By Sean Kennedy
Note: This will be the last college basketball coverage for about a week while I’m out of the country; the Daily Cup will return on 12/16. We have site contributors supplying Sixers and NFL coverage during the interim so please continue to check out the site during that time. If you’re disappointed in the absence of college coverage and know someone who would be interested in helping to cover in the event of similar situations in the future, shoot us a message – Philly Fast Break Contact. Thanks everyone!
Today’s Actions
11:00 AM: La Salle (4-4, 0-0 A-10) vs. Stony Brook (6-3, 0-0 Am. East)
La Salle will take on the Stony Brook Seawolves in the opener of the MSG Holiday Festival, which, once upon a time, was a premiere event in the college basketball season, but has now devolved into a simple Saturday double-header at the Garden. Unlike the Explorers’ last mid-major opponent in Hartford, the Seawolves are no pushover, rating among the top third in the nation in offensive efficiency. Stony Brook has a potent inside-outside combo, with senior guard Anthony Jackson and sophomore forward Jameel Warney both averaging over 17 points per game. Warney also averages over 10 rebounds per game and will be a tough assignment for either Steve Zack or Jerrell Wright of La Salle.
La Salle has still yet to record a quality win on the season and needs to figure out how to get more consistent offense beyond Tyrone Garland and Tyreek Duren jacking up shots at a poor percentage. Stony Brook would be a nice stepping stone on the road back to respectability for the Explorers, but the way they’ve played thus far this season, it wouldn’t surprise me to see La Salle drop another one here. The Seawolf is a mythical sea creature said to bring good luck to those who see it, but Stony Brook may spell bad fortune for La Salle.
12:00 PM: Temple (4-3, 0-0 AAC) vs. Texas (7-1, 0-0 Big 12) – ESPNU
Riding high on a 3-game winning streak, the Owls will face their toughest test of the season to date, as they host the Texas Longhorns at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday afternoon. Dalton Pepper has really come on of late for Temple, leading the team in scoring in each of the past 3 games. Pepper is now averaging 16.0 points and 5.3 rebounds, including a sparkling 41.7% mark from downtown; he and Quenton DeCosey have stepped up to supplement the efforts of Will Cummings and Anthony Lee to provide a more balanced scoring attack for the Owls.
However, Temple will find scoring difficult against a Texas team that is among one of the better defenses in the country. The Longhorns excel on the glass, with 4 players averaging at least 5 rebounds per game, led by 6’9″ center Cameron Ridley at 7.5 per game. Ridley and 6’8″ starting forward Jonathan Holmes form a stout back line for the Longhorns, combining to average 4.9 blocks per contest. Holmes is also Texas’ best threat from the perimeter shooting 47.8% on three-pointers this season; the versatile Holmes is certainly a game to keep an eye on in this game. A couple weeks ago, I would have said Temple had no shot in this match-up but they’ve been playing much better ball recently. Texas takes this contest but the Owls won’t go down easy.
4:00 PM: Drexel (5-2, 0-0 CAA) vs. Tennessee State (0-9, 0-0 OVC)
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that Drexel will not play a third-straight triple overtime game. Bold prediction I know, but you don’t get anywhere in this industry without taking some risks. While ideally the Dragons would have closed out their opponents earlier the past couple games, you have to admire the fact that the team keeps fighting in the wake of the Damion Lee season-ending injury. Guys like Tavon Allen, Kazembe Abif, and Dartaye Ruffin have all stepped up at various points to assist Frantz Massenat and Chris Fouch with keeping Drexel on track.
The Dragons should have an easier go of things on Saturday, facing one of the worst teams in all of college basketball in the Tennessee State Tigers. The Tigers have yet to record a win on the season, losing so such powerhouses as Lipscomb and Alabama A&M. The lone scoring threat for Tennessee State is senior guard Patrick Miller, who leads the team in points (20.8) and assists (3.6). Miller hasn’t been especially proficient shooting the ball and has racked up his totals mainly on volume as opposing defenses key in on him. Even without Lee, the Dragons have no shortage of guards to hound Miller when he has the ball. Drexel wins this contest in a rout.
6:00 PM: Saint Joseph’s (4-3, 0-0 A-10) vs. Villanova (8-0, 0-0 Big East)
In the marquee City 6 match-up of the weekend, the Hawks will welcome Villanova to the Hagan Arena, looking to knock the Wildcats from the ranks of the unbeaten. Villanova has been a top-10 team defensively this season, as they have a slew of athletic guards and wings able to cycle through the trapping zone defense Jay Wright has employed this season. Offensively, the Wildcats haven’t been shooting the ball exceptionally well, but have been grabbing a good amount of offensive rebounds, sitting 31st nationally in that category.
The Hawks were playing some good ball before their slip-up late in the game at Temple Wednesday. Saint Joseph’s doesn’t feature the same depth as Villanova, and will need gargantuan efforts from Langston Galloway and Ronald Roberts, Jr. to keep pace with the Cats. You know the Hawks faithful are going to be rocking the house but Villanova is simply playing too well at the moment. The Wildcats remain unblemished on the year and perhaps more into the top-10 of the polls going into next week.
7:00 PM: Pennsylvania (2-5, 0-0 Ivy) vs. Wagner (4-5, 0-0 NEC)
Having lost 4 of their past 5 games, the Quakers will look to get back in the winning column against the Wagner Seahawks. The Seahawks have lost three straight games of their own, losing to Lafayette in their last contest despite 7 made threes from guard Jay Harris. Wagner spreads the ball around, with 7 players averaging at least 20 minutes per game and four Seahawks in double figures in scoring. However, the team has shot 42.5% from the field on the season and joins Penn as one of the least efficient scoring teams in the nation.
The top four scorers for Wagner are all 6’1″ or shorter, so if the Quakers can receive solid performances from their big men, they should have the edge in this battle. This is Penn’s only home game in the month of December and is a good spot for them against another struggling team in Wagner. Look for Penn to send the Palestra fans home happy this weekend.
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