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

The Philadelphia area will see plenty of college basketball action, with three of the six Big 5 teams in play. The Villanova Wildcats will face a dangerous Wisconsin Badgers squad in Big East play at home, as the La Salle Explorers visit the High Point Panthers in North Carolina. Finally, the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers will take on the Drexel Dragons in Philadelphia. 

This matchup is the best game on the docket. Wisconsin has a 7-3 record while facing an array of respectable opponents, although it is important to note that each time they have faced a ranked team, they have been blown out of the water. Guards Nick Boyd and John Blackwell have both been fantastic scorers, averaging 20.2 and 19.6 points per game, respectively. Slowing down the Badgers will be difficult, especially for a struggling Villanova defense.

The fact that the Wildcats have struggled to find stops is likely to turn this game into a shootout. Villanova's own guard duo of Bryce Lindsay and Acaden Lewis has been great, but the scoring takes a significant downturn after them. The Wildcats are at home, and they have a proven capability to score in bunches, which should help them against a Wisconsin defense that has struggled even more than their own.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 19, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

La Salle already looks far worse than many of its counterparts in the Atlantic 10 conference. The Explorers are 4-7, and three of those wins have come against bottom-of-the-barrel programs. The other was against Drexel, another school that has struggled enormously to open the season. The stat lines of La Salle's players reflect this ineptitude, with leading scorer Jaeden Marshall averaging only 11.7 points per game. High Point is no pushover, making it likely La Salle drops another contest on Friday.

While the Panthers' 9-3 record is impressive, every single win has come against a shockingly low-level team. High Point's best win is likely Western Carolina, so even though the Explorers are a tier below the Panthers, there is some small chance of a close game here.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 19, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Out of the three games, this will likely be the hardest to watch. Mount St. Mary's has been abysmal, going 3-8 and sitting at the bottom of the MAAC. While the Mountaineers have managed to score quite a few points, the defense has allowed multiple games to slip through their fingers. A similar script might be in play when the Mountaineers play on the road against a more talented Drexel team.

The Dragons might be more talented, but it is not by much. Guard Shane Blakeney has been a highlight, averaging 12.7 points per game and 1.2 steals, both of which lead the team, but that is essentially where the list of positives ends. As a team, Drexel has shot horrendously, leading to plenty of low-scoring losses. This is one of the few times the Dragons have encountered an offensive opponent worse than themselves, making it a prime opportunity to pick up a win.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 19, 2025, and may have changed since writing.