Big 5 Classic

For the informal association of these college athletic programs, see Philadelphia Big 5.
Big 5 Classic
Philadelphia Big 5 logo
SportCollege basketball
Founded2023
No. of teams6
CountryUnited States
Venue(s)Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV partner(s)NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus, Peacock
Sponsor(s)Toyota
Official websitebig5classic.com

The Big 5 Classic, officially known as the Toyota Big 5 Classic for sponsorship reasons, is an annual early-season college basketball showcase featuring the six member schools of the Philadelphia Big 5—Drexel, La Salle, Penn, Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Villanova. The tournament begins in November and concludes on the first Saturday in December with a triple-header at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

Before 2023, the Big 5 members played each other once annually[a] in a round-robin format, determining the "champion" as the school(s) with the most wins in Big 5 play. However, in January 2023, administrators from the five member schools agreed on a new format for Big 5 play. This included the creation of the concluding triple-header called the Big 5 Classic and the addition of Drexel University to the series. The motivation behind this change was to "resuscitate" the Big 5, as the series had experienced declining attendance figures in the preceding years.[1]

In the new format, the six schools are divided into two pods: Pod 1 includes Drexel, La Salle, and Temple, while Pod 2 features Penn, Saint Joseph's, and Villanova. Throughout November, before the Big 5 Classic in December, round-robin play occurs within each pod, with each team playing the other two teams in their pod. After pod play, the series moves to the Wells Fargo Center for the Big 5 Classic, a single-day, triple-header event with three games. The first game is the 5th place game, featuring the two teams that finished 3rd in each pod; the second game is the 3rd place game, featuring the two teams that finished 2nd in each pod, and the final game is the championship game, featuring the two teams that finished 1st in each pod. Tiebreaker rules for pod placement are currently unknown,[2][3] but a local media source speculated that NET rankings, which are not public in late November, would be used, if necessary.[4]

In June 2024, the athletic directors of the Big 5 member schools introduced the Women's Big 5 Classic, which, like the men's showcase, will be a same-day, triple-header event held on the day before the men's edition of the showcase. The first Women's Big 5 Classic is scheduled to be held on Friday, December 6, 2024 at the Finneran Pavilion in Villanova.[5]


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  1. ^ O'Neil, Dana. "Big 5 schools agree to new format". The Athletic. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  2. ^ Gabriel, Kerith (2023-07-20). "The inaugural schedule and format are set for the new (six-team) Big 5". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  3. ^ "Big 5 officially adds Drexel, announces new series format". NBC Sports Philadelphia. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  4. ^ Neiburg, Jeff (November 15, 2023). "The New Big 5 Has Had Plenty of Drama. Now, There are Essentially Two Semifinals on Nov. 29". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  5. ^ Center, Wells Fargo. "Big 5 Classic | Wells Fargo Center". www.wellsfargocenterphilly.com. Retrieved 2024-07-21.