Villanova to exit Philadelphia Big 5 basketball series

Villanova University will depart from the Philadelphia Big 5 college basketball series following the 2026-2027 season. The decision comes amid a restructuring of the historic competition, which will continue with five remaining members: Penn, La Salle, Temple, Saint Joseph’s, and Drexel.

The Big 5 Classic tripleheader event is also scheduled to conclude after its December 5 event at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. The remaining schools announced they will transition to a consistent round-robin format featuring both home and away contests to provide scheduling stability.

Reports suggest the departure stems from disagreements over a proposed new format. Villanova reportedly sought a setup that would minimize or eliminate road games, a preference that could not be reached by all six participating institutions. Financial considerations and the challenges of scheduling non-conference road games within an increasingly complex Division I landscape were also cited as contributing factors.