February has begun, which means only one thing to college basketball fans: it’s almost March.
And with the madness now, seemingly, just around the corner, it’s a good time to check in on the city’s six Division I basketball teams and see what their postseason outlooks are — from the locks to the teams on the bubble and to the you-can-forget-about-them squads.
Villanova Wildcats
Record: 18-3, 8-1 Big East
RPI: 2
Conference positioning: First place in the Big East
Signature win: Jan. 10 — at Butler
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Worst loss: Jan. 24 — vs. Providence
Upcoming schedule: The Wildcats, who lead Xavier by a game in the Big East standings, have ten games left in the regular season to try to secure their third straight league title and contend for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tourney. Their upcoming week might be their toughest as they host Creighton on Wednesday before traveling to Providence, which recently handed them their only Big East loss, on Saturday.
Postseason outlook: Villanova will make the NCAA tournament. The only question is whether the Wildcats will earn a No. 1 seed for the second straight year — and then, of course, if they get the right matchups to escape the first weekend for the first time since their Final Four run in 2009.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks
Record: 18-3, 7-1 Atlantic 10
RPI: 29
Conference positioning: Third place in the Atlantic 10, a game behind VCU and a half-game behind Dayton
Signature win: Jan. 30 — at Rhode Island
Worst loss: Jan. 5 — vs. VCU
Upcoming schedule: The Hawks have a big home game Wednesday vs. a strong St. Bonaventure team, as well as a tough road tilt with George Washington (Feb. 10) and showdown with Dayton (Feb. 17) looming down the road.
Postseason outlook: Despite their great record, the Hawks are squarely on the bubble because of a relatively weak schedule and the lack of any marquee wins so far (though edging Big 5 rival Temple was certainly a memorable one). St. Joe’s has only lost once in its last 15 games but it was critical as it coughed away a big lead at home vs. VCU. The Hawks won’t get another crack at VCU until, possibly, the conference tournament, but they will welcome another conference leader — Dayton — to Hagan Arena later this month. They’ll need to keep their eye on both of those teams because there’s a decent chance the A-10 will only get two teams into the Big Dance with either VCU, Dayton or St. Joe’s getting excluded.
Temple Owls
Record: 12-8, 6-3 AAC
RPI: 80
Conference positioning: Tied for second place in American Athletic conference, two games behind SMU
Signature win: Jan. 24 — vs. SMU
Worst loss: Jan. 27 — at East Carolina
Upcoming schedule: The Owls’ next two home games will give them a chance to boost their résumé as they welcome one of the teams they’re tied with in the conference — Tulsa — on Thursday before facing UConn the following week. And Temple has another chance for a big upset over a nationally ranked team on Feb. 17 when they host Big 5 rival Villanova.
Postseason outlook: Last week was a microcosm of Temple’s season as it followed a huge victory over previously unbeaten SMU with a bad loss at East Carolina. The Owls have a few nice wins this season — they’ve won three straight over nationally ranked foes, in fact — but they still need to improve their record to get into the NCAA tourney conversation and avoid a return trip to the NIT.
La Salle Explorers
Record: 5-14, 1-7 Atlantic 10
RPI: 233
Conference positioning: Tied for last place in the Atlantic 10
Signature win: Jan. 9 — vs. Dayton
Worst loss: Nov. 25 — at Penn
Upcoming schedule: The Explorers have back-to-back tough games at home, hosting VCU on Wednesday and Rhode Island on Saturday. But you never know what could happen: La Salle’s only conference win came against a league heavyweight (Dayton) at Tom Gola Arena.
Postseason outlook: The only way La Salle even finishes with a .500 overall record in the regular season is if it runs the table from here. Presumably, then, the Explorers could qualify for one of the lesser postseason tourneys. But the only way they’ll go to the NCAA tournament is if they win the A-10 tourney and earn the league’s at-large berth.
Drexel Dragons
Record: 3-18, 1-9 CAA
RPI: 239
Conference positioning: Ninth place in the CAA, ahead of only Delaware
Signature win: Jan. 9 — vs. College of Charleston
Worst loss: Nov. 28 — vs. San Diego (neutral court)
Upcoming schedule: The Dragons have eight games left in the season, starting with Thursday’s game against James Madison at the DAC — where they’ve lost three straight games by seven points or fewer.
Postseason outlook: Barring four straight wins in the CAA tournament, Drexel will go another year without going to the Big Dance under head coach Bruiser Flint.
Penn Quakers
Record: 6-11, 0-3 Ivy League
RPI: 316
Conference positioning: Last place in the Ivy League
Signature win: Nov. 25 — vs. La Salle
Worst loss: Nov. 29 — at Lafayette
Upcoming schedule: The Quakers have their first home Ivy League weekend coming up, hosting Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday.
Postseason outlook: After getting swept at league favorite Yale and Brown over the weekend and falling to 0-3 in the league, Penn has virtually no shot to win the Ivies. And since the league has no conference tournament, that means the young Quakers have virtually no shot of playing in the postseason.