These 10 players across Big 5 men’s teams could be the difference makers in upcoming conference tournaments

As the men’s college basketball regular season finishes up over the first week of March, the Big 5 is without any programs in the predicted NCAA Tournament field.

For Philly to snap a skid that is approaching three seasons without a Big 5 men’s team in the competition, local schools will need to rack up wins in their respective conference tournaments.

Villanova (18-12, 11-8 Big East) is the only Big 5 program with a chance of an at-large bid to March Madness, while Penn (8-18, 4-9 Ivy) will not compete for a conference tournament title. The seventh-place Quakers were eliminated from Ivy Madness, which features the league’s top four schools.

For Temple (15-14, 7-9 American Athletic Conference), Drexel (17-14, 9-9 Coastal Athletic Association), St. Joseph’s (19-10, 10-6 Atlantic 10), and La Salle (12-17, 4-12 A-10), the only path to appearing in the NCAA Tournament bracket on Selection Sunday is to win their conference tournament.

Here are the 10 players in the Big 5 players best positioned to impact their teams during conference tournament week:

Dixon, who leads the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game, can take over a game. Villanova will need Dixon to display that dominance at the Big East tournament to play off the bubble’s edge and into the NCAA Tournament field.

Villanova currently is sixth in the Big East standings as the seventh team out of the field of 68, per ESPN bracket expert Joe Lunardi. Dixon, who notched back-to-back performances of at least 30 points in wins over Seton Hall and Butler, will need a few more high-scoring performances. The Big East tournament is March 12 to 15 at Madison Square Garden.

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Poplar emerged as a complement to Dixon for Villanova. The Miami transfer is averaging 14.5 points and notched three games of 20 points or more in eight games last month. Poplar plays with high energy and intensity. The 6-foot-5 guard is Villanova’s leading rebounder, with 6.8 rebounds per game. His 180 defensive rebounds are the most in the Big East.

With Jamal Mashburn Jr., the AAC’s leading scorer, missing the Owls’ last six games with a lower-body injury, Temple needed someone to step up and fill the scoring void. After entering coach Adam Fisher’s starting lineup against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 16, Stanford has posted 19 points a game.

The West Catholic grad hit a buzzer-beating jumper that capped a 25-point performance in Temple’s 73-71 victory over South Florida on Feb. 26. The win ended a six-game skid for the Owls, who occupy eighth place in the American standings. Temple will start in the second round of the 13-team AAC tournament, which runs from March 12-16 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Settle has been the anchor of Temple’s frontcourt this year. He leads the team in rebounding with 6.2 boards a game, and is scoring 12.1 points per game. Settle is one of two remaining starters from Temple’s run to the AAC tournament title game last season. He started all five of Temple’s tournament games last season and was named to the 2024 all-AAC tournament team.

MaGee emerged as a key piece for Drexel early this season. MaGee, who is one of five returning players from last season’s team, started all 31 games the Dragons played and is leading the team in scoring with 13.7 points per game. The Allentown native recorded four games of 20 points or more, all of which the Dragons won.

The Dragons finished eighth place in the CAA, down from their second-place finish last season. However, Drexel finished the regular season on a four-game winning streak, including a 64-55 victory over third-seeded College of Charleston in which MaGee had 19 points. The Dragons start the CAA tournament in the second round with a matchup against Elon on Saturday (noon, FloSports) in Washington.

» READ MORE: Is Drexel finding a spark heading into tournament time? Looks that way.

Also a returner from last season’s Drexel team, Hargrove served as the primary interior defensive presence this season. Hargrove blocked the third-most shots in the CAA this season and averaged 1.8 per game. The Dragons rank 42nd nationally in blocked shots with 4.6 rejections per game. The 6-8 forward also leads the Dragons in rebounding with 7.4 boards a game. Hargrove snagged 92 offensive rebounds in the regular season, third-most in the CAA. For Drexel to improve on last season’s quarterfinal exit, it will need Hargrove to control the interior.

Reynolds is two points shy of Jameer Nelson’s school record of 2,094 career points and should surpass that mark Wednesday night against Rhode Island. The milestone is a testament to the offensive consistency of Reynolds, who has more games scoring 20-plus points (11) than he does single-digit scoring outputs (seven) this season.

» READ MORE: Erik Reynolds II inches closer to Jameer Nelson's scoring record

Reynolds averages 16.4 points and leads the A-10 in free-throw percentage at 89.7%. Hawks sophomore guard Xzayvier Brown is second at 89%, which should be helpful in a tournament setting.

The Hawks are in a four-way tie for third place in the A-10 standings with two regular-season games remaining. The A-10 tournament is scheduled for March 12-16 at Capital One Arena in Washington.

The addition of a reliable floor-spacing three-point shot in Fleming’s skill set this season has made him an eye-catching tool for coach Billy Lange. The 6-9 forward has already taken 126 shots from distance, 21 more than he shot in 35 starts last season, and has converted them at a higher rate.

Fleming is shooting 42.9% from three on 4.3 attempts per game, a 10.5% increase on 1.3 more attempts per game than last season. Fleming added this dimension while leading the Hawks in rebounding, averaging 8.7 per game. He posts 15.4 points per game, making him one of three Hawks to average double-figure scoring. Reynolds and Brown are the others, with Brown leading the team with 17.1 per game.

McKeithan is the offensive engine for La Salle. He leads the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game, minutes with 33.8 per game and boasts the best free-throw percentage at 88.9%. The Rider transfer has finished with 20 or more points eight times this season. The Explorers are 4-4 in those efforts. La Salle is currently 14th in the 15-team A-10 with two games remaining.

The Explorers have lost seven straight but may be able to find a tournament spark to draw out the final chapter for legendary coach Fran Dunphy, who is retiring at the end of the season.

Jones is leading all A-10 freshmen in scoring at 12.4 points per game. The Trenton native won A-10 Rookie of the Week six times this season, the most times the honor has been received in program history. Jones, who has started 15 games, provides energy from the guard position. He leads La Salle in assists at 2.8 per game, and collects 4.4 rebounds per game. The Explorers need Jones to make an impact to advance past a first-round game in the A-10 tournament.

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