On Wednesday, July 9, the Philadelphia Big 5 announced new pods and schedules for the men’s basketball 2025-26 season.
This year’s new groupings include Villanova joining Pod Two with Temple University and LaSalle University. Previously, the Wildcats were in a pod with St. Joseph’s University and the University of Pennsylvania.
The team with the best record from each of the two pods will face off in the Big 5 Championship at the Big 5 Classic on Saturday, Dec. 6. There will also be third place and fifth place games for a full-day triple-header at the Wells Fargo Center.
Villanova will travel to LaSalle for its first Big 5 game of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 19. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2022. The Wildcats have a nine-game win streak against the Explorers and lead the all-time series, 44-27.
To wrap up pod play, the Wildcats will host the Owls at the Finneran Pavilion on Monday, Dec. 1. Villanova defeated Temple, 94-65, in the third place game at the Big 5 Classic last season. The Wildcats hold the all-time series lead, 51-43.
Before 2023, the Big 5 Classic was held at the Palestra on Penn’s campus. In 2023, the Big 5 agreed to a three-year deal with the Wells Fargo Center to host the triple-header in one day. This year marks the final season of that three-year agreement.
It will be the first time since the 1997-98 season that Villanova and St. Joseph’s are not scheduled to face off. The two teams have a longstanding rivalry, commonly referred to as the “Holy War,” which has gone on since their first meeting in 1921. Villanova leads the all-time series, 54-27.
Villanova’s full non-conference schedule has not officially been released. The Wildcats are set to kick off the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3 against Brigham Young University at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.