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Standings
| Team | Big 5 | All | Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4-0 | 21-6 | Chuck Daly |
| La Salle | 2-2 | 18-10 | Paul Westhead |
| St. Joseph’s | 2-2 | 19-11 | Jack McKinney |
| Temple | 2-2 | 16-9 | Don Casey |
| Villanova | 0-4 | 7-19 | Rollie Massimino |
| 81-55, 59.6% |
Game Results
All games were played at the Palestra.
| Date | Winner | Loser | Crowd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19 | Penn 84 | La Salle 82 | 7,898 |
| Five Quakers score double figures | |||
| Jan 8 | Penn 43 | Temple 42 | 6,458 |
| No Quakers score double figures | |||
| Jan 15 | Penn 55 | St. Joseph’s 53 | 5,048 |
| Penn’s third straight narrow victory | |||
| Jan 23 | Penn 83 | Villanova 61 | 9,209 |
| Coach Daly uses 14 players to clinch title | |||
| Jan 30 | St. Joseph’s 75 | La Salle 73 | 4,671 |
| All five SJU starters score double figures | |||
| Feb 3 | La Salle 78 | Temple 54 | 4,773 |
| Joe Bryant scores 22 points, grabs 16 boards | |||
| Feb 9 | Temple 81 | Villanova 73 | 6,745 |
| ‘Nova led by four (32-28) at intermission | |||
| Feb 16 | Temple 73 | St. Joseph’s 67 | 4,874 |
| Jim Washington records 18 points, 6 assists | |||
| Feb 20 | La Salle 104 | Villanova 66 | 4,718 |
| La Salle shells the ‘Cats for 2nd straight time | |||
| Feb 23 | St. Joseph’s 59 | Villanova 53 | 9,229 |
| Chubby Cox has 24 pts, 13 rebs in loss | |||
Honors
Big 5 First Team:
- Ron Haigler (Pennsylvania)*
- Mike Moody (St. Joseph’s)
- Jim O’Brien (St. Joseph’s)
- Bill Taylor (La Salle)
Hall of Fame Inductees:
- Frank Corace (La Salle)
- Hal Lear (Temple)
- Bob McNeill (St. Joseph’s)
- Bill Melchionni (Villanova)
- John Wideman (Pennsylvania)
St. Joseph’s Mike Bantom:
Mike Bantom has an extensive basketball resume. resume. It includes being a first-round pick of the Phoenix Suns. It also includes winning a silver medal as a member of the cheated 1972 U.S. Olympic team. Bantom was also selected to play in the NABC East-West All-American Game as a 1973 All-American at St. Joseph’s. A two-time team captain, Bantom was the last Hawk to average 20 points a game for a career and he did it during a time when the Hawks averaged 20 wins per season. In the 1972-73 season, Bantom was outscored by Pat McFarland by a single point. It is still the only time two Hawks averaged 20 points a season. Bantom is also second on the all-time rebounding list (1151). Until Carlin Warley did it in 1994, Bantom had been the last player to average double figures in rebounding for a season.
NCAA Tournament
Providence 84, Pennsylvania 69, in Jamaica, NY
Pittsburgh 54, St. Joseph’s 42, in Morgantown, WV
National Invitation Tournament
No participants