Making sense of the conference tournaments

The conference tournaments for Philly teams have taken shape after Saturday's games.

First, the Big East. Villanova staggered through the end of the regular season. The Wildcats (21-10) have lost four straight and six of eight. Villanova is banged up and heading the wrong direction in March.

The Wildcats, who not that long ago had a chance for a double-bye right into Thursday's quarterfinals, will play South Florida in a first-round game on Tuesday at 7. Villanova is the 10th seed and USF is the 15th seed. A Villanova victory will mean a Wednesday night game against Cincinnati. Villanova beat both USF and Cincy during the season. Notre Dame, red-hot, awaits in Thursday's quarterfinals.

In the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's won at Charlotte, 71-70, to get the last berth in the conference tournament. The Hawks, 9-21 and the 12th seed, will play at George Washington on Tuesday at 7. GW is the fifth seed. The Hawks lost to GW on Jan. 8, 78-71, at Hagan Arena. The winner will play Duquesne in the A-10 quarterfinals on Friday at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

La Salle. which lost at Temple on Saturday, 92-80, is the 10th seed and will play in the first round at seventh-seeded St. Bonaventure on Tuesday at 5. La Salle lost at St. Bonaventure, 82-61, on Feb. 12. The winner will play second-seeded Temple on Friday in Atlantic City. The Owls are the three-time defending A-10 tourney champions.

In the Colonial Athletic Association tourney, Drexel lost in the quarterfinals to VCU, 62-60, on an inside shot at the buzzer. With 20 wins, the Dragons have a decent shot at the NIT.

March is here. The basketball means everything. The winning means everything, and the losing means even more.