Philadelphia Big 5 Classic Dates Released: Men’s Pod Play Still a Mystery

The 2026 Men’s Philadelphia Big 5 Classic will take place at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday, Dec. 5, per an event listing on the arena’s webpage. The women’s event will take place the following day at the Palestra as part of the storied arena’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Each of the six teams in the Big 5 will play two games in pod play, the pods consisting of Drexel, Penn and Saint Joseph’s and La Salle, Temple and Villanova. Three games have dates for the men’s side of the schedule, all in one pod.

Saturday, Nov. 14: Penn at Saint Joseph’s
Friday, Nov. 20: Saint Joseph’s at Drexel
Tuesday, Nov. 24: Drexel at Penn

The other men’s pod has yet to release their schedule. The women’s pod play schedule is as follows:

Friday, Nov. 6: Drexel at Penn
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Temple at La Salle
Sunday, Nov. 15: Saint Joseph’s at Drexel
Wednesday, Nov. 18: Penn at Saint Joseph’s
Tuesday, Nov. 24: La Salle at Villanova
Tuesday, Dec. 1: Villanova at Temple

Pod play will determine the matchups for the Big 5 Classic tripleheaders: the best, second-best and third-best teams from each pod will face off against one another in the first, third and fifth place games. Villanova is the reigning champion for both the men’s and women’s events.