Villanova and St. Joe's are representing Philly and the Big 5 in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, which tips off today. (Photo by Chris Chambers/Getty Images)
Look alive, college basketball fans!
The 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s Round of 64 begins this afternoon — and Philly is well represented this year with two Big 5 schools, Villanova University and Saint Joseph’s University, both qualifying for the exciting post-season hoops action.
Both teams are in the East region of the bracket and face off today with opening games in Buffalo, NY.
The St. Joe’s Hawks take the floor first, facing off against Connecticut tonight at 6:55 p.m. Then, the Villanova Wildcats play Milwaukee directly after, at 9:25 p.m.
Game 1 – #10 St. Joe’s vs. #7 Connecticut, 6:55 p.m. on TBS
Saint Joe’s is coming off an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship, the third in the program’s history and the first since 1997. This is Saint Joseph’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2008. The Hawks have gone 20-5 this season since a loss to #14 Villanova back on December 7. UConn, the #7 seed in the East, is currently the 18th ranked team in the country and is coached by former Sixer Kevin Ollie.
Game 2 – #2 Villanova vs. #15 Milwaukee, 9:25 p.m. on TBS
Villanova enters the NCAA tournament with a stellar 28-4 record and ranked 6th overall in the country. The Wildcats earned a #2 seed in the East region and look to build on their regular season success with a deep run in this year’s tournament. Nova is looking for their first tournament win since 2010 and the first test is against feisty #15 seed Milwaukee — a surprise team that was predicted to finish last in their conference before the season.
(Note: If Nova and St. Joe’s both advance, fans around the country will get to see a playoff version of the already incredibly intense Big 5 rivalry that is commonly referred to as the “Holy War”, when the two teams face each other once a year during the regular season.)
St. Joe’s and Villanova aren’t the only two local schools competing in this year’s tournament, though, since the University of Delaware is headed back to the tournament for the first time since 1999.
Like Villanova and St. Joe’s, Delaware is also in the East region of the bracket and will be playing a heavily favored Michigan State team. C’mon, the game feels like a potential Cinderella story to us! That game tips off today at 4:40 p.m.on TNT.
For up-to-date information on watch-parties and everything Villanova, St. Joe’s and Delaware basketball, follow each of the schools on Twitter: @NovaAthletics; @SJUHawks; @UDBlueHens.
2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
When: Today, Thursday, March 21
Time: Delaware vs. Michigan State, 4:40 p.m. on TNT; St. Joe’s vs. Connecticut, 6:55 p.m. on TBS; Villanova vs. Milwaukee, 9:25 p.m. on TBS
More Info: www.ncaa.com/marchmadness