Big 5 Men’s Basketball in Philadelphia: Monday’s Odds, Spread, and Total

Two of the Philadelphia area's Big 5 schools will be back in action on Monday night. The Temple Owls will look to keep the good times rolling on their home court when they face the Princeton Tigers at 7 p.m. EST. The Owls are fresh off their biggest win of the season, a 68-63 nail-biter against the Davidson Wildcats, while the Tigers have lost their last seven games, one of which was against Temple at a neutral site. 

The St. Joseph's Hawks will also take the court again in a home matchup against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, tipping off at the same time as the Owls. The Hawks have only lost once in the last month of play, and that defeat came against a capable Syracuse Orange squad, indicating that they should be a tough out for the capable Sun Belt opponent that they will face on Monday. 

Despite what a poor 3-10 record portrays, Princeton has a couple of dangerous scorers on its team. Forward Dalen Davis averages 16.5 points per game, a notably high number for a player in the Ivy League. Fellow forward Jackson Hicke is the team's runner-up in scoring with 13.9 points per game while also pacing the Tigers in rebounds per game. However, Princeton is yet to find a way to play effective defense, consistently engaging in shootouts that have led to close losses. Without defensive improvement, that trend is likely to continue, especially against a more talented Temple team.

The Owls have quietly amassed a three-game winning streak, with the aforementioned win over Davidson serving as the anchor. Guard Derrian Ford proved why he is the most valuable player on the team in that contest, amassing 23 points, nine rebounds, and two assists over a whopping 36 minutes, all of which led the team. He should be in line for another huge contest against the Tigers, as he had 21 in the first game against Princeton. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 22, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

While the Chanticleers do have a winning record, there is ample reason for concern about their ability to maintain that accolade throughout the season. All of their wins have come against lesser programs, and a couple of their losses, namely against Illinois State and South Carolina Upstate, stand out as defeats that simply do not happen to consistent, solid teams. St. Joseph's is not exactly a matchup with Duke, but the Hawks are still better than every team that Coastal Carolina has lost to, making this another potentially close game. 

Unlike Coastal Carolina, St. Joseph's has consistently beaten opponents they were supposed to beat and lost to teams that are perceived as more talented. All of their losses, save for a somewhat surprising defeat to Pennsylvania, came against much bigger programs. The guard duo of Deuce Jones and Jaiden Glover-Toscano has been the source of most of St. Joseph's success, combining to average 29.4 points per game. A poor defensive team like the Chanticleers offers a chance for the duo to push that number even further on Monday.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 22, 2025, and may have changed since writing.