Villanova Gears Up for Crucial Big Five Showdown with Temple
Villanova University is poised to resume its basketball schedule with a pair of pivotal Philadelphia Big Five contests this week, beginning with a Monday night matchup against Temple University at Finneran Pavilion. Both teams enter the game with 1-0 records within the Big Five, making this contest a key early-season test.
The winner of Monday’s game will advance to the championship of the Big Five Classic on Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, facing off against Penn (2-0 Big Five). The losing team will compete in the second game of a tripleheader Saturday afternoon in South Philadelphia. A limited number of tickets for Monday night’s game remain available.
The Wildcats are riding a five-game winning streak and have demonstrated impressive offensive firepower at home, averaging 91.0 points per game across their four contests at Finneran Pavilion. They secured a recent 89-75 victory over Old Dominion on Tuesday night, fueled by a strong second-half performance.
A standout performer in that victory was junior guard Tyler Perkins, who delivered a season-high 21 points on efficient 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point line. Perkins has significantly increased his scoring output in recent games, averaging 17.0 points over his last two outings after scoring eight points in each of his first four games of the 2025-26 regular season. He is now one of five Villanova players scoring in double figures, joining Bryce Lindsay, Acaden Lewis, Matt Hodge, and Duke Brennan (all averaging 11.0 ppg).
“Tyler just gives us great energy,” Villanova head coach Kevin Willard stated. “I think he’s still trying to figure out what he’s doing and what we need him to do.”
Perkins’ impact extended beyond scoring against ODU, as he ignited a crucial 7-0 run to start the second half with two steals and a layup. “To start the second half, he gets two big steals, a layup and another pass,” Willard explained. “Tyler gives us energy and toughness. I think he’s starting to figure out, ‘how do I play in this system?’”
Villanova previously faced Temple in the Big Five Classic at the Wells Fargo Center last December, securing a dominant 94-65 victory. That game saw the Wildcats tie a program record with 19 three-pointers made, a mark they later surpassed on November 11 with 22 three-pointers in a 94-60 win over Sacred Heart. Temple guard Zion Stanford scored 11 points in that prior matchup.
Temple began its season with wins in three of its first four games, including a 94-60 victory over La Salle in their initial Big Five contest. Most recently, the Owls achieved a 79-75 win over Princeton, sandwiched between losses to UC San Diego and Rhode Island at the ESPNU Events tournament in Kissimmee, Florida. Temple currently averages 80.0 points per game and connects on 37.1% of their three-point attempts.
Monday night’s game will be broadcast nationally on FS1, with Dave Sims and Donny Marshall providing commentary. Fans can also tune in to the Villanova Sports Radio Network on IHeart (Sirius XM channel 381) for audio coverage from Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby.
