Jay Wright disappointed no Big 5 teams made the men’s NCAA Tournament: ‘It’s a sad time’

For the second year in a row, Big 5 men’s basketball was left on the outside looking in on Selection Sunday. All six Philadelphia-area Division I teams were left out of the men’s NCAA Tournament.

Before 2023, the last time the Big 5 was shut out of the tournament completely was in 1977. That’s a long history of success in Philadelphia, which makes the recent absence even more notable.

Villanova, usually the region’s NCAA Tournament stalwart, hasn’t made it since Jay Wright’s retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season. But Wright, who will be part of the CBS/TNT studio crew throughout the tournament, said on a conference call Monday that he doesn’t think the recent drought is indicative of a bigger issue for Philly hoops.

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“I do think it’s a cycle,” Wright said. “I think St. Joe’s, Billy Lange is doing a good job. They made a good run in the [A-10] tournament, I think they can get there. Penn’s always got a chance in the Ivy League under Steve Donahue. I think Kyle Neptune is going to get Villanova going. Fran Dunphy at La Salle, they looked good in the tournament. I do think it’s going to get going. Zach Spiker had Drexel at the top of the league all year, they get upset in their tournament.

“There’s great opportunities here, but it is a disappointment in Philly and it’s a sad time when somebody’s not representing Philadelphia basketball and the Big 5.”

In 2023, the Big 5 made big changes. The series officially added Drexel and created the Big 5 Classic tournament, replacing the traditional round-robin games to help revive interest in the citywide rivalries. Despite the lack of regular-season success the last two years, Wright said he’s still confident people care about the Big 5.

“It’s the Big 5, everybody’s busting everybody’s chops, everybody in Philly follows it,” Wright said. “I was rooting for Adam Fisher, our former assistant. I thought Temple was going to have a shot. This is one of the few places in the country — we have six Division I teams — if somebody makes it, everybody gets behind them.

“Now, when we play each other, we want to kill each other.”

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While no men’s Big 5 teams made the Big Dance, Drexel’s women’s team pulled off an improbable run through the Colonial Athletic Association tournament, winning the title on Sunday and earning a March Madness berth. They’ll visit No. 1 seed Texas on Friday.