The Guru Local WBB Report: Big Five Women’s Dates Announced

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

PHILADELPHIA - The dates are announced for the pod divisions in the new format. Tip times coming from schools. Only one conflict, Sunday, Dec. 1 when La Salle hosts Temple while Saint Joseph’s hosts Villanova. The two host schools located close enough that if they can avoid overlap, it’s possible to attend both games that day. 

Here’s the release.

PHILADELPHIA – The schedule is set as a new era in Big 5 women's basketball begins in the 2024-25 season.

In the new format, all six of the city's NCAA Division I women's basketball programs have been split into two pods of three teams. Each team will play the others in their pod at on-campus sites in a round-robin format. From those games, the schedule will be set for a tripleheader at Villanova's Finneran Pavilion on Friday, Dec. 6 with the first seed in each pod competing for the Big 5 championship, the second-place teams in each pod competing for third place, and the third seeds competing for fifth place.

For this inaugural season of the new Big 5 women's format, Pod 1 features Drexel, La Salle and Temple while Pod 2 features Penn, Saint Joseph's and Villanova.

Please note, ticket information for Big 5 tripleheader at Finneran Pavilion will be announced at a later date.

2024-25 Philadelphia Big 5 Women's Basketball Schedule
(All game times TBA by host school)

Pod 1
  Wednesday, Nov. 13 – La Salle at Drexel
  Saturday, Nov. 23 – Drexel at Temple
  Sunday, Dec. 1 – Temple at La Salle

 Pod 2
  Friday, Nov. 15 – Saint Joseph's at Penn
  Wednesday, Nov. 20 – Penn at Villanova
  Sunday, Dec. 1 – Villanova at Saint Joseph's 

 Big 5 Women's Classic
  Friday, Dec. 6 at Finneran Pavilion (Villanova), game times TBA