Fran Dunphy's La Salle Explorers picked up a road win at St. Bonaventure on Saturday on Deuce Jones's three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in OT. (Photo credit: La Salle athletics)
By AARON BRACY
January 12, 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 January 6-12.
5 Big 5 Takeaways
1) Villanova looks like an NCAA tournament team: The Wildcats showed this in a 68-66 home win over No. 9 UConn on Wednesday, a victory that is slightly couched by the fact the Huskies didn’t have star freshman Liam McNeeley (right high ankle sprain). Still, UConn is very good without McNeeley. Saturday night’s 80-68 loss at St. John’s did nothing to change my mind. The Red Storm are really good. It is not going to be easy by any means, but if Villanova finishes in the Top 4 of the Big East, they will end their two-year NCAA tournament drought – and I think they will do it.
2) Saturday is more like what Saint Joseph’s really is (I think): The Hawks were nothing short of brilliant in the first half against Loyola Chicago at Hagan Arena on Saturday when they put four players in double-figures, had seven blocks, five steals, and nine assists on 19 field goals in the opening 20 minutes alone. This is the St. Joe’s team I thought they could be when evaluating the Hawks in the preseason. They have had some good games this season (see Texas Tech, Villanova, and Virginia Tech), but this was different. I am not ready to say the Hawks have turned the corner, but I do think this is a leaping off point for a really good Atlantic 10 run.
3) Hello, Mr. Jones: Trenton Makes, La Salle Takes, I guess. Wow! What can you say other than that after Explorers rookie Deuce Jones, a Trenton native, banked in a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in overtime to lift La Salle to their first conference win in historically one of the toughest places in the league, St. Bonaventure’s Reilly Center. La Salle’s 83-82 OT win is more than just Jones, though, as good and clutch (and, let’s be honest, a little lucky) as it was. Bona has been one of the A-10’s best teams, and La Salle traded blow for blow with the Bonnies, getting outstanding performances from Jones (16 points), Demetrius Lilley (16 points, 8 rebounds), and Daeshon Shepherd (14 points, 8 rebounds). Fran Dunphy’s squad is a dangerous opponent for everyone in the A-10.
4) Oh, so close, Drexel: The Dragons just missed out on what would’ve been a real statement win on Saturday against Coastal Athletic Association preseason favorite Towson. I was following along at Hagan, and Drexel seemed to have control throughout the second half. But Towson’s Nendah Tarke hit two three-pointers in the final 50 seconds of regulation, the second with 14 seconds left, and the Dragons couldn’t answer. Towson ran off the first 10 points of overtime, a 16-0 run over regulation and OT, that sank Drexel.
5) Penn, oh, Penn: No need to pile on, other than pointing out that the Quakers lost another one, dropping to 4-10 overall and 0-1 in the Ivy League, with Saturday’s 73-70 loss at Dartmouth. This proud program has dipped all the way to No. 310 in KenPom. Sad to see.
5 Big 5 Stars of the Week
1) Deuce Jones, La Salle: You bank in a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in OT for a road win at St. Bonaventure and this is a no-contest. Jones, surely the Atlantic 10’s Rookie of the Week when the honor is announced on Monday, finished with 16 points in the Explorers’ 83-82 OT win on Saturday.
2) Wooga Poplar, Villanova: The more I watch Poplar, the more convinced I am that an NBA team is going to draft him. He was electric in a 1-1 week for the Wildcats, dropping 18 points on UConn in Wednesday’s 68-66 win at the Pavilion and getting 22 points, including a highlight-reel dunk, in Saturday night’s 80-68 loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
3) Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s: There is no doubt in my mind that Fleming is going to hear his name on NBA draft day this June, and probably in the first 20 picks. He is a special talent, with the ability to score from the outside and inside. I watched him take opposing players off the dribble from beyond the arc and get to the rim with ease against Loyola Chicago on Saturday. He still needs to refine his game, and he didn’t finish on several of those drives. Besides his versatility, the high ceiling of his game is something that NBA teams probably also love. Fleming had 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in Wednesday’s 85-81 OT loss at Duquesne, following it up with 14 points, 11 of which came in the first half when the outcome still was in doubt, in Saturday’s 93-57 home win over Loyola Chicago.
4) Eric Dixon, Villanova: Dixon probably will take up this space every week from here on out, and why not? He has been brilliant this season. Even in a “down” week like this one, he netted 41 points in the Wildcats’ two games last week.
5) Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple: See No. 4. Mr. Steady Eddie for Temple, amidst some turmoil around the team as, sadly, Lynn Greer III has been suspended indefinitely and Jameel Brown’s status is unknown, Mashburn just keeps going out there and putting up 20 every night. He had 22 in the Owls’ 80-79 road loss at East Carolina on Wednesday and 24 in Saturday’s 73-70 win at Rice. That gave Mashburn 11 games with 20 or more points this season in 16 contests.
Last Week’s Story Links
1/11/25: Aggressive mentality leads Saint Joseph’s to dominating victory over Loyola Chicago
1/8/25: Supporting cast stars in Villanova’s defeat of No. 9 UConn; Plus, a roundup of Big 5 Wednesday games
Big 5 Scoring Leaders
(Through 1/11/25)
1. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 25.3
2. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 20.7
3. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 16.8
4. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 16.2
5. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 16.1
T6. Erik Reynolds II, Saint Joseph’s, 15.4
T6. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 15.4
8. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 15.2
9. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, ,14.5
10. Yame Butler, Drexel, 14.4
Big 5 Rebounding Leaders
(Through 1/11/25)
1. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 9.1
2. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 8.5
3. Demetrius Lilley, La Salle, 7.2
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 7.1
5. Steve Settle III, Temple, 6.7
6. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 6.6
7. Enoch Boakye, Villanova, 6.4
8. Jahlil White, La Salle, 6.0
9. Ethan Roberts, Penn, 5.8
10. Quante Berry, Temple, 5.0
Big 5 Three-Point Leaders
(Through 1/11/25: Minimum 30 attempts)
1. Anthony Finkley, Saint Joseph’s, 52.5
2. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 51.5
3. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 47.0
4. Kobe MaGee, Drexel, 45.3
5. Jamal Mashburn Jr., Temple, 44.4
6. Rasheer Fleming, Saint Joseph’s, 44.2
7. Corey McKeithan La Salle, 40.8
8. Steve Settle III, Temple, 39.3
9. Wooga Poplar, Villanova, 38.6
T10. Jason Drake, Drexel, 37.5
T10. Deuce Jones, La Salle, 37.5
Big 5 Assists Leaders
(Through 1/11/25)
1. Jhamir Brickus, Villanova, 5.6
2. Xzayvier Brown, Saint Joseph’s, 5.1
3. Derek Simpson, Saint Joseph’s, 4.1
4. Nick Spinoso, Penn, 3.3
5. Jason Drake, Drexel, 2.9
6. Corey McKeithan, La Salle, 2.8
T7. Quante Berry, Temple, 2.3
T7. Eric Dixon, Villanova, 2.3
T7. Deuce Jones, La Salle, 2.3
T10. Cole Hargrove, Drexel, 2.2
T10. Jordan Longino, Villanova, 2.2
Last Week’s Results
Wednesday, Jan. 8
Villanova 68, UConn 66
Loyola Chicago 79, La Salle 68
Duquesne 85, Saint Joseph’s 81, OT
East Carolina 80, Temple 79
Thursday, Jan. 9
Drexel 67, Stony Brook 51
Saturday, Jan. 11
La Salle 83, St. Bonaventure 82, OT
Towson 93, Drexel 82, OT
Dartmouth 73, Penn 70
Temple 73, Rice 70
Saint Joseph’s 93, Loyola Chicago 57
St. John’s 80, Villanova 68
This Week’s Schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 14
Villanova at Xavier, 6:30 pm, FS1
Wednesday, Jan. 15
Davidson at La Salle, 6:30 pm
Thursday, Jan. 16
Elon at Drexel, 7 pm
Memphis at Temple, 7 pm, ESPN2
Friday, Jan. 17
Providence at Villanova, WFC, 7 pm, FS1
VCU at Saint Joseph’s, 7 pm, ESPN
Saturday, Jan. 18
Cornell at Penn, 2 pm
Sunday, Jan. 19
Tulane at Temple, 1 pm, ESPN2 or ESPNU
La Salle at UMass, 2 pm, USA
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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.