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Jay Wright Says Big 5 “Decided Not to Have” Villanova in New Setup
By Matt Schultz
Published:
Villanova beat La Salle 80-59 on Tuesday night with empty seats at the Pavilion. It’s weird that Villanova would say the game was a sellout when we could all clearly see that it wasn’t. But then, Villanova does and says a lot of weird stuff. Take Jay Wright, for instance, telling Allie LaForce that the reason the Wildcats are no longer in the Big 5 is because the Big 5 wouldn’t have them:
ALLIE LAFORCE: “Obviously, sort of a sad topic, Villanova leaving the Big 5. But great opportunities ahead for the program. What was your reaction when you found out and what are you excited about when it comes to Villanova’s future?”
JAY WRIGHT: “It’s sad. It’s sad. It’s a, uh — it’s kind of like a family quarrel here in the city. Like, the Big 5 kind of decided not to have Villanova in a new, uh, configuration. But we understand that. And we all understand where we all are. We have great respect for one another and the great tradition of Philadelphia basketball. We all take pride in representing Philadelphia when we play outside of this area. We actually root for each other after we play each other. But we want to kill each other like tonight.”
This is the same story Kevin Willard told initially, saying it wasn’t a Villanova decision and blaming Temple’s athletic director specifically.
This is how I summarized it in October:
With the current three-year format coming to an end after this season, Villanova gave the other schools an ultimatum: set up the Big 5 in a bracketed format where the top two seeds get a bye and play the winners of the 3-6 seeded teams in the top seeds’ buildings, or they walk. According to reporting from Owls Daily, quoting Temple A.D. Arthur Johnson, and other outlets, Nova wanted the seeding to be determined by the previous season’s NET rating. (Kevin) Willard mentioned this in last week’s rant, and of course it makes sense for them. Villanova plays in the Big East, which means their NET rating is almost guaranteed to be better than the NET ratings of the rest of the Big 5, even if the Wildcats have a shit team in any particular year.
So basically, Kevin Willard wanted 1) an automatic top seed in the Big 5 bracket 2) to only have to play two Big 5 games per year, and 3) to only ever play those games on his home court. The rest of the Big 5 said, “Interesting offer, but in your fuckin’ dreams, pal.”
And that was that. Villanova threw a tantrum, they didn’t get their way, and so they took their ball and went home. Not that anyone’s surprised. This is simply what Villanova does. With the exception of Jay Wright, no Villanova coach or athletic director has ever seemed to give two shits about the Big 5.
I still stand by that last part: throughout his tenure at Villanova, Jay Wright always seemed to care about the Big 5 and value the Wildcats’ place in it. Which is why it’s so surprising to hear him echo Kevin Willard’s whiny, victim-ass explanation of Villanova’s departure from the Big 5. Of course Willard is going to lash out and straight-up lie and blame everyone besides himself and lob insults at the other schools and the press. That’s who Kevin Willard is. But Jay Wright was always a class act. Disappointing to hear him toe the party line and carry Willard’s water, especially when everyone can see it’s bullshit:
I like and respect Jay, but this is a total BS take. "The Big 5 kind of decided not to have Villanova in a new configuration". Laughable!
— Joe Staub (@staub_joe) November 11, 2026
Jay I expected better from you. I guess they are paying you to keep the company line.
— Thomas Pratt (@CharlesFogg) November 11, 2026
Fuck him and his legacy, let’s hope @CoachJayWright keeps putting his foot in his mouth over this. Could’ve been a hero in this story.
— Philly and the Over (@phillyovers) November 11, 2026
Absolutely insane to hear @CoachJayWright, who was Mr. Philly Basketball during his tenure, take this approach. What a scumbag. Guy could’ve mended this whole thing and instead take the holier than thou Villanova approach.
— Philly and the Over (@phillyovers) November 11, 2026
What complete and utter bullshit.
— Al Salazar (@alsalazar25) November 11, 2026
Dark times for Villanova. Hasn’t been a great stretch over there. Damn shame.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…) email: M.Schultz@sportradar.com