Big 5 Men’s Basketball in Philadelphia: Thursday’s Odds, Spread, and Totals

Two of the teams that reside in the Philadelphia-area Big 5 rivalry will take the court on Thursday, Dec. 18. The St. Joseph's Hawks will play host to the Delaware State Hornets in an attempt to work towards first place in the Atlantic 10 conference at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Hawks have been hot lately, winning four of their last five games, and a date with the Hornets seems unlikely to blemish that stretch with another loss.

The Temple Owls will take the court at the same time, albeit against a much tougher opponent in the Davidson Wildcats. The Owls have struggled to find success when pitted against teams of similar caliber, a trend that included a matchup with St. Joseph's, a contest that the Hawks won by a single point. Turning things around against a very good 8-2 Davidson would be the biggest win of Temple's young season.

While there is not a single matchup in college basketball that is upset-proof, a home game against Delaware State is about as close as it gets, especially for a talented, somewhat well-rounded Hawks team. St. Joseph's has three players who average more than 10 points, and while the shooting numbers do leave something to be desired, the defense has often compensated for that gap. The Hawks force tons of turnovers while playing a tenacious, intense form of defense, which is often enough to win at the A-10 level.

There are not nearly as many reasons for optimism for the Hornets. Guard Ponce James has been one of the lone bright spots, averaging 13.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, all of which lead the team. He is the only double-digit scorer on the squad and the only player to average more than three assists per contest. A big game from him will be absolutely necessary if the Hornets are to pull out the biggest upset of their season so far. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 18, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Winning has come easily to the Owls in their last two games. In their last couple of contests, against Georgian Court and St. Francis, Temple has amassed a 74-point margin of victory. While that is largely due to the quality of opponent the Owls faced, it is impressive nonetheless. Guard Derrian Ford has been the offensive sparkplug, averaging 18.1 points per game, while fellow backcourt mate Gavin Griffiths has acted as an excellent utility man, leading the team in assists, steals, and rebounds per game. The Owls will need a big game from both in order to pull a road upset on Thursday.

Davidson's strength of schedule has not been anything to write home about, but it is important to note that their only losses have come against Utah State and St. Mary's, a couple of teams that have a combined 18-3 record. Temple will be one of the toughest matchups they have had this season and should test how Davidson handles what should be a close game.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 18, 2025, and may have changed since writing.