Villanova Schedules Premier Home-and-Home Series

Two of the nation’s best basketball teams this century will square off in a home-and-home series beginning in 2026, with Villanova set to face Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 27 in Lawrence, Kan.

The Wildcats will host the return game the following season; given that the 2026 game takes place over Thanksgiving break, it rules them out of playing in any of the tournaments typically held that week. Per the Wildcats’ press release, Villanova head coach Kevin Willard described the scheduled series as “a great opportunity for two elite series to start a series and play home and home.”

They last faced off in the 2022 Final Four, with Kansas eliminating Villanova in the way to a national championship win; the Wildcats eliminated the Jayhawks in the 2018 Final Four en route to their own championship. Their all-time series currently sits at 5-5.

Kansas made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2026, while the Wildcats lost in the first round.

Villanova will also travel to face Pittsburgh, who they hosted last season, and will face Wisconsin in a neutral site matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia; they faced the Badgers in a similarly-tilted “neutral site” game in Milwaukee last year. The press release also confirmed a home game against Michigan, the reigning national champions, and a trio of Big 5 games. Along with 20 Big East games and the season opener against Notre Dame in Rome, that leaves three open spots on their 31-game regular season schedule.