Big 5 Basketball Announces Inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic, Updates to Current Framework – Temple

The organization also announced that Drexel will be joining women’s Big 5 basketball starting next season. The Men’s Big 5 Classic will return to the Wells Fargo Center for the next three years and Dan Hilferty was named a Big 5 ambassador.

“I am thrilled to have the ‘new’ format and so excited to include Drexel as a participant,” Temple Women’s Basketball Head Coach Diane Richardson said. “This will now be a true Philadelphia championship event.”

The inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic will be held at Finneran Pavilion on the campus of Villanova University. The same-day, Big 5 tripleheader is scheduled for Friday, December 6, 2024. Tickets for the event officially go on sale on June 17.

The new women’s format will separate the six schools into three-team pods. Temple will be a part of pod one, alongside La Salle and Drexel. Villanova, Saint Joseph’s, and Penn will make up pod two. Each team is set to play the other two teams from their pod in on-campus matchups. The two top seeded teams will meet in the championship game on Dec. 6, while the remaining teams will compete in the third-place and fifth-place games.

After the conclusion of the 2024 Big 5 Classic, the pods for men and women will remain synchronized and rotate every two years. Following the inaugural Women’s Big 5 Classic at Villanova, the championship site will rotate on a yearly basis, with next year’s site yet to be determined.

The Big 5 also announced that the Men’s Big 5 Classic, which debuted last season, will be played at the Wells Fargo Center for the next three seasons. This year’s Men’s Big 5 Classic is scheduled for Dec. 7. Comcast Spectacor will continue to oversee the operational and promotional aspects of the men’s tripleheader. Group sales are available now by calling 215-389-9543 or emailing wfc-groupevents@comcastspectacor.com. Luxury Suites are available now and can be booked online at wellsfargocentersuites.com. General tickets are scheduled to go on sale in September at Big5Classic.com.

The announcement from the Big 5 confirmed that Drexel will move forward as a permanent member of the Big 5 on the women’s side. 

The Big 5 announced that Dan Hilferty will join the organization’s leadership team as an ambassador to the Big 5. The Saint Joseph’s alumnus is the chairman and chief executive officer of Comcast Spectacor and Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers.