Villanova and St. Joe’s basketball teams’ will play in postseason despite missing NCAA Tournament

With St. Joseph’s loss in the Atlantic 10 semifinals and Temple’s loss in the American Athletic Conference final, Philadelphia does not have a team in the men’s NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. On the women’s side, Drexel is the lone school that made it, winning the Colonial Athletic Association title on Sunday.

However, the city has representation in the National Invitation Tournament and newly formed Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament brackets. Villanova and St. Joe’s men’s and women’s teams were selected for the second-tier postseason competition. Here’s a look at what’s ahead and how each team got here.

» READ MORE: Need a bracket? The Inquirer’s got you covered.

After spending most of the last three weeks barely outside NCAA Tournament projections, the Wildcats (18-15) lost three of their last four to fall out of the picture.

The Wildcats could have skipped the NIT altogether to focus on the transfer portal and next year, as Big East rival St. John’s did. Instead, they automatically qualified as one of the Big East’s top two finishers in the NET rankings and earned a top seed. The Big East, which had only three NCAA Tournament teams, has five teams in the NIT.

The Wildcats will host Virginia Commonwealth (22-13) on Wednesday at 9 p.m. (ESPN2).

“We have an opportunity to compete, so we want to try to compete and play the best we can possibly play,” coach Kyle Neptune said late Sunday night. “We’re always competing, we want to win every game we play.”

However, Villanova’s chances depend on who plays. Jordan Longino suffered a left knee sprain in the Big East tournament, and TJ Bamba has been playing through a facial fracture. The bigger question is with Eric Dixon and Justin Moore, who both have little to gain in an NIT appearance.

Moore is out of eligibility and will turn pro, while Dixon, who has one more year, could choose to test professional waters.

Neptune said that Villanova did not consider opting out of the NIT and that no player had told him that he did not want to play. However, he added that several Wildcats are battling injuries, declining to specify which ones.

» READ MORE: A dozen things to know ahead of this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament

Like the men, Villanova’s women’s team (18-12) was on the bubble, but losing three of the last four games cost the Wildcats a bid. However, as a younger team, the Wildcats have more to gain by competing in the WBIT.

Villanova is a top seed in the tournament and also will host VCU (26-5) on Thursday at a time to be determined. If the Wildcats win, they will face the winner of Virginia (15-15) and High Point (20-11) on Saturday.

The Wildcats reached the postseason behind strong play from Lucy Olsen, who was fourth nationally at 23.2 points per game; Christina Dalce, who led the Big East in rebounding (9.7); and Maddie Webber, who averaged 7.8 points as a freshman.

Olsen and Dalce are juniors, so barring transfers, next season should be a good one for Villanova. A WBIT run would help build on a strong foundation.

The Hawks (21-12) came into the season with NCAA Tournament aspirations but struggled to a 9-9 record in A-10 play. They fell to VCU in the A-10 tournament semifinals, two wins shy of a March Madness bid.

St. Joe’s was a surprise inclusion in the NIT, as the tournament had only 20 at-large bids because 12 spots are automatically given to the top two NET-rated teams from the Power 6 conferences that missed the NCAA Tournament. At least six teams declined invitations.

The Hawks will face No. 1 seed Seton Hall (20-12) in New Jersey on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN2). The Pirates were one of the biggest NCAA Tournament snubs. The winner will face No. 4 LSU (17-15) or North Texas (18-14) in the second round.

“We have a vision here to be a sustainable postseason program,” coach Billy Lange said after the bracket was released. “… At some point, we’re going to have to build the endurance to play longer than we’re used to playing. I mean that as players, I mean that as coaching staff, I mean that as support staff. This is an opportunity not only to be present in a great event, but also to build the mentality that we want to expect here every year.”

» READ MORE: St. Joe’s strong Atlantic 10 run shows these Hawks are ‘headed in the right direction’

St. Joe’s (26-5) had a historic year, but a loss in the A-10 quarterfinals to Rhode Island sent the Hawks to a second-tier tournament for the second straight year.

The Hawks received the No. 3 seed in Villanova’s regional, meaning they could play the Wildcats in the quarterfinals. The Hawks won, 73-67, at Hagan Arena in December. To get there, they’ll have to beat Seton Hall (17-14) in the first round on Thursday (time to be announced), followed by the winner of No. 2 California (18-14) and Hawaii (20-10). If the Bears beat Hawaii, the Hawks would likely make a cross-country trip to Berkeley for the second-round matchup.

Both are 32-team, single-elimination tournaments. Higher-seeded teams will have the option to host their games.

Men’s NIT schedule:

Women’s WBIT schedule: