Big 5 men’s basketball schools to move forward with round-robin format without Villanova in 2027-28
It's possible that a one-day Big 5 Classic tripleheader lives on. But with the current format nearing the end of its contract, Villanova was not interested in keeping with the status quo.
The current format of Big 5 men’s basketball will cease to exist after the 2026-27 season.
A three-year agreement that saw the six teams split into two pods to play two games round-robin style to determine seeding for the Big 5 Classic tripleheader at Xfinity Mobile Arena ends after this season.
While it’s possible that a Big 5 Classic remains intact with an annual tripleheader, the current format will be no longer after Villanova was not interested in keeping with the status quo, according to sources. A different setup that Villanova was into — one that would all but guarantee the Wildcats to not have to play another Big 5 road game — could not be agreed upon by all six schools.
Instead, the five non-Villanova schools have decided to continue the 70-plus-year-old tradition with a round robin.
“These institutions are united in their commitment to preserving the history and enhancing the future of the Philadelphia Big 5,” the five schools said in a joint statement. “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.”
All six schools, meanwhile, are working toward a possibility that a one-day Big 5 Classic tripleheader lives on into the future, sources said.
The writing had seemingly been on the wall for Villanova not moving forward into the future with the current format over the last year as the contract neared its end and Kevin Willard took over Villanova’s program and studied its schedule.
“When you play 20 conference games, playing an A-10 road game every year is really difficult,” Willard said in an interview with The Inquirer in June of 2025, a few months after taking the job. “You’re also taking away a home game when revenue has become extremely important.”
The argument there is that the current structure — formed in 2023 with the addition of Drexel in an effort to revitalize the long-running Philadelphia tradition that had both gotten stale and lost fan interest — takes two potential home ticket gates away from Villanova, which routinely sells most or all of the tickets in its 6,500-seat Finneran Pavilion. One is the automatic road game from the two pod-play contests, the other is the Big 5 Classic itself, which divides the pot from ticket sales seven ways between the six schools and the building.
» READ MORE: Four things we learned from Villanova’s 84-67 exhibition win over George Mason
That’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue Villanova isn’t bringing in that it otherwise could by scheduling home games, even buying games against some of the small-conference opponents it pays to come to the Main Line. Villanova will play a road game at Temple this season as part of the current format and last season played at La Salle, where the home team failed to sell out its 3,000-seat arena.
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.
The dollars these days are more important than ever before.
The Wildcats, who aspire to be a championship contender, likely spend more on their men’s basketball roster than the other five Big 5 schools combined. The gap between Villanova — the only Big 5 program in a power conference with a major television deal — and the rest of the schools has only gotten larger on paper because of that.
Villanova struggled in the first few seasons of the new Big 5 Classic design, but Willard’s team won its three Big 5 contests last year by an average of 20 points, including a 90-63 championship victory over Penn. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see that happen again this season as the Wildcats field a team that received multiple votes in the first Associated Press Top 25 poll of the season.
An argument could be made that the current format isn’t perfect for the non-Villanova schools, some of whom could fetch more revenue getting money to play a road game against a big-conference opponent. But sources said the other five were interested in continuing on with the status quo.
» READ MORE: Kevin Willard believes his new-look Villanova team has closed the gap between the Wildcats and Big East powers
“In recent years, the evolving NCAA landscape has prompted institutions to evaluate how their athletics programs align with broader institutional priorities,” the non-Villanova schools said in statement. “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 future of the women’s version of Big 5 competition is expected to include all six schools moving forward, according to sources, though nothing has been finalized.
The men’s event saw a major dip in interest last year, reigniting the crowd that wants to see the tripleheader event played at the 8,700-seat Palestra. The announced attendance at Xfinity Mobile Arena for last year’s Big 5 Classic plummeted to 10,361, which is about half the arena’s capacity and was down from more than 15,000 in 2023 and more than 14,000 in 2024.
This year’s men’s event is scheduled for Dec. 5 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
