The second annual Big 5 Classic tips off on Saturday, and The Triangle has you covered with our Big 5 preview and predictions.
Drexel vs. University of Pennsylvania
Drexel finds itself back in the fifth-place game for the second year in a row. The Dragons were hopeful for a higher finish this season, but two tough losses against Temple and La Salle marked another disappointing round of Big 5 pod play. Now, the Dragons look to replicate their fifth-place win against Villanova last year, this time against 33rd Street rivals, the University of Pennsylvania.
Drexel Dragons:
The Dragons offense is a three headed “Dragon” spearheaded by Kobe MaGee, Yame Butler and Cole Hargrove, who make up 40.5 points of the Dragons 75.1 average. Jason “Deuce” Drake has averaged 12 points per game over the last five games, and has provided a nice scoring and playmaking boost, filling that point guard role that Drexel has needed since starting point guard Kevon Vanderhorst went down with an injury in the preseason. The Dragons are a good, yet inconsistent, offensive team. That being said, what will they need to do to win? Well, as previously stated, they need to find consistency. The Dragons offense finds themselves in too many “ruts” — long stretches of time with too many misses and not enough aggressiveness. Against a rival opponent like Penn, that cannot happen. The same can be said on the defensive end. In both the Temple and La Salle game, the Drexel defense was virtually nonexistent for long periods of time, allowing both opponents to go on runs and extend the lead. Yes, the Dragons clawed back in both of those games, but you do not want to be fighting from behind in every big game, especially against your rival team. The Dragons need to find consistency in both their offense and defense. Coach Zach Spiker will also need to quickly figure out his rotational lineups, as that has been a problem for the Dragons this year so far — where three point shooter Horace Simmons and 7’1” big man Ralph Akuta confusingly on the bench for most games, only just giving Simmons some minutes the last two games. That being said, playing a Penn team that has really struggled to find a rhythm this year, the Dragons may just need to play a decent game to take this one.
University of Pennsylvania Quakers:
There is not much to say about the Penn Quakers this season. After a disappointing 11-18 season last year, the Quakers looked to bounce back. Unfortunately this season has not started as planned, going 3-5 in their first eight games. This team is the weakest of all the Philadelphia schools, ranking 307th in the Ken Pomeroy rankings, and it is not hard to see why. From watching their games, it may seem like there is a heavy emphasis on establishing the three point shot, and then shifting to attack the basket. However, Penn’s reliance on the three ball has ultimately been their downfall this season, shooting just over 29 percent as a team on the season. To win this game, they need to get their threes to fall, and simply can not shoot under 30 percent. They will also need big play from their frontcourt, namely Nick Spinoso and Ethan Roberts. Roberts has been their best player all year, and they need him to continue to shine, especially from beyond the arc, posting a 39 percent three point percentage in his career. Spinoso has been having a career year, but many of his big games have come against weaker opponents like Navy and Maine. He had just 6 points against Villanova in what was nearly 50 point loss, and 14 against St. Joe’s at the Palestra, although most of those came when the game was already lost. The team needs him to be dominant on the inside, pressuring Drexel’s big men.
Prediction: The Dragons take this one handedly against a struggling Penn team, 74 – 60.
Temple vs. Villanova
After many years of being the heavy hitter amongst the Philly teams, Villanova now finds themselves playing for third place, a year after finishing sixth in the Big 5 Classic. Temple looks to capitalize on the Wildcats struggles this season by notching a third place finish.
Temple Owls:
The Temple offense is centered around their fifth year senior, Jamal Mashburn Jr., son of legendary NBA star Jamal Mashburn Sr.. Mashburn Jr. comes into this game having his best year yet, posting career highs in points, field goal and three point percentage, shooting a staggering 50 percent from three point land. Mashburn Jr. is backed up by another fifth year senior — big man Steve Settle III and breakout sophomore guard Zion Stanford. When their offense is clicking, they are a force to be reckoned with. But, that is just the issue, offensive consistency is not there all the time. The Owls as a team average just about 80 points per game, but through seven games this year, they have failed to hit that average four times. A big reason for this is their over-reliance on Mashburn Jr. to carry them through the game. In those four games, Mashburn has underperformed, shooting just 36 percent from the field, 35 percent from three, 70 percent from the free throw line and scoring just over 19 points a game, with a significant chunk of those coming from the free throw line, where he averages six made and eight attempts a game. When he is off, Temple is then forced to look to guys like Stanford and Settle III for offense — but the offensive prowess is not there with these guys like it is for Mashburn. So, to win this game, it is obvious that they need Mashburn Jr. to be at his best on the offensive end, and allow the other guys to play complementary roles.
Villanova Wildcats:
It is tough to pinpoint what exactly is going on with the Wildcats this year. When they are winning, they are blowing teams out, boasting an impressive 30 point win margin. In losses this year, they are only losing by around seven points, with two very close losses to St. Joe’s and Maryland, by seven and one respectively. In wins, they hold teams to an average of 53 points per game, while in losses, they hold opponents to 80 points per game — a 27 point difference. Meanwhile, in wins they average 83 points per game, and in losses that number drops only slightly down to 73. Just looking at these numbers, you will see that the offense is certainly not the issue. Eric Dixon, the team’s leading scorer at 25 points per game, currently second in the country, is posting career highs across the board. The team itself averages 78 points per game, and averages 46.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from three and 80 percent from the free throw line. All that being said, their defensive effort comes and goes from game to game, and has gone missing against stronger opponents while it has thrived against weaker ones. The team averages just six steals a game, and two blocks. The team is just not consistently engaged on the defensive end, and going against an offensive minded team like the Owls, they are going to need to bring the energy on both ends of the floor.
Prediction: It is a back and forth game with many lead changes, but the Temple Owls pull through on top, 80-76.
St. Joseph’s v.s. La Salle:
Now, onto the big one. After a successful campaign in the Big 5 Classic last year culminating in winning the first place game against Temple, the St. Joe’s Hawks look to take home the trophy and hang another banner, this time against both a Big 5 and A10 Conference rival. La Salle, on the other hand, look to pull off the upset, and bring home their first Big 5 classic championship in the new format and give head coach Fran Dunphy his first Big 5 title since heading further up North Philly from Temple to La Salle.
La Salle Explorers:
The Explorers are a team with very few faults. They play both sides of the ball at a high level. On the defensive end, they hold teams to just a little over 73 points per game, and score about 80 a game. They typically win games fairly convincingly. The Explorers found themselves in the final by beating inner city opponents Drexel by three and Temple by eight – two very tough and gritty wins. The offense is well spread out, with six players averaging at least eight points a game, and three of them averaging over 10. They’re led offensively by senior guard Corey McKeithan – who has increased his offensive production by 11 points per game, going from eight to 19 in one year. All things considered, the Explorers do just about everything right, led by legendary Philadelphia coach, Fran Dunphy. Against any other opponent, I believe the Explorers would win this game pretty handedly. The only issue is, they are running right into the buzzsaw that is the St. Joseph’s Hawks. The Explorers are not only going to have to play at their best for this game, but they are really going to have to elevate their game if they want to have any chance at winning this one.
St. Joseph’s Hawks:
The Hawks are easily the best team in Philly this year. After a disappointing loss to Central Connecticut early in the season, the Hawks never looked back, going 4-1 over their next five, including a huge win over a good Texas Tech team (the Big 5’s only Quadrant 1 win this season as of writing), and a close loss to another great University of Texas team. They handedly beat Villanova and Penn, going 2-0 in pod play, remaining undefeated in the new format. This team is a well oiled machine. The Hawks offense is led by a dynamic guard duo in Xzayvier Brown and Erik Reynolds II, with breakout phenom stretch power forward Rasheer Fleming backing them up. These three make up 45 of the 75 points the Hawks average. Both Reynolds and Brown have had their fair share of struggles early this season, but it has hardly mattered, as SJU has corrected one of their longest running weaknesses: bench production. The Hawks run a unique lineup style – typically opting for their signature 3 guard plus 2 forward rotation, and shifting from man-to-man to matchup zone to straight zone defense from possession to possession, oftentimes confusing opposing offenses. Former Sixers assistant coach, Billy Lange has the Hawks rolling. However, St. Joe’s biggest weakness comes from their biggest strength: confidence. They have a knack for settling for low percentage shots early in the shot clock. They have a tendency to play almost too fast at times, turning the ball over in transition far too often. Despite some questionable lineups and some streaky shooting from the field and at the free throw line at times, the offensive and defensive prowess may be too much for La Salle to handle.
Prediction: The Hawks grit their way to a win, taking a close one over the Explorers, 79-71.
The Big 5 Men’s Classic is this Saturday 12/7 at the Well Fargo Center. The fifth place game will begin at 2:00 p.m. where Drexel will take on Penn. The third place game will begin at 4:30 p.m. where Temple will take on Villanova. And finally, the championship game will kick off at 7:00 p.m., where St. Joes will take on La Salle.