2023 March Madness: Zero Philly schools in men's tournament for first time since 1977
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's the day college basketball players around the country have been waiting for all season: Selection Sunday.
Players, coaches and other members of the staff gather around TVs as they wait to hear their team's named called with a chance at the NCAA Tournament championship on the line.
But, that didn't happen in 2023 for Philadelphia schools. There will be no teams celebrating Sunday, or any local teams to root for to go all the way in the best event in sports.
For the first time since 1977, zero Philadelphia men's basketball teams will be in the NCAA Tournament.
In 1977, Jimmy Carter became president after Gerald Ford, gas was 62 cents per gallon.... in other words a lot has changed 46 years later.
It was a down year for college hoops in Philadelphia.
Despite being a talented group, the unexpected retirement of Hall of Fame coach Jay Wright had a massive impact on Villanova's basketball team. Shocker.
The Wildcats finished the season 17-16 overall before losing to Creighton University in the Big East Tournament last week to cap-off Kyle Neptune's first season as the team's head coach.
On North Broad Street, Aaron Mckie's squad once again couldn't get over the hump in an up-and-down season. The Owls finished 16-16 overall and had big wins over Villanova and then-No. 1 ranked the University of Houston. But their season also featured losses to lower competition like Maryland Eastern Shore and Wagner.
The Owls' season ended against the University of Cincinnati in a crushing 84-54 loss in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
The University of Pennsylvania's men's squad looked like they might be able to the one Philly team to go dancing. Wrong.
The Quakers, who finished 17-13 overall, lost to Princeton University, 77-70, in the semifinal of the Ivy League Tournament. The Tigers won the Ivy League Tourney in a 74-65 win over Yale University. Princeton is the No. 15 seed and will play No. 2 seed University of Arizona in the first round of the tourney.
St. Joseph's hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since 2016, and that didn't change this season. In Billy Lange's fourth season on Hawk Hill, they went 16-17 and lost to Dayton University in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
La Salle's men's basketball team recorded two wins in the Atlantic 10 Tourney, but also came up short. In Fran Dunphy's first year as head coach, the Explorers went 15-19.
Drexel University wasn't able to secure a bid. The Dragons went 17-15 and were knocked out of the CAA Tournament in the quarterfinals by the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
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