In case you missed it, the first ever Big 5 Classic was held at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday. St Joes beat Temple 74-65 in the championship game to cap off a long day of basketball in South Philadelphia. Here are my 3 takeaways from the first time event.
1. This idea was long overdue
Look no further than the success of the Beanpot, an annual event held at Boston’s TD Garden that features the ability to see all of the region’s four premiere college hockey programs (Boston University, Boston College, Harvard and Northeastern) for the price of one ticket.
Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center featured six schools instead of four and hardwood instead of ice, but Philadelphia officially has a single-ticket college tournament of its own. The days of the “old Big 5” are gone, it was time to re-generate some real interest in the local college hoops scene.
The atmosphere was great. The announced attendance was 15,215. Two of the three games came down to the final possession, including a game-winning three point overtime buzzer beater from La Salle’s Khalil Brantley. It was a successful and entertaining day for everyone on-hand.
2. The streamers are back!
The old Big 5 might be gone, but not all of its traditions are. No, Saturday’s event wasn’t held at the Palestra, but the streamers did make their return! Every first basket of the day, for all six teams, college kids who filled their respective student sections were encouraged to test their arms by throwing streamers over the seats of media and courtside fans in attempts to revive a taste of the good ole’ days.
St Joes might’ve gone home with the title at the end of the night, but that doesn’t change the fact their fans jumped the gun and prematurely threw theirs after a free throw gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Most of these kids were born post-1999, they’ll learn eventually.
3. These are not the Jay Wright Villanova Wildcats
What has happened on the Main Line?! Just a week removed from their Battle 4 Atlantis Thanksgiving week tournament championship, which included a win over #14 UNC, the Wildcats lost the 5th place game of Saturday’s event 57-55 at the hands of the Big 5’s newest member, Drexel. Jay Wright retired just two years ago, but their days of winning multiple national championships in a three year window feels like another lifetime ago.