I Will Be Calling All Three Games of The Philadelphia Big 5 Classic
The Big 5 has been a major tradition in the history of Philadelphia sports dating all the way back to the year 1954. That’s right, the rivalries are nearly 70 years old!
Well, tomorrow marks a first in this historic college basketball grouping – The Big 5 Classic tips off for its inaugural triple header at 2 p.m. tomorrow down at the Wells Fargo Center!
This year, instead of each of the local college basketball programs playing each other in a round-robin style format throughout the regular season, the teams were split into two separate pods of three. Then, those three teams all battled each other, and the winner of each pod would play the winner of the other pod, and so on down the rankings.
In case you thought the math was off because it is called the Big 5 and I mentioned six teams, well, the original Big 5 welcomed a new member this year – Drexel!
The two pods this year were separated as such:
Group 1: Villanova, St. Joes, and Penn.
Group 2: Temple, La Salle, and Drexel.
Pod play concluded on Wednesday and now the matchups are all set for tomorrow.
The fifth-place game tipping-off at 2 p.m.: Villanova (0-2) vs. Drexel (0-2)
The third-place game tipping-off at 4:45 p.m.: La Salle (1-1) vs. Penn (1-1)
The championship game tipping-off at 7:30 p.m.: Temple (2-0) vs. St. Joe’s (2-0)
Not only is it a first for the local college basketball programs, but it is also a first for me as well!
I will be in the building doing the public address announcing for all three games, and I am stoked. Although, I have never called two games in a row, let alone three!
But I couldn’t be more excited because I love the Big 5 and I am a huge Nova fan! Plus, I get to be a part of history.
I wish the Wildcats were playing in the championship game, but I chose to look at their appearance in the last-place game in a more positive way.
The Big 5 championship has been won many, many times – 68 times to be exact – but no team has ever come in sixth place in the Big 5’s history, so I chose to think that Nova opted for the more historical placing in this year’s Big 5 Classic!
Anyway, I can’t wait to get down there tomorrow and hopefully, a bunch of you will be in the building as well!
By the way, if you can’t make it, all the games will be streaming on Peacock and NBC Sports Philadelphia.
More from Matt Cord…
My 25-Mile Bike Ride With Casey Boy Preparing For Ben To The Shore
Casey Boy, Pattyann, and Myself
Here’s a selfie Casey Boy took on our ride. It is of Casey, Pattyann, and myself. What a great crew.
Selfie on the Bridge
I took this during our ride. I’m not sure how I kept my balance! Just ahead of my leading the way are Casey and Pattyann.
Casey and Pattyann on the Bridge
Like I mentioned in the photo above, there they are leading the way. It’s a tight bridge like many down the shore. Luckily, we all managed to make it across.
Welcome to Town Bank
The first sign you see in Town Bank. Apparently, it is the birthplace of the South Jersey. I wonder what it was like in 1635?
Willow Creek Winery
Outside the beautiful Willow Creek Winery. What a cool sign. We definitely needed to check this place out on the ride.
The Whole Winery From the Outside
The land the winery was on was beautiful. Look at those flowers! The property was huge.
Inside the Winery
You know we had to make our way into the winery! Riding on the bricks was not as hard as you would think. It was even cooler on the inside.
The Crew in the Winery
You know I had to grab a group picture inside the winery! I am actually wearing a jersey from a previous Ben To The Shore ride! I wonder what this year’s will look like?
The Group
Just a group of people that love a good bike ride. I know we all can’t wait for Sunday’s ride. Hopefully, the weather is as nice as it was on this day!
The Map of Our Ride
The map of our 25-mile ride. We covered so much ground. It is nuts looking at it in map form!
Casey Boy, Pattyann, and Myself
Here’s a selfie Casey Boy took on our ride. It is of Casey, Pattyann, and myself. What a great crew.
Selfie on the Bridge
I took this during our ride. I’m not sure how I kept my balance! Just ahead of my leading the way are Casey and Pattyann.
Casey and Pattyann on the Bridge
Like I mentioned in the photo above, there they are leading the way. It’s a tight bridge like many down the shore. Luckily, we all managed to make it across.
Welcome to Town Bank
The first sign you see in Town Bank. Apparently, it is the birthplace of the South Jersey. I wonder what it was like in 1635?
Willow Creek Winery
Outside the beautiful Willow Creek Winery. What a cool sign. We definitely needed to check this place out on the ride.
The Whole Winery From the Outside
The land the winery was on was beautiful. Look at those flowers! The property was huge.
Inside the Winery
You know we had to make our way into the winery! Riding on the bricks was not as hard as you would think. It was even cooler on the inside.
The Crew in the Winery
You know I had to grab a group picture inside the winery! I am actually wearing a jersey from a previous Ben To The Shore ride! I wonder what this year’s will look like?
The Group
Just a group of people that love a good bike ride. I know we all can’t wait for Sunday’s ride. Hopefully, the weather is as nice as it was on this day!
The Map of Our Ride
The map of our 25-mile ride. We covered so much ground. It is nuts looking at it in map form!
