CSN anchor/reporter Amy Fadool and producer Sean Kane get you set for all of the weekend's local college basketball games with Fastbreak Friday. Look for this column every Friday during the college basketball season.
No. 2 Villanova (23-2, 10-2 Big East) at No. 24 Xavier (18-6, 8-3 Big East), Saturday 2:30 p.m.
SK: This is Villanova's seventh game of the season against a Top 25 opponent. The Wildcats have a 5-1 record against ranked competition, their only loss coming at Butler in early January.
Saturday's visit to the Cintas Center presents a number of opportunities. First and foremost, it's a chance to create some separation at the top of the Big East standings. A win could potentially give Villanova a two and a half game lead in the conference depending on the outcome of Butler's visit to Providence. A two and a half game lead with five conference games remaining would go a long way towards the Wildcats securing a fourth straight Big East regular season title.
Secondly, it's an opportunity for revenge. Yes, Villanova beat Xavier by 25 at the Pavilion a month ago. But the Musketeers upended the Wildcats in Cincinnati last season, costing Villanova its No. 1 ranking at the time. A lot of the names and faces are the same on both sides, and the Wildcats are undoubtedly anxious to leave the Cintas Center with a win this time around.
Finally, a win on Saturday would be the 500th victory of Jay Wright's coaching career. He's downplayed the milestone the last few weeks, but there's no getting around the significance of 500 wins. Wright has established himself as one of the premiere coaches in all of college basketball, and he's showing no signs of slowing down as he approaches his 500th win.
A rejuvenated Kris Jenkins would greatly aid in his head coach's quest for 500 on Saturday. The senior with the typically dependable jump shot is shooting just 23 percent from the field in his last five games, and has made just seven of his last 33 three-point attempts. The hope for Villanova is Jenkins is simply mired in a midseason slump and is poised to bust out of it as March approaches. But the level of angst understandably grows with each passing sub-par shooting performance.
Xavier has done a commendable job of rallying after losing All-Big East point guard Edmond Sumner for the season two weeks ago to a knee injury. The Musketeers have won four straight, including the last three without Sumner. But I don't see them having the horses to outlast Villanova on Saturday.
A raucous homecourt advantage will give Xavier a boost and keep the game close, but expect Villanova to finish strong, something they've struggled to do in recent weeks.
Villanova 79, Xavier 74
Richmond (14-9, 8-3 A-10) at La Salle (13-9, 7-4 A-10), Saturday 2 p.m.
AF: The Explorers got a much-needed star back this week when B.J. Johnson returned from injury to help La Salle beat Fordham. The red-shirt junior transfer from Syracuse missed the Explorers' debacle of a game last weekend, a 20-point loss at George Mason. In his first game back against the Rams on Wednesday, Johnson poured in 26 points, including four three-pointers in the 15-point win. His return couldn't come at a better time.
La Salle has just two wins in its last six and has seven games remaining on the schedule. Dr. John Giannini's team was riding high at the start of 2017, winners of five in a row and looking like a player in the Atlantic 10. But more than a few missteps appear to have them falling to the middle of the pack and not showing a lot of signs of life for a conference tournament run.
The Spiders are right there in the hunt, tied for second place in the A-10. So this is a chance for La Salle to make a positive statement and a move in the conference. Richmond has won three of the last four, with the only loss coming at the hands of conference-leading VCU. T.J. Cline is its best player, averaging over 19 points a game, but there isn't a hotter player on this Spiders squad than ShawnDre' Jones. In the last four games, Jones is averaging nearly 24 points, including two back to back 30-point performances. So the Explorers can't just key on Cline, because Jones will make them pay, especially beyond the arc, where he's shooting better than 40 percent. This is the type of game that La Salle usually wins since the level of competition is higher and it's at home. But I think the Spiders might be too much.
Richmond 75, La Salle 70
Massachusetts (12-12, 2-9 A-10) at Saint Joseph's (10-13, 3-8 A-10), Saturday 2:30 p.m.
AF: From two teams fighting at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings to two teams near the bottom of the conference. St. Joe's has dropped three in a row and seven of its last nine, but oddly enough, the only two wins for the Hawks in that span were over two Big 5 teams in La Salle and Penn. They've struggled to find their footing after the loss to Shavar Newkirk to a season-ending knee injury at the start of the calendar year. But it was an inspired effort on the road this week against Dayton. In the seven-point loss, Lamarr Kimble posted his first double-double with 25 points and 10 assists. Even more impressive, St. Joe's had only 10 players available, with James Demery and Chris Clover out with an illness.
UMass is also struggling, especially in conference play. The Minutemen have lost five in a row. Their last win? Yup, mid-January against St. Joe's. They are paced by Donte Clark. The junior guard tallied 30 points in this week's loss to Rhode Island, shooting an impressive 8 for 11 from the field. But UMass lacks consistency at its other positions, particularly with scoring. One glaring stat for UMass: turnovers. The Minutemen average just over 15 a game. That is something that must drive their coach, former UMass standout point guard Derek Kellogg, crazy. Speaking of Kellogg, as the highest paid state employee of Massachusetts at just under a million dollars a year, I'd have to think this may be his last leading his alma mater. Never want anyone to lose their job, but Kellogg may have just rode the UMass wave too long.
I think Saint Joseph's gets back in the win column in the Atlantic 10.
St. Joe's 71, UMass 67
Temple (13-12, 4-8 AAC) at Memphis (18-7, 8-4 AAC), Sunday 2 p.m.
SK: Temple's frustrating season took a turn for the worse with Thursday's 16-point loss to No. 25 SMU. The Owls are now 4-8 in AAC play and are simply trying to finish the season with a winning record. More bad news came in the form of Fran Dunphy's admission that point guard Josh Brown is unlikely to return this season because of an Achilles injury.
Brown valiantly rehabbed the injury throughout the offseason and returned to play in five games before his Achilles flared up again in late December. Brown's absence has been glaring as the Owls try to find their way without their veteran leader.
Temple had won three of its previous four before the SMU loss, including a home win over Memphis three weeks ago. But Sunday's rematch with the Tigers on the road will prove challenging. Memphis has won six of its last eight and is aiming to finish the season strong to make a case for inclusion in the NCAA Tournament.
Momentum, motivation and homecourt advantage are working against Temple. I can't see the Owls overcoming all of that.
Memphis 70, Temple 62
Columbia (10-9, 4-2 Ivy League) at Pennsylvania (7-12, 0-6 Ivy League), Friday 7 p.m.
Cornell (6-15, 2-4 Ivy League) at Pennsylvania (7-12, 0-6 Ivy League), Saturday 7 p.m.
SK: I've been high on Penn all season, but my loyalty is being tested in a major way. The Quakers' 15-point loss to Princeton on the Palestra's 90th birthday dropped them to 0-6 against Ivy League opponents. They have lost seven of their last eight games overall.
This is a Penn team that is sorely lacking in confidence. The Quakers don't resemble the group I saw earlier in the season that seemed ready to make some noise once Ivy League play began. Freshman big man A.J. Brodeur has put together a solid season, but head coach Steve Donahue has struggled to find other steady contributors.
I'm tempted to say this is the weekend it turns around for Penn. But given how the Quakers have been performing as of late, I can't predict a sweep of Columbia and Cornell. But I will give them a split, with their first league win coming Saturday against Donahue's former team.
Columbia 67, Penn 63
Penn 70, Cornell 60
Towson (16-10, 8-5 CAA) at Drexel (10-16, 3-10) Saturday 4 p.m.
AF: A little sweet revenge for the Dragons this week. Less than two weeks ago, Drexel had a less-than-favorable showing against William & Mary in a 108-85 loss in Williamsburg. But Thursday night, it was the Tribe who were less than favorable. The Dragons stormed out of the gates and never looked back in the 79-61 win over William & Mary at the DAC. It was a nearly career night for freshman Kari Jonsson, who posted 23 points, including six three-pointers. Maybe it was because his family was in the crowd, coming all the way from Hafnarfjordur, Iceland. Maybe Zach Spiker can see if Icelandic Airways can get a direct flight going.
This weekend is another chance to avenge a recent loss. The Dragons played perhaps one of their best games of the year last week against Towson. Kurk Lee was everywhere on the court and in the box score as Drexel twice forced overtime. But his lay-in at the end of the second overtime just rolled off for the Tigers to escape with a one-point win.
Towson is an up-and-down team, and I think they underestimated Drexel at their place last time out. I don't think they'll do that again. But Drexel is playing as well as they have all season. A one-point double-overtime loss a week ago, and a two-point loss at Hofstra last weekend — few breaks standing in the way of Drexel's getting things on the right track.
I'm sticking with the revenge theme for the Dragons and I say they get another one this weekend.
Drexel 75, Towson 74
Prediction Records
Sean Kane: 21-8
Amy Fadool: 19-9