Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
Beginning Monday, college basketball will be in full swing, with all 12 Big 5 men’s and women’s programs returning to action. There are teams with big expectations and those looking to create more noise than last season, another year that found both the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments devoid of a Big 5 program. Before teams tip off, here’s a look at the players on the men’s side who are expected to play significant roles this season. Acaden Lewis, freshman guard, Villanova Lewis, a four-star recruit, is a rarity in the college basketball world: a freshman who will start at point guard. Lewis originally committed to Kentucky but withdrew his commitment and joined Villanova on the Main Line to get better playing opportunities. He was listed as the No. 31 recruit in the Class of 2025 by ESPN. A graduate of Sidwell Friends in Washington, Lewis is following in the footsteps of Villanova greats Josh Hart and Sadiq Bey. He averaged 16.7 points and 6.1 assists while playing for Team Durant on the Nike EYBL circuit. Lewis was named the 2024 Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year in Washington. Tyler Perkins, junior guard, Villanova Perkins is the lone returning Wildcat who played minutes last season. He was Villanova’s sixth man, averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 35.2% shooting from beyond the arc, and 25.7 minutes per contest. Perkins transferred from Penn after a successful freshman campaign. He started for the Quakers in all but two of their 29 games, averaging 13.7 points. He will be back in the starting lineup for the 2025-26 season. Perkins has showcased his defensive prowess and fast-break scoring abilities this preseason, which will be a key piece in increasing the pace of play that Villanova lacked last season. Aiden Tobiason, sophomore guard, Temple Tobiason saw limited playing time for the first month of last season before injuries and off-court issues with other players opened the door to consistent minutes. He played 27 minutes against Villanova on Dec. 7 and never looked back from there. He started in 22 of the next 24 games and developed into a crucial player on both ends of the floor. » READ MORE: Big 5 women’s basketball: Names to know ahead of the 2025-26 season The Wilmington native finished the season averaging 4.8 points per game on 45.9% shooting from the field and 41.2% shooting from three. Tobiason began to find his scoring stride near the end of conference play, recording double-digit points in four of Temple’s final 10 games. CJ Hines, senior guard, Temple Hines joins Temple for his sixth season of college basketball. The Atlanta native spent three years at NAIA Faulkner, then two seasons at Alabama State. Hines is known for his scoring ability, having racked up 2,318 career points. He averaged 14.1 points last season at Alabama State. He also brings postseason experience to the Owls. Hines won MVP of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament last season, averaging 16 points in three games. The Hornets earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, and Hines had 10 points in their win against St. Francis in the First Four. Deuce Jones, sophomore guard, St. Joseph’s Jones joins the Hawks after spending last season at Atlantic 10 and Big 5 foe La Salle. He became one of the best freshmen in the A-10 last season, averaging 12.5 points while starting 18 of La Salle’s 28 games. Jones became just the third player in La Salle history to earn A-10 Rookie of the Year honors. The Trenton native played two seasons at Trenton Catholic Academy before transferring to St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison and was ranked as the seventh-best recruit from New Jersey. Jones becomes a scoring threat for a Hawks team that lost its top three scorers from last season. He was named to the All-Atlantic 10 preseason first team. Anthony Finkley, junior forward, St. Joseph’s Finkley is St. Joe’s three-point threat, finishing last season fifth in the A-10 in three-point percentage, going 39.6% from beyond the arc. He appeared in all 35 games last season while making 13 starts. Finkley averaged 7.1 points for the Hawks and became a key player down the stretch. In St. Joe’s final seven games, Finkley scored double digits six times, including 12 points in its National Invitation Tournament game against Alabama-Birmingham on March 19. He enters his third season at Hawk Hill after joining the program out of Roman Catholic, winning the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship in 2023 with former Hawks teammate Xzayvier Brown. Ethan Roberts, senior forward, Penn Penn’s leading scorer last year, the Drake and Army transfer was a lone bright spot in an otherwise dreadful season that saw the team finish seventh in the Ivy League. Recovering from a shoulder injury in recent weeks, Roberts looks ready to go in new coach Fran McCaffery’s run-and-gun offense. » READ MORE: Villanova hired Kevin Willard to change course. ‘Rebuilding this program’ starts Monday. Roberts averaged 16.8 points and had nine games of over 20 points while maintaining a 20-game streak of double-digit scoring. With the departure of All-Ivy second-team shooting guard Sam Brown to Davidson, Roberts will be expected to carry the load offensively as the Quakers attempt to rebuild under new management. TJ Power, junior forward, Penn Power is looking for a fresh start after failing to make an impact in his previous stops at Power Five schools Duke and Virginia. He transferred to Penn this offseason, with the team hoping to close the book on a Steve Donahue-led era that saw the team fail to make the Ivy League playoffs since 2018. A former five-star high school recruit, Power is already facing injury concerns to start the season, making him the Quakers’ biggest wild card. The health and ability of the 6-foot-9 forward will dictate the ceiling of the Red and Blue’s performance entering a weakened Ivy League, with the conference losing star players Caden Pierce, Bez Mbeng, and Xavien Lee. If Power can reach the heights he was projected to out of high school, the Quakers will gain a dangerous second option to Roberts. Eric Acker, junior guard, La Salle Acker is the only returning player from Fran Dunphy’s final season as coach at La Salle. Acker spent his freshman season at Long Island, where he was named to the conference all-freshman team. He was limited in his first season with the Explorers. The guard did not make his debut until December, but he logged four double-digit scoring performances in his first five games with the team. He averaged 4.6 points and 1.3 assists in 16 games. Acker is quick and can score, which should make him a good backcourt option for Darris Nichols in his first season as head coach. Noah Collier, graduate forward, La Salle Entering his sixth season of college basketball, Collier is the most experienced of the transfers Nichols brought in this offseason. Collier started his career with two seasons at Pitt before transferring to William & Mary, where he posted 9.0 points and 8.2 rebounds over 23 games as a junior. He took a medical redshirt in his second season at William & Mary after injury limited him to three games, and returned for a fifth season in 2024-25. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.0 rebounds in his last season with William & Mary and landed at La Salle after entering the transfer portal. Collier’s 6-9 frame, rebounding, and scoring ability should make him a player for Nichols to lean on as the Explorers embark on the post-Dunphy era. Shane Blakeney, junior guard, Drexel After a standout sophomore season, Blakeney is one of nine returners on the squad that coach Zach Spiker is expecting big things from this season. A 72.7% free-throw shooter, Blakeney averaged 7.5 points and 3.6 rebounds last season. He also guided the Dragons in their CAA quarterfinal clash against Towson, where he had a career-high 24 points. Victor Panov, senior forward, Drexel Listed at 6-7 and 230 pounds, Panov is an imposing presence on the floor, but he’s not only an inside presence. Panov can also shoot the three, as evidenced by his 16 three-pointers, which helped him finish in double digits six times last season. He’ll be out to improve on his 6.3 points per game and should be able to do so, benefiting from increased playing time this season.
