Villanova and DePaul tip off at the Pavilion on Saturday. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
January 6, 2025
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 31-January 4.
5 Big 5 Stars of the Week
1) Wooga Poplar, Villanova: Poplar helped Villanova to wins over Butler and DePaul with a strong week, averaging 17.4 points and nine rebounds in the victories. He also electrified the home crowd in Saturday’s 100-56 win over DePaul with a highlight-reel dunk in the first half. For the week, Poplar made 13 of 19 field goals (68.4 percent), including 5 of 8 from three-point range (62.5 percent).
2) Eric Dixon, Villanova: Dixon continued his torrid 2024–25 pace, averaging 26.5 points and shooting 51.4 percent (19 of 37) from the field and 45 percent (9 of 20) from the arc last week.
3) Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple: Masburn scored 24 points in Temple’s American Athletic Conference opening win over Wichita State on Friday night.
4) Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s: Fleming totaled 29 points and 16 rebounds last week while battling foul trouble in both Tuesday’s win over UMass and Friday’s loss at St. Louis.
5) Jordan Longino, Villanova: Longino had 12 points and two steals in the Wildcats’ win at Butler on Wednesday and followed it up with a career-high 19 points, making all five of his three-point tries, on Saturday against DePaul.
5 Big 5 Takeaways
1) Saint Joseph’s three-point problems: The Hawks live and die by the three-pointer, as 45.7 percent of their field goals are from long range. They lost 73-57 at St. Louis on Friday when they made just 15.4 percent (4 of 26) from the arc. Missing those long range shots is doubly negative, as it not only results in nothing on the scoreboard but gives opponents fastbreak opportunities after long rebounds. St. Joe’s entered Sunday ranked No. 211 in KenPom in offensive rebounding despite having a very good frontcourt, especially for the Atlantic 10. But the long rebounds from three-point misses don’t allow for second chance opportunities. It says here that the Hawks would benefit from getting to the lane and the foul line when their shots aren’t falling.
2) Jhamir Brickus effect: I heard several people question whether Jhamir Brickus’s game would translate from the Atlantic 10 level to the Big East, mainly because of his size but also because people don’t value A-10 talent like it deserves. All Brickus has done is lead the Big East in three-point percentage and rank fifth in the league in assists. Clearly, Brickus’s game is translating.
3) Wooga Poplar is an NBA talent: I have covered hundreds of NBA games in the last 25 years, and Wooga Poplar looks like an NBA player to me. He can shoot from long range, he rebounds, defends multiple positions, has elite athleticism, and plays above the rim. Also, he’s got charisma and a cool name, something that NBA marketing departments will love.
4) Big 5 teams missing out on the Palestra: I was in the press box on Sunday when Penn State hosted Indiana in a near-sellout at the Palestra. It was a great atmosphere that left coaches and players singing the praises of the old gym afterward. It’s embarrassing, in a way, that a team from outside of the city has shown such reverence to the storied building when the Big 5 teams not named Penn have shown a passing interest in the Palestra. It says here that Big 5 teams could greatly benefit from having at least one game at the Palestra per season. (I know St. Joe’s played Virginia Tech there this season, but it was a “neutral” court game hosted by an outside organization.) Wouldn’t a whiteout for Temple-Memphis on January 16 at the Palestra on ESPN2 have been great? Or how about #FridA10 at the Palestra when VCU visits Saint Joseph’s on January 17? Sure, it would take some strong marketing, a commitment to transportation for students, perhaps a loss of some revenue, and some griping from fans who don’t like driving into the city, battling for parking, or sitting on the benches. But the return, if marketed correctly, from publicity, media coverage, recruiting, NIL opportunities, and more, would far outweigh any lost profit, in terms of dollars and cents. Plus, honoring the tradition of the Palestra is just the right thing to do.
5) Temple should be a factor in The American: I’m really impressed with the Owls. They have a scorer. They rebound. They defend. They can score in various ways. In talking to Temple people, I’ve heard there’s great chemistry. I like the mind-set in talking to the players. The issue with Lynn Greer III and Jameel Brown sitting out due to personal reasons on Friday is curious. It sure would be great to see the full complement and know what Temple really has when everyone is on the court. But, yeah, I think this Owls team could be headed back to another deep run in the AAC tournament.
Last Week’s Story Links
-12/31/24: Commissioner Bernadette McGlade: Atlantic 10 Conference is not looking to expand but is open to it
-12/31/24: Saint Joseph’s gets halftime message from broken whiteboard in win over UMass
-1/4/25: Late run helps Temple open American Athletic Conference play with a win over Wichita State
-1/4/25: Villanova is impressive in defeating DePaul and now faces big tests this week
Big 5 Season Records
(Through 1/5/25)
Saint Joseph’s 10-5, 1-1 A-10
Temple 9-5, 1-0 American
Villanova 10-5, 3-1 Big East
Drexel 9-6, 1-1 CAA
La Salle 8-6, 0-1 A-10
Penn 4-9
Combined: 50-36 (.581)
Big 5 Scoring Leaders
(Through 1/5/25)
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 25.9
2. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 20.4
3. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 16.9
4. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 16.6
T5. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 16.0
T5. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 16.0
7. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 14.9
8. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 14.4
9. Yame Butler, Drexel, 13.9
10. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 13.7
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders
(Through 1/5/25)
1. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 9.0
2. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 8.5
T3. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.0
T3. Steve Settle III, Temple, 7.0
T5. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 6.9
T5. Demetrius Lilley, La Salle, 6.9
7. Enoch Boakye, Villanova, 6.7
8. Jahlil White, La Salle, 6.3
9. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 5.8
10. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 5.4
Big 5 Assists Leaders
(Through 1/5/25)
1. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 5.9
2. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 4.8
3. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 3.3
T4. Jason Drake, Drexel, 2.9
T4. Eric Acker, La Salle, 2.9
6. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 2.5
7. Deuce Jones, La Salle, 2.4
T8. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 2.2
T8. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 2.2
T8. Quante Berry, Temple, 2.2
T8. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 2.2
Big 5 Three-Point Percentage Leaders
(Through 1/5/25)
(Minimum 30 attempts)
1. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 50.8
2. Anthony Finkley, Saint Joseph’s, 50.0
3. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 49.0
4. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 43.8
5. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 42.6
6. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 40.9
7. Tunde Vahlberg Fasasi, La Salle, 40.6
8. Jason Drake, Drexel, 40.0
9. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 39.1
10. Tyler Perkins, Villanova, 38.1
Last Week’s Results
Tuesday, Dec. 31
Dayton 84, La Salle 70
Saint Joseph’s 81, UMass 72
Wednesday, Jan. 1
Villanova 73, Butler 65
Thursday, Jan. 2
Campbell 57, Drexel 54
Friday, Jan. 3
Temple 91, Wichita State 85
Saint Louis 73, Saint Joseph’s 57
Saturday, Jan. 4
Villanova 100, DePaul 56
Drexel 68, North Carolina A&T 59
This Week’s Schedule
Wednesday, Jan. 8
UConn at Villanova, 6:30 pm, FS1
Loyola Chicago at La Salle, 6:30 pm
Saint Joseph’s at Duquesne, 7 pm
Temple at East Carolina, 7 pm
Thursday, Jan. 9
Drexel at Stony Brook, 7 pm
Saturday, Jan. 11
Loyola Chicago at Saint Joseph’s, 3 pm, CBSSN
La Salle at St. Bonaventure, Noon
Towson at Drexel, 2 pm
Penn at Dartmouth, 2 pm
Temple at Rice, 2 pm, ESPNU
Villanova at St. John’s, 7 pm, CBSSN
—
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.