Villanova

Big 5 Might be Dead After Villanova Declines Future Participation

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Oct 22nd, 2026 · 10:08 AM EDT

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Wow we’ve got some breaking news hitting the wire on a Thursday morning!

Villanova is OUT of the Big 5, sort of, with a format change coming not this season, but next season.

I’ll drop in the release from the St. Joe’s website, a release that all of the non-Nova schools are sharing:

Five institutions of the Philadelphia Big 5 – Drexel University, La Salle University, University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph’s University, and Temple University – announce a round-robin scheduling format for men’s basketball beginning in 2027-28. 

These institutions are united in their commitment to preserving the history and enhancing the future of the Philadelphia Big 5. The round-robin format represents a renewal of the competitive spirit that has defined the city’s college basketball landscape for more than 70 years, while also preserving the future of a partnership that is distinctively Philadelphia.

With five Division I programs located within a 10-mile radius, the schools remain uniquely positioned in collegiate basketball. The resumption of a consistent round-robin format, featuring both home and away contests, will sustain traditional rivalries while providing valuable scheduling stability in an increasingly complex Division I environment.

In recent years, the evolving NCAA landscape has prompted institutions to evaluate how their athletics programs align with broader institutional priorities. Following thoughtful discussions and consideration of the interests and goals of all involved, the decision was made to move forward with the Men’s Philadelphia Big 5 championship format without Villanova’s participation.

The Men’s Basketball Big 5 Classic at the Xfinity Mobile Arena will continue for its fourth season in 2026 but will not be held in its current format in subsequent years. 

Okay, first things first – the round robin format is better. The Big 5 Classic seemed like a good idea, and delivered some moments, but the pod play was funky. It’s goofy to think that some of these schools don’t even play each other. La Salle, Temple, Drexel, Nova, St. Joe’s, and Penn should play every other team every year. That already happens with the Explorers and Hawks in the A10, but it should happen with all of them.

Second, we have not heard from Villanova on this. Not officially. Kevin Willard has made some comments in the past about scheduling issues, and trying to get home games for revenue and whatnot. There was always this prevailing thought that maybe the Big 5 needed Nova more than Nova needed the Big 5, which may or may not be true. Depends who you ask. They weren’t super competitive in the Kyle Neptune era, but hammered La Salle, Temple, and Penn last year in games that weren’t even competitive. Nova is trying to be a big program in the NIL era and they want to have as many home games as possible, instead of having to go play Big 5 non-conference games (road/neutral) before getting into their Big East slate.

Jeff Neiburg at the Inquirer has a writeup on this, and this paragraph stands out to me:

How many power conference teams in today’s college basketball landscape play true road games against mid-majors? The answer isn’t zero, but it’s not many. Only two Big East teams will play a road game in 2026-27 against an Atlantic 10 opponent. One is Providence, which is playing at rival Rhode Island. The other is DePaul, which is playing a road game at St. Louis, the top team in the conference. Otherwise, power conference teams playing true road games against mid-major conferences has become nearly extinct.

It’s a great point!

Nova supporters will say that Nova needs to do what’s best for Nova. Hard to argue that. But what’s best for Philadelphia college basketball? Having a thriving local scene where all of the teams play each other and the fans and media actually give a shit. It hasn’t been that way for years now and it won’t be moving forward.