Drexel, Penn have best chances for NCAA Tournament bids | City 6 women’s basketball

Drexel and Penn lead the list of women’s basketball teams from the City 6 that have the best shot at an NCAA Tournament berth.

Drexel (21-6, 13-3) needs either to win one of its two remaining games or see Towson lose of one of its final two to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, scheduled for March 13-16 at Delaware. James Madison (23-4, 15-1) has clinched the top seed.

The Dragons will be tested entering the CAA tourney. They will visit James Madison on Thursday and close the regular season Saturday at Towson (17-10, 11-5). That’s quite a tune-up.

“You’re facing two of the top teams, and it forces your team to focus at practice and want to get better,” Drexel coach Denise Dillon said.

During the first week of January, Drexel lost at home to both Towson, 55-54, and James Madison, 51-35.

Last week, the Dragons saw their 12-game winning streak end with a 77-72, triple-overtime home loss to William & Mary. They bounced back with a 68-45 win over Elon.

That was Drexel’s first home game against Elon since losing last year’s CAA final to the Phoenix, 57-45.

As for Penn, the Quakers (20-5) enter the final week of the Ivy League regular season tied for first place with Princeton at 10-2. Both teams will hit the road this weekend, with each facing Yale and Brown.

Penn and Princeton each own a win over the other, with both victories coming on the road.

Villanova earned the No. 5 seed and a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament, which will be played in Chicago. On Sunday, the Wildcats will face No. 4 seed Georgetown at 3:30 p.m.

The Wildcats (18-11, 9-9) likely need to reach the Big East final and might have to win it to secure an NCAA Tournament bid. They split their games with Georgetown, losing by 68-63 on the road and winning, 91-43, at home.

Mary Gedaka, a 6-foot-1 junior and a Gloucester Catholic grad, is averaging a team-high 14.4 points. She is also third nationally in shooting percentage (.676). Junior guard Kelly Jekot averages 13.7 points and a team-leading 34.4 minutes.

Temple needs to win the American Athletic Conference Tournament to earn an NCAA bid. The Owls finished the regular season 11-18 overall and 7-9 in the AAC with Monday’s 84-53 loss at Memphis.

They will be the No. 6 seed in the AAC Tournament and open play against the same Memphis team (seeded No. 11) at 8 p.m. Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.