Big 5 Pods Announced: Villanova to Face Temple and La Salle

Two of the last matchups for Villanova Men’s Basketball this season became clear on Wednesday, July 9, as the Wildcats will face Temple and La Salle in their Big 5 pod; St. Joseph’s, Drexel and Penn comprise the other pod, with each pod sending a representative to the Big 5 Classic championship game at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, Dec. 6.

The Hawks won last year’s championship game 82-68 over La Salle, their second tournament win in a row. Villanova last won a share of the Big 5 title in the 2022-23 season, tying atop the standings with Temple.

Villanova will face La Salle on the road on Wednesday, Nov. 19 and host Temple on Monday, Dec. 1. Both the Explorers and the Owls finished at or below .500 in conference play last season, so the Wildcats should have an excellent chance of making the Big 5 championship game for the first time since it was restructured during the 2023-24 season.

For other Big 5 matchups, Temple will host La Salle on Tuesday, Nov. 11; St. Joseph’s will host Drexel on Saturday, Nov. 8 and face Penn at the Palestra on Monday, Nov. 17; Penn will play at Drexel on Friday, Nov. 21.

Villanova now has all but three of their matchups for the 2025-26 season announced: they’ll also face one of St. Joseph’s, Penn and Drexel, depending where they finish during Big 5 pod play.

Beyond their 20 Big East games, they’ll play road games at Michigan and Wisconsin, opening home-and-home series; they’ll host a Multiple Team Event against Sacred Heart, Queens and Duquesne, playing each team once, and they’ll host infamous NCAA Tournament foe Old Dominion on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

The Wildcats season will begin in Las Vegas on Monday, Nov. 3 when they face BYU, a likely Top 10 team, in a neutral site matchup.