Not much movement in this week's rankings, but there could be a lot in the coming weeks, as conference play gets into full swing and we start to see how each squad deals with the rash of injuries that has swept the City 6 of late.
6. Penn (3-10)
Let me be the first to congratulate Penn on winning a game this week. The Quakers beat Princeton for their first win since they beat Niagara on November 26. The Ivy League does plenty of things well (academics), sports are not really one of them. So while I commend Penn for improving to 3-10 this week, they remain in last place in the rankings yet again.
5. Temple (5-9)
Everything seems to be going wrong for Temple this season. Probably the most consistent program in the city, the Owls have suffered from a rash of injuries of late. Daniel Dingle is likely out for the season with a torn meniscus and Will Cummings suffered concussion-like symptoms in Thursday's game against USF. Cummings returned Saturday against Memphis, but the Owls still fell short against the Tigers.
Since the last set of rankings, the Owls are 0-2 and have lost six of their past seven games. Temple is struggling to take flight, and with the season half over, will need to finish really strong to get to the NCAA tournament. The Owls stay put in this week's rankings at #5, as they still cannot close out games.
4. Drexel (9-6)
The Dragons have gone 1-1 since the last set of rankings, and find themselves having dropped a spot after losing to William & Mary. Drexel followed up that midweek loss with a double overtime win over a bad Northeastern squad.
After starting the season off playing very well and staying competitive with even their ranked opponents, the Dragons have been struggling, losing four of their past six contests. With a weak schedule, Drexel's only hope of making the tournament would probably be winning the CAA Tournament at this point.
3. La Salle (9-6)
La Salle moves up a spot this week to #3. The Explorers have won both of their games since last week's rankings and find themselves on a three-game win streak.
The Explorers handed George Washington just their third loss of the season on Thursday in a 76-72 victory and followed that up with a solid performance in a 19-point win over Duquesne this afternoon.
There is still plenty of work to be done for the Explorers, but they appear to finally be headed in the right direction after a rough start to the season.
2. Saint Joseph’s (10-5)
Saint Joseph's lost to #19 UMass midweek, but did so without the services of Ronald Roberts for a good portion of the game. Without perhaps their best player, the Hawks were forced to turn to a weak bench, one that was even weaker with Isaiah Miles out due to a concussion. The rest of the Saint Joseph's starters stepped up and gave UMass all they could handle.
The Hawks followed that loss with a close win over George Mason on Saturday, again without the services of Roberts and Miles. The healthy members of the squad stepped up again, but the Hawks will need Roberts back if they want to continue their impressive play of late.
Having gone 1-1 since the last rankings, Saint Joseph's stays put this week at #2.
1. Villanova (15-1)
Villanova routed Providence last Sunday after the rankings were already posted. The Wildcats followed that up with two more wins this week, topping Seton Hall on Wednesday before pulling out a close win against St. John's yesterday.
The Wildcats are now 15-1 and remain the best team in the city by far. With a loaded lineup and tons of scoring potential, Villanova is really fun to watch this season and could do big things come tournament time.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
Let me be the first to congratulate Penn on winning a game this week. The Quakers beat Princeton for their first win since they beat Niagara on November 26. The Ivy League does plenty of things well (academics), sports are not really one of them. So while I commend Penn for improving to 3-10 this week, they remain in last place in the rankings yet again.
5. Temple (5-9)
Everything seems to be going wrong for Temple this season. Probably the most consistent program in the city, the Owls have suffered from a rash of injuries of late. Daniel Dingle is likely out for the season with a torn meniscus and Will Cummings suffered concussion-like symptoms in Thursday's game against USF. Cummings returned Saturday against Memphis, but the Owls still fell short against the Tigers.
Since the last set of rankings, the Owls are 0-2 and have lost six of their past seven games. Temple is struggling to take flight, and with the season half over, will need to finish really strong to get to the NCAA tournament. The Owls stay put in this week's rankings at #5, as they still cannot close out games.
4. Drexel (9-6)
The Dragons have gone 1-1 since the last set of rankings, and find themselves having dropped a spot after losing to William & Mary. Drexel followed up that midweek loss with a double overtime win over a bad Northeastern squad.
After starting the season off playing very well and staying competitive with even their ranked opponents, the Dragons have been struggling, losing four of their past six contests. With a weak schedule, Drexel's only hope of making the tournament would probably be winning the CAA Tournament at this point.
3. La Salle (9-6)
La Salle moves up a spot this week to #3. The Explorers have won both of their games since last week's rankings and find themselves on a three-game win streak.
The Explorers handed George Washington just their third loss of the season on Thursday in a 76-72 victory and followed that up with a solid performance in a 19-point win over Duquesne this afternoon.
There is still plenty of work to be done for the Explorers, but they appear to finally be headed in the right direction after a rough start to the season.
2. Saint Joseph’s (10-5)
Saint Joseph's lost to #19 UMass midweek, but did so without the services of Ronald Roberts for a good portion of the game. Without perhaps their best player, the Hawks were forced to turn to a weak bench, one that was even weaker with Isaiah Miles out due to a concussion. The rest of the Saint Joseph's starters stepped up and gave UMass all they could handle.
The Hawks followed that loss with a close win over George Mason on Saturday, again without the services of Roberts and Miles. The healthy members of the squad stepped up again, but the Hawks will need Roberts back if they want to continue their impressive play of late.
Having gone 1-1 since the last rankings, Saint Joseph's stays put this week at #2.
1. Villanova (15-1)
Villanova routed Providence last Sunday after the rankings were already posted. The Wildcats followed that up with two more wins this week, topping Seton Hall on Wednesday before pulling out a close win against St. John's yesterday.
The Wildcats are now 15-1 and remain the best team in the city by far. With a loaded lineup and tons of scoring potential, Villanova is really fun to watch this season and could do big things come tournament time.
By: Kyle Babcock
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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