The past seven days were rough for the Philadelphia Big 5. Some things (Villanova losing to Georgetown by 20) change, and others (Penn losing to those same Wildcats by double digits) stay the same. The “conference” was 2-4 in play over the past week, and as we hit the end of January looking ahead to pivotal conference games in February, some schools are right where they need to be, some confuse the heck out of me, and others are precisely what I thought they’d be.
The week that was in the Big 5. Prepare yourself, some of the details may sting a little bit.
1. #5 Villanova Wildcats (17-2, 4-2 Big East, 4-0 Big 5)
Last Week: W at Penn, L at Georgetown
This Week: Creighton
If I said that Georgetown just beat Villanova that would be the polite way to say it. The Hoyas destroyed the Wildcats. They “kilt” them. They embarrassed them. (You get the idea, here.) That game was over at halftime when Georgetown was up by 22. Hoyas freshman forward Isaac Copeland had 17 points and 6 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench, and that basically did it for the Wildcats. Getting 10 points and 7 rebounds combined from Pinkston and Ochefu did not help matters at all for Villanova as they basically need those two to produce to stand any chance against most teams. Ryan Arcidiacono scored 16 points and was 4-of-6 from three point range, but it would not have mattered what he (or any of the other Wildcats) did. The Wildcats now prepare for the Creighton Jays who beat them twice by a combined 49 points last season. Of course, things are different now that a certain man known only as “McBuckets” no longer plays there.
2. Temple Owls (12-7, 3-3 American, 2-2 Big 5)
Last Week: L at Cincinnati
This Week: v. USF, at UCF
Another team from the Big 5 where saying they “lost” would be an understatement. The Owls looked okay in their loss to SMU, so there was nothing to suspect they would get absolutely decimated by the Cincinnati Bearcats. However, that’s precisely what happened. Temple was in that game in the first half and only trailed by one at the break, but Cincinnati opened the second half on a 29-10 run in ten minutes of play. That was all she wrote as the Bearcats cruised after that on their way to a 55 point half. Bearcats guard Kevin Johnson scored 14 off 4-of-5 from downtown, and the Owls simply had no answer. This week, Temple goes on the Florida two-step as they face the Bulls and Knights.
3. La Salle Explorers (10-8, 2-3 Atlantic 10, 2-2 Big 5)
Last Week: W v. Fordham
This Week: @ Rhode Island, v. St. Joseph’s
La Salle seems to be the only team that I’m at least moderately excited about. I’m always psyched for Villanova, but they’ve always been good for the most part. I enjoy the surprises. The Explorers have won their last two of three, and they’ve won both of them by ten points or more — despite Fordham’s Eric Paschall’s 25 points in La Salle’s win. The gentlemen of Olney held Fordham to 31 percent from the field, so defense is what has been driving this team as of late. Jordan Price continued his scattered play with 15 points and 4 rebounds, but his SIX turnovers leave something to be desired — like ball control, for example. La Salle heads up to Rhode Island for a matchup with 17.3 points per game guard E.C. Matthews before a Big 5 matchup with Saint Joe’s on January 27th.
4. Saint Joseph’s Hawks (7-9, 1-4 Atlantic 10, 2-1 Big 5)
Last Week: L @ St. Bonaventure, W v. Massachusetts
This Week: v. Pennsylvania, @ La Salle
If there’s one word that describes Saint Joe’s this season, it’s inconsistency. They started okay (6-4), but the Hawks have been disastrous since Christmas losing five of their last seven games. I have one message for the Hawks that may correct some of these problems. Close out on shooters! Saint Joseph’s opponents in this losing stretch have shot 47 percent from beyond the arc. The college game — especially in smaller conferences like the A-10 — are all but predicated on the three-point shot. If your opponents are hitting almost half of them, then that signals a serious defensive problem. If the bat signal has not gone off over at Hagan Arena for some defensive help, then it better be up, soon. On the plus side, DeAndre Bembry had a great game (27 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) against St. Bonaventure, but Bonnies guard Marcus Posley had 23 points and shot 5-of-10 from three — continuing on my theme of CLOSING OUT ON SHOOTERS! The Hawks beat UMass last night by six behind Bembry (25 pts, 8 reb, 7 ast, 5 stl, 3 blocks) and look ahead to a pair of Big 5 games vs. UPenn and La Salle.
5. Pennsylvania Quakers (4-9, 0-1 Ivy League, 0-3 Big 5)
Last Week: L v. Villanova
This Week: v. Saint Joseph’s
What can I say about the Quakers? No, that’s a serious question because I honestly don’t know what I can say. They won three straight games earlier in the year to make me think they may be a little frisky, but they’ve gone 1-4 since then. I feel like I’m in a bad relationship with this team. I keep hoping they become more than a footnote in these power rankings, but I’m inevitably disappointed. I wish I knew how to quit them, however. The Quakers are like the “runt of the litter” child that you just hope grows up to be something special — or at least average.
[Photo: AP/Alex Brandon]Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
