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Big 5 at No. 1: Looking back at Philly's most recent top-ranked teams

02/10/2016, 1:30pm EST
By Stephen Pianovich

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich)
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Yes, the program has won a national title, but Villanova reached new regular season heights this week, earning the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time in history.

While this is uncharted territory for the Wildcats, they’re the fourth Big 5 team to be in the nation’s top spot. But it’s the first time a team from Philadelphia has been No. 1 in nearly 12 years.

Most Big 5 fans will remember the last two teams to get to the top of the polls: The 2003-04 Jameer Nelson/Delonte West led St. Joseph’s squad and John Chaney’s 1987-88 Temple team. Both of those teams finished the regular season with the No. 1 ranking and Villanova has the same opportunity to do so this season.

The 21-3 Wildcats have seven regular season games left before they would need three more victories to win the Big East Tournament. Their toughest test will come at No. 4 Xavier, and Villanova also has to face Big 5 rival Temple next week in the Liacouras Center. But running the table before the NCAA Tournament is very much in play.

With that in mind, we take a look back at those St. Joe’s and Temple teams, seeing how their seasons and postseasons played out:

1987-88 Temple Owls

Preseason AP rank: 12
Weeks at No. 1: 5
Coach: John Chaney
Star players: Mark Macon (20.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg), Tim Perry (14.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 3.5 bpg)
Signature win: 83-66 at No. 5 North Carolina
NCAA Tournament: Reached Elite 8. Lost to Duke, 63-53
Final record: 32-2

The Owls stormed through their competition and up the polls, reaching No. 1 by Feb. 9, 1988 and carried that ranking with them into the postseason. Temple’s only regular season loss came on the road to No. 8 UNLV on Jan. 24, and it was by one point.

Chaney’s team won its final 16 games – including the A-10 Tournament – heading into the March Madness field as a No. 1 seed. The Owls also smacked Dean Smith’s UNC bunch by 17 during that run, and beat Lehigh, Georgetown and Richmond to reach the Elite 8.

The Owls ultimately missed out on the Final 4, falling to a Duke side led by Danny Ferry. The Owls have been back to the Elite 8 three times in the last 28 years, and the closest they’ve come to the top spot in the polls is a No. 5 ranking in the 1999-2000 season.

2003-04 St. Joe’s Hawks

Preseason AP rank: 17
Weeks at No. 1: 1
Coach: Phil Martelli
Star players: Jameer Nelson (20.6 ppg, 5.3 apg), Delonte West (18.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.7 apg)
Signature win: 73-66 vs. No. 10 Gonzaga (at Madison Square Garden)
NCAA Tournament: Reached Elite 8. Lost to Oklahoma St., 64-62
Final record: 30-2

It was a magical season on Hawk Hill 12 years ago, as Martelli’s best team went through the regular season without a loss. The Hawks had some close calls, but ended up with a flawless 27-0 mark heading into the postseason, and after spending most of the campaign in the top 10, they finally had the No. 1 ranking by early March.

The knock on that St. Joe’s team, however, was that it didn’t really play anybody. The Hawks had just one win (that season-opening neutral site victory over Gonzaga) against a ranked opponent, and they dropped their opener in the A-10 Tournament to Xavier. Still, Martelli’s team got a No. 1 seed and won its first three games of the tournament.

Just like Temple 16 years prior, the Hawks’ bid for a Final 4 spot came up just short. Against Oklahoma State, John Lucas nailed a 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left and Nelson’s game-winning try missed the mark as St. Joe’s dream season came to an end in East Rutherford, N.J.


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