Selection sting | Sports Daily Newsletter

It’s all said and done.

It was a grim outcome for most area basketball programs as college teams across the country found out their fate on Selection Sunday. None of the city’s six major men’s basketball programs would be participating in the NCAA Tournament.

It particularly stings for one storied program. Villanova had for so long been the team that could engineer upsets and contend with the best. Now it’s on the outside looking in.

Mike Jensen, The Inquirer’s premier college reporter, looks back at how rare it is for no Philadelphia-based men’s team to be in March Madness and takes a big-picture view of the current situation.

— Andrea Canales, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓Do you plan to watch the Villanova men in the NIT? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Tournament season is upon us, and that means it’s almost time to play The Inquirer’s Bracket Jawn. Fill out one bracket per tournament (men’s and women’s) by noon ET on March 16 for a chance to win one of two $1,000 Visa gift cards.

The Villanova women’s basketball program has been the one shining glimmer of hope for City 6 college hoops for much of the 2022-23 season.

At the end of a wild week of conference tournament action, the Wildcats are the only ones left standing among women’s and men’s teams, the latter finding all six city men’s college programs missing out for the first time since disco was popular.

For Villanova, it’s a dream come true, one that saw pivotal moments go its way en route to a No. 10 Top 25 ranking and now, a No. 4 seed in the NCAA women’s tournament. The opponent? No. 13 Cleveland State heads to the Main Line for first-round action this Saturday inside Nova’s Finneran Pavilion.

The Eagles have a whopping 18 players set to become free agents this week, including seven defensive starters. That doesn’t include Darius Slay looking at a trade possibility. Will most of them depart? We’ll find out their fate soon enough, but be prepared for the makeup of this team to change quite a bit. Yes, Brandon Graham agreed to terms on a deal that will keep the veteran in Philly. But others are expected to leave for lucrative deals elsewhere.

Next: Beginning noon today, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents.

The voters have a tough choice to make. Denver Nuggets virtuoso Nikola Jokić is still playing like an MVP, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is perhaps the league’s best player, and the Sixers’ Joel Embiid is as dominant as he’s ever been. These three compete for MVP every year, and Jokić and Antetokounmpo can say they claimed it in back-to-back years. The Inquirer’s Keith Pompey makes the case for Embiid to finally take home the award.

Embiid and the Sixers pulled away from Washington on Sunday to extend their winning streak to five games.

Next: The Sixers take off for Cleveland to play the Cavaliers at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, starting yet another road trip. This one will last three games and also include Charlotte and Indiana.

In spring training, Phillies pitcher Noah Song has worked smarter, kept things simple, and saw glimpses of his 2019 self resurface. But he has a long way to go after missing three seasons while serving in the Navy. Can the right-hander, who was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 draft in December, become the electric pitcher many thought he would be?

Gregory Soto, who was delayed by visa issues, made his first appearance of the spring and left his manager impressed.

Next: After an off day on Monday, the Phillies play the Braves at 1:05 p.m. Tuesday at BayCare Ballpark (NBCSP).

Just days after the Flyers fired Chuck Fletcher as general manager, interim GM Danny Brière spoke Sunday for the first time since assuming the role.

What did the former Flyers standout say? Giana Han on what the boss sees in his new team.

Next: The Flyers host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday (7 p.m., NBCSP).

Jim Curtin doesn’t think the Union are back to their best yet, even as their home unbeaten streak continues. The Union tallied another home win thanks to the goal of Joaquín Torres, but suffered a loss in the injury withdrawal of goalkeeper Andre Blake.

In 2022, after a 40-day retirement (and not long after he helped bounce the Eagles from the playoffs) quarterback Tom Brady announced he would return to the NFL for yet another season. It might be the most famous retirement take-back in sports history.

We asked: Will Sirianni and the Eagles regret Wilson’s dismissal? Among your responses:

One of the most important characteristics of a team success is the fragile cohesiveness between players and coaches. Wilson’s firing has upset that balance. Three key and irreplaceable defensive players: Darius Slay (told to seek a trade), James Bradberry, and [C.J.] Gardiner-Johnson (who will probably go somewhere else in free agency) are a direct result of this “dumb” move by the Eagles. These losses will make it tough for the Eagles to be as good as last year. ... Howie, for all the praise he has gotten, still makes incomprehensible decisions….and this is one of them (the coach would not have made this decision without Howie’s OK). … Staying on top means making smart strategic decisions and not whole sale changes…I fear the Eagles are in for a retrograde movement this year … — Tom J.

I don’t believe they will as Sirianni has earned the right to choose the DC that he wanted in Desai vs Wilson. Obviously Sirianni didn’t think that Wilson would be able to work for/with Desai for some reason so he let him go. Probably the best move for everyone involved! — Bill R.

I keep hearing conflicting reports. ... Some say Wilson decided to leave after being passed over, and some say he was fired. There is a difference. I believe he was passed over, for whatever reason, and decided to go where he felt he had a better chance to advance. It happens in the real world all the time. I think saying he was fired is sensationalism, trying to fire up the readers or listeners. Will the Eagles regret bringing in Desai? Time will tell, but he was highly thought of and I give Nick and the Eagles the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Wilson wasn’t ready, or maybe his philosophy didn’t align with Nick. Whatever the reason, I support the Eagles as they seem to be making better moves than not. Let’s give it some time to decide. — Rick V.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Mike Jensen, Meghann Morhardt, Meg Swanick, Melanie Heller, Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, Jeff McLane, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, Alex Coffey, and Giana Han.