Guru’s Notes: The Big Five Women’s Slate

By Mel Greenberg

Know you enjoyed the showdown but are probably tired of still seeing the fifth game of the WNBA Finals from earlier this month as the most recent blog post — until now.

Well, somebody has to to their own grunt work to get ready for the collegiate season, like the master planning schedule, which in an upset is all done except two time starts involving national teams.

You should know that Bob Heller, who provided the meat of every summer league game for the overnight reports has agreed to do a notebook of sorts — maybe more for you locals on the D2 and D3 circuit and thus will have someone to give me a heads up when a key game is unconflicted from a key game in the D1 world to attend.

So as of now since they are always subject to change, for starters, locally, here is the ten-game women’s Big 5 slate which does have one conflict since two will go head-to-head and there will also be nights when a Big 5 game is going against another local action. In the next day or so I’ll give the other key home games.

Coming up Saturday, Drexel will be hosting a public exhibition game against West Chester 2 p.m. and next Wednesday Villanova on the front end of a men’s home game o0n the Main Line, will host PSAC-East favorite East Strodsburg, coached by former Wildcat star Diane Decker, at 6 p.m.

Conference-wise, Penn has been picked to repeat as Ivy champs with Princeton second, while Saint Joseph’s third and La Salle seventh in the Atlantic 10, Villanova third in the Big East, Drexel fourth and Delaware fifth in the Colonial Athletic Association Temple third in the American Athletic Conference, Rider sixth in the MAAC after the Broncos’ magical season, and Rutgers and Penn State unrevealed in the Big Ten since they didn’t finish in the top three, per the way the conference does things.

That said, here’s your Big Five slate.

Big Five Women’s Games 2017-18

Nov. 22 Wed — Temple at La Salle – 1 p.m.

Nov. 29 Wed — Penn at La Salle – 7 p.m.

Nov. 29 Wed — Saint Joseph’s at Temple – 7 p.m.

Dec. 03 Sun — Saint Joseph’s at Villanova  - 1 p.m.

Dec. 10 Sun — Villanova At Temple – 2 p.m.

Dec. 11 Mon — Penn at Saint Joseph’s  - 7 p.m.

Dec. 20 Wed — Villanova at La Salle – 1 p.m.

Jan. 17 Wed — Penn at Villanova – 7 p.m.

Jan. 24 Wed — Penn at Temple – 7 p.m.

Jan. 28 Sun — Saint Joseph’s at La Salle  - 1 p.m.

All Big 5 home games for Temple are in McGonigle Hall; All Villanova home games in Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.

All Temple home games in McGonigle Hall except South Carolina Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. and annual school  game, which will be Cincinnati at noon on Feb. 21 in Liacouras Center.