Sports
Villanova’s exit reshapes Philadelphia’s Big 5 basketball rivalry
Villanova will leave the Philadelphia Big 5 after the 2026–27 season, ending its participation in the city series as it moves to a five-team round-robin format. The annual Big 5 Classic tripleheader will also conclude after its Dec. 5 event.
Villanova will leave Philadelphia’s Big 5 men’s basketball series after the 2026–27 season, ending a long-running part of the city’s college basketball calendar as the competition shifts to a five-team format.
Starting next season, Penn, La Salle, Temple, Saint Joseph’s and Drexel will play a round robin with home-and-away games. The Big 5 Classic tripleheader, held at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, will end after this season’s event on Dec. 5.
In a joint statement, the five remaining schools said the return to regular home-and-away games would preserve traditional rivalries while providing more dependable scheduling amid a changing Division I landscape. The schools said they decided to proceed without Villanova after discussions about the institutions’ priorities and the interests of those involved.
The Big 5 was formed in 1954, with round-robin games for Philadelphia bragging rights beginning the following year. Its first game was Saint Joseph’s 83-70 victory over Villanova on Dec. 14, 1955, at the Palestra, where 2,636 fans watched.
Penn, La Salle, Temple and Saint Joseph’s were founding members. Drexel joined the series ahead of the 2023 season, expanding it to six teams. Villanova’s departure will leave the five remaining schools to carry on the city competition in a format centered on regular campus matchups.