NCAA Tournament Résumés: Big Five and Penn State

With January more than half over, we are starting to get a better feel for who can punch their ticket to the NCAA basketball tournament in March.  Today we take a look at the city of brotherly love, home of the Big Five.

The Big Five is sort of their own little mini-conference, setting up a schedule between Villanova, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, and La Salle to determine city bragging rights (sorry Drexel).  While the Philadelphia spotlight shines brightly on some of these teams, do not forget about their distant cousin from Happy Valley, who is also playing their way into the tournament.

We start with the Villanova Wildcats, who lost last night up at No. 3 UConn, 89-83. The road loss drops the No. 20 Wildcats to 14-4 and 2-3 in the Big East. Villanova has been going back and forth between wins and losses since starting conference play with losses to Marquette, Louisville, and now UConn. Nova will play a road game at South Florida on Saturday and then play a game at the Spectrum next Wednesday against Pittsburgh.

The Wildcats need a good win to hang their hat on. They are still very likely to make the tournament but have been faltering to the ranked teams. They have represented themselves well even in the losses, never losing by more than nine points.

But the difference between the top teams and Villanova is showing. Tied with UConn last night at halftime, the Wildcats failed to take control against the Huskies and could not catch up before time ran out. They will be battle tested for the tournament but do not appear to have what it will take to make a serious run.

Key wins: Saint Joseph's, Temple
Key losses: Marquette, Louisville

Villanova won each of their Big Five games to take the city crown, the last victory coming against the Temple Owls. Temple has only played two Atlantic 10 games so far and are even at 1-1. The Owls also have a 9-7 record.

At this point the Owls don't have a great tournament résumé and may need a good run in the A-10 tournament. They still have two games against the Saint Joe's Hawks on their schedule and are 2-1 in the Big Five.

The Owls did score a high quality victory earlier this season with a home upset of Tennessee. With losses to teams like Villanova, Kansas, and Clemson also on their résumé, having that Tennessee victory may come in handy. And don't laugh, but a victory over Penn State may come back to help the Owls. More on Penn State at another time.

The bottom line with Temple is that they need to take care of business in the Atlantic 10. Xavier may be the cream of the crop in the conference, but that didn't stop Temple from winning the conference tournament last year. They may need to do the same thing again this year.

Key wins: Penn State, Tennessee
Key losses: Villanova, Clemson, Kansas, Miami (OH), Buffalo

Which brings us to Saint Joseph's. After last night's exciting overtime 99-98 victory against Duquesne, the Hawk is flying high at 4-0 in the A-10 and 10-7 overall. Only Xavier has a better record in the A-10 at 5-0 (and 16-2 overall).

The Hawks may be n the same situation as Temple, in that they may need to make a deep run in the A-10 tournament, if not winning it, in order to make the big tournament. The reason is that the Hawks have too many bad losses on their schedule.

Since the start of 2009, though, the Hawks have been nothing but winners, riding a five-game win streak since the turn of the calendar. The Hawks meet Xavier at the end of February at home, so mark that one on your calendars. That game could make or break Saint Joseph's regular season.

Key wins: Cornell
Key losses: Villanova, Texas, Holy Cross, Siena, Creighton, Alabama, Drexel

The other Philadelphia school in the Atlantic 10 is La Salle, who defeated Penn last night 79-70 after dominating the first half and hanging on in the second half. The Explorers are showing some positive signs this season, but it remains to be seen if they can make a legitimate run in the A-10. At 1-2 in the A-10 and 10-7 overall, the Explorers have a lot of work to do. They were blown out by Xavier by 20 points and have already lost to Temple.

The Explorers have seven home games and six road games before the regular season ends. One of those road games is at Temple. The Explorers may be playing in March, but they may be more likely to be in the NIT.

Key wins: Valparaiso, Bucknell,
Key losses: Florida State, UConn, Cornell

Finally, the Penn Quakers. With Ivy League play just getting underway, the Quakers can still play themselves into the tournament. The Quakers have not played a league game yet and are 4-9 overall. With the Ivy League to send only one team to the tournament, Penn has a lot of work to do. A lot of work.

The Quakers lost all three Big Five games so far and are scheduled to play Saint Joseph's on Saturday. They also have lost to Drexel and Penn State. The loss to North Carolina to open the season can be placed aside, as nobody expects Penn to win that game any day of the week.

One of Penn's victories this year came against NJIT, who last night snapped a 51-game losing streak, so take it however you choose to take it. But hey, those Penn players will make terrific bosses someday, right?

Key wins: Monmouth, Lafayette, NJIT...seriously?
Key losses: Drexel, Penn State, Villanova, Temple, Saint Joseph's, Navy

Meanwhile, in the land where football is king, the Stately Nittany Lions are making a run for the tournament themselves. After dispatching of an improved Michigan team earlier this week, the Nittany Lions stand at 15-5 and 4-3 in the Big Ten. Not known for their basketball, Penn State has been putting together a very solid résumé.

They played a tough game against Michigan State, eventually losing by a score of 78-73, but they have a well-deserved, hard-fought victory over Purdue, 67-64. The regular season will end with five home games and six road games. They are well in position to notch 20 victories before the Big Ten tournament and are currently sitting in fifth place in the conference, which typically sends at least five teams to the tournament in March.

Don't laugh. Penn State is going to the tournament.

Key wins: Purdue, Georgia Tech, Michigan
Key losses: Rhode Island, Temple, Michigan State, Minnesota

What are your thoughts on your favorite college basketball team? Will your team make the tournament? What do they need to do to get in? Leave your thoughts in the comments.