Villanova basketball will open its 2025-26 season against Brigham Young University on Nov. 3 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The game is one half of a Hall of Fame Series season-opening doubleheader hosted by Position Sports and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. It is the third consecutive season the Hall of Fame Series will be held in Las Vegas.
“We’re thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as the Hall of Fame Series returns to Las Vegas and T-Mobile Arena for a third consecutive year,” President of Position Sports Melissa Meacham-Grossman said in the release. “Opening Night promises to deliver a tremendous start to the season, with defending national champion Florida tipping off their title defense and both games airing across TNT Sports’ national platforms. It’s an exciting way to showcase Las Vegas and celebrate the Hall of Fame’s impact on college basketball.”
Villanova leads the all-time series against BYU, 2-1. The last time the two teams met was on Dec. 28, 1984 – the same season Villanova won the 1985 Championship. The Wildcats crushed the Cougars, 91-61, at the Cotton States Kiwanis Classic in Atlanta.
“We’re looking forward to opening our 2025-26 season at the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas,” Villanova coach Kevin Willard said in the release. “BYU is an outstanding opponent with its own great basketball tradition. We’re honored to represent Villanova and the entire Nova Nation in the Hall of Fame Series.”
The game will mark the first official game of Willard’s tenure as head coach at Villanova.
Villanova will be facing off against the No. 1 ranked recruit in the 2025 recruiting class, AJ Dybansta.
This past 2024-25 season, the Cougars went 26-10 and 14-6 in the Big 12 to finish No. 13 in the final AP Poll. As of May 1, John Fanta of FOX has the Cougars ranked No. 17 on his early season rankings.
The Wildcats will have a brand new identity next with only one returning player who saw any minutes last season — rising junior guard Tyler Perkins.
On the other side of the doubleheader is the reigning national champion Florida and Arizona.
Both game will be nationally televised on TNT with other streaming options to be announced.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, May 30, at 10 a.m. at HOFSeries.com.
