City of Basketball Love

By Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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It’s safe to say the 2024 edition of the Big 5 hasn’t gone as expected. That sets up a fun tripleheader this Saturday, as the city series comes to a conclusion with the second edition of the men’s Big 5 Classic at the Wells Fargo Center.

Things will get underway at 2 o’clock with the fifth-place game between Drexel and Penn, followed by Temple and Villanova meeting at 4:30 PM in the third-place game and then La Salle and Saint Joseph’s at 7 o’clock in the championship.=

Tickets for the tripleheader start at just $30, and can be purchased on the Big 5 Classic’s website. Tickets are good for all three games, and fans can receive wristbands if they wish to leave and re-enter. 

In addition, the Big 5 Classic will have expanded fan activities around the Wells Fargo Center concourse, including a Tailgate Zone with backyard and table games, the ability to take a photo with the Big 5 banner, and more. 

Here’s a look at all three games:

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Fifth-Place Game: Drexel (5-4, 0-2) vs. Penn (3-5, 0-2)

Getting stops is the name of the game, and that’ll certainly apply to which of Penn and Drexel wants to walk out of this one with a win. According to hoops statistician Ken Pomeroy, Penn’s defense is allowing 1.152 points per possession — 354th out of 364 Division I teams, which makes Drexel’s 1.088 (255th) seem stout by comparison. The Quakers are struggling to force turnovers, struggling to keep opponents off the glass and allowing teams to shoot 42.9% from 3-point against them, 361st in all of D-I. Drexel’s awful at forcing turnovers (355th nationally by percentage of possessions), but strong at 3-point defense (116th) and rebounding (92nd) to help cover some of the problem.

If Penn wants to slow down the Dragons inside, that’ll mean finding an answer for Cole Hargrove. The former Methacton big man, after a couple years as a deeper reserve, is averaging 11.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg and 2.9 apg while leading the team in blocks (12). Another junior, Kobe MaGee (16.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), is having a breakout year of his own, and JUCO transfer Jason Drake (8.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.1 apg) has been solid on the ball. Penn’s gotten strong minutes from Ethan Roberts (18.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg), but need sophomore Sam Brown (11.1 ppg) to find his shot (25.5% from deep), and getting consistent bench production has been an issue.

Prediction: Drexel, 75-62

Third-Place Game: Temple (4-3, 1-1) vs. Villanova (5-4, 1-1)

Both of them programs had eyes on playing in the championship, but they’ll have to settle for an opportunity for another quality non-league win instead. Villanova’s had a frustrating non-conference portion of the schedule thus far, opening up 3-4 including losses to Columbia and archrival St. Joe’s, but bounced back with a big win over No. 14 Cincinnati on Tuesday at the Finneran Pavilion. Sixth-year senior Eric Dixon (25.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg) is playing out of his mind, hitting 52.8% from the 3-point arc early in the season (28-of-53), but after that it’s been something of a mixed bag. Jhamir Brickus (is starting to find his rhythm, scoring in double figures in four straight, with a season-high nine assists without a turnover in 33 minutes against Cinci, but neither Wooga Poplar (31.4%) or Jordan Longino (25.0%) have shot it well from deep yet.

Temple, meanwhile, has an interesting mix of old and young that are still coming together, and there’s been some positive flashes. Sophomore point guard Quante Berry scored 21 points in his first five games but has 30 in his last two, including an 18-point, 15-rebound game against Temple; a productive Berry in the backcourt along with Jamal Mashburn Jr. (22.1 ppg) would be a strong combination. Freshen Babatunde Durodola (5.7 ppg) and Dillon Battie (4.9 ppg) have flashed inside, but it’s a group that lacks a true veteran post presence at the moment. How they handle Dixon will be a major key in this game. 

Prediction: Villanova, 70-65

Championship: La Salle (6-3, 2-0) vs. Saint Joseph’s (5-3, 2-0)

St. Joe’s and La Salle will already meet at least twice this season — so why not add in a third matchup, this time with a trophy on the line? It’s an Atlantic 10 finale in the Big 5 classic, the two crosstown and conference rivals having split their last eight as well as their last 18 meetings overall, though St. Joe’s won both last year. That the Hawks are here isn’t surprising, as Billy Lange’s squad was expected to be the best in the city; the Explorers, however, are certainly the upstart story of the year, Fran Dunphy with perhaps the best team at 20th and Olney in a decade.

La Salle’s resurgence has been in large part thanks to the play of three transfers in Corey McKeithan (Rider), Jahlil White (Temple) and Demetrius Lilley (Penn State). McKeithan, a 5-11 guard, had a career scoring average below five points per game but is averaging 19.2 ppg on .466/.446/.857 splits; White is contributing 11.8 ppg and 6.6 rpg along with his usual versatility, and Lilley is the team’s leading rebounder (7.8/game) while also averaging 8.3 ppg. That trio’s helped Dunphy establish a quality top eight, one which is doing a solid job shooting from the perimeter (33.9%), limiting turnovers and rebounds at both ends, all good long-term signs.

St. Joe’s has certainly its most talented roster under Lange, with more than one potential NBA prospect in the mix, but it’s been a mixed bag thus far. The good has seen them beat Villanova and Texas Texas, along with wins against three other programs below No. 300 on the KenPom rankings.The bad’s seen them lose to Central Connecticut State — and more concerningly, the fact that eight games into the season, Erik Reynolds II has yet to really get going. The senior guard, who entered the year on pace to be the program’s all-time leading scorer, is averaging only 14.4 ppg on 27.9% from 3-point range, down significantly from his 38% the last couple years. On top of that, leading scorer Xzavier Brown (15.3 ppg) hasn’t found his shot either, going 28.8% from deep, and he’s averaging more than 3.1 turnovers/game.  

Instead, it’s been Rasheer Fleming (14.9 ppg, 8.9 rpg) who’s had the best overall start to the year for St. Joe’s, the 6-9 junior forward from Camden (N.J.) turning into a real mismatch nightmare for opponents. White might be La Salle’s best bet to try and slow Fleming down, but La Salle doesn’t have one singular player with Fleming’s combination of size, strength and fluidity, so it could have to be a team effort. If the Hawks’ guards are hitting their shots, it’s going to be a tough task for the Explorers.

Prediction: Saint Joseph’s, 72-66