5 Three-Point % Leaders
(Minimum 20 attempts: Through 12/22/24)
1. Anthony Finkley, Saint Joseph’s, .536
T2. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, .500
T2. Eric Dixon, Villanova, .500
4. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, .444
5. Tyler Perkins, Villanova, .436
6. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, .434
7. Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, La Salle, .406
8. Dasear Haskins, Saint Joseph’s, .400
9. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, .397
10. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, .396
Big 5 Assist Leaders
(Through 12/22/24)
1. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 5.6
2. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 5.1
3. Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s, 4.1
4. Eric Acker, La Salle, 3.7
5. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 3.5
6. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 3.3
T7. Jason Drake, Drexel, 2.8
T7. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 2.8
T9. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 2.5
T9. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 2.5
Last Week’s Results
Tuesday, Dec. 17
Drexel 68, Howard 65
Villanova 79, Seton Hall 67
Wednesday, Dec. 18
La Salle 77, FDU 72
Temple 62, Davidson 61
Saint Joseph’s 84, American 57
Friday, Dec. 20
Penn 79, Rider 66
Saturday, Dec. 21
Penn State 75, Drexel 64
Saint Joseph’s 82, Virginia Tech 62
La Salle 108, Immaculata 48
Creighton 86, Villanova 79
Rhode Island 85, Temple 79
Sunday, Dec. 22
George Mason 85, Penn 53
This Week’s Schedule
Saturday, Dec. 28
Delaware State at Saint Joseph’s, 1 pm
Sunday, Dec. 29
Penn at Penn State, 1 pm, Peacock
Buffalo at Temple, 3 pm, ESPNU
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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.