Former Villanova head men’s basketball coach Jay Wright is disappointed no Big 5 teams have made the men’s NCAA Tournament in two years, calling it a “sad time,” writes Gabriela Carroll for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

This year, all six of Philadelphia’s Division I teams were left out of the men’s NCAA Tournament.

The last time the Big 5 were shut out before 2023 was in 1977,

The usually reliable Villanova hasn’t made it to the Tournament since Wright’s retirement at the end of 2021-22.

He’s not seeing the Philadelphia absence as a bigger problem, though.

“I do think it’s a cycle,” Wright said.

Right now, St. Joe’s is doing a good job and made a good run in the A-10 tournament. Penn has a chance in the Ivy League under Steve Donahue. La Salle also looks good under Fran Dunphy, and Zach Spiker had Drexel at the top of the league for the year, Wright said.

And Villanova?

“I think Kyle Neptune is going to get Villanova going,” he said.

“There’s great opportunities here, but it is a disappointment in Philly and it’s a sad time when somebody’s not representing Philadelphia basketball and the Big 5,” he said.

Read more of Jay Wright’s observations in The Philadelphia Inquirer.