Big 5 Roundup: Dramatic Swings as Pod Play Opens

Ten days into the 2026-27 college basketball season, the Philadelphia Big 5 is starting to ramp up. Villanova claimed the win in the first of four pod play games on Tuesday, Nov. 10, taking care of La Salle 80-59 at the Finneran Pavilion: Saint Joseph’s will host Penn on Saturday, Nov. 14, while Temple will play at La Salle on Sunday, Nov. 15.

Here’s what’s going on in the Big 5 so far this season.

Drexel opened the year with a 29-point road loss to a top ten UVA team, then overcame an 11-point second half deficit to beat Colgate 77-74 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in their home opener. The Dragons lost 66-64 to American on Nov. 11, giving up the game-winning shot with one second to play, and rank No. 253 on KenPom.

La Salle, similarly, took a beating from a Top 15 Houston team on the road to start the season before keeping Long Island at arm’s reach in a home opener win. The Explorers struggled with fouls against Villanova to open pod play, allowing the Wildcats to break the game open, and rank No. 185 on KenPom.

Early Season Drama

Penn took a 42-point drubbing at No. 3 Illinois in a rematch of last season’s NCAA Tournament matchup and has struggled with inconsistency, needing a 14-point comeback to beat Howard before blowing their own 15-point lead at Navy on the way to the No. 140 KenPom rank.

Saint Joseph’s played in the Veterans Classic alongside the Quakers, warding off South Florida in an 83-80 thriller. The Hawks are 3-0 after a comfortable win over Longwood; they needed overtime to take down Lafayette but still won handily, and their No. 123 KenPom rank is second in the Big 5 behind Villanova’s No. 42.

Temple (1-2, No. 166 KenPom) has struggled with cold streaks and defensive lapses, giving up a series of lopsided runs. They survived Central Connecticut State, fell short in their bid to erase a 20-point deficit against the College of Charleston, and took a 26-point thrashing against Richmond at the Palestra.

Villanova (2-1) is also trying to find their footing, blowing a lead against Notre Dame in Rome before enjoying Luigi Suigo’s dominance against Holy Cross and La Salle.

Over on the women’s side, Penn opened Big 5 play with a 71-70 win over Drexel, a last-second Tina Njike jumper saving the Quakers; Temple took down La Salle 89-67 on Nov. 11 to open the other pod.