In 2023, the inaugural Toyota Big 5 Classic marked a new chapter in the long, proud history of Philadelphia men's college basketball.
By all accounts, the event was a huge success. And on Saturday, the 2024 iteration of the Big 5 Classic is expected to be just as fun.
Photo via Comcast Spectacor
For those unfamiliar, the schools in the Philly Big 5 (Temple, Penn, Villanova, La Salle, St. Joe's, and newly-added Drexel) revamped the format for naming a Big 5 champion last season.
The six teams were split into two three-team pods, with round-robin play taking place on the schools' courts.
The results of those preliminary games set up seeding for a tripleheader at the Wells Fargo Center, with two teams playing for fifth place, two teams playing for third place, and St. Joe's facing Temple in the championship game.
St. Joe's won, 74-65, and their 2023 Big 5 championship banner now hangs from the Wells Fargo rafters.
Photo via Comcast SpectacorOn Pattison spoke Thursday with Mike Sulkes, General Manager of the Wells Fargo Center and Director of the Toyota Men's Big 5 Classic, about this year's version of the event.
"I don't know if we made any major changes, because the first year went really well," said Sulkes. "From the student participation, to the buzz around the city, to the actual basketball being played . . . We're really excited to get that atmosphere back in the Wells Fargo Center."
Based on this year's pod results, St. Joe's will look to defend its championship against La Salle at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday. Villanova will face Temple at 4:30 p.m. to determine third place, and Penn will play Drexel at 2:00 p.m for fifth place.
Tickets start at $30 and are good for all three games. Fans will have the ability to freely exit and re-enter the arena throughout the day.
The Big 5 dates back to 1955 as an informal association, but in recent years school administrators and others felt like the rivalries were losing some of their luster. A change was needed to inject new life, and the Wells Fargo event seems to have provided exactly that.
"My favorite part of the ['23] event was having all six fans bases in the arena at one time," Sulkes said. "It was so cool to walk around and see every school represented, see groups of friends together with different team paraphernalia on . . . just that kind of atmosphere that is so unique to Philadelphia."
Photo via Comcast SpectacorThe event will feature "Battle of the Bands" performances throughout the day, dance/cheer teams, and student sections. A "tailgate zone" will feature yard games (such as Cornhole) and smaller table games (such as UNO and Jenga). Face painting, balloon arches, and photo opportunities will help round out the fan experience.
In terms of on-court action for the championship, St. Joe's is led by Philly native and Roman Catholic alum Xzayvier Brown, who is averaging 16 points per game. His teammate, Camden native Rasheer Fleming, leads the team with 9 rebounds per game and is a potential NBA lottery pick.
La Salle, meanwhile, led by head coach Fran Dunphy, will rely heavily on Corey McKeithan, who is currently averaging 19 points per game. Dunphy plans to bring his team to Wells Fargo via SEPTA, something he did during his time at Temple prior to big wins over Duke and Kansas.
Doors open to fans at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Additional information is available here.
