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

The final day of the calendar will be a big one for the Philadelphia area's Big 5 basketball teams. The Penn Quakers will open the day by hosting the NJIT Highlanders at 2 p.m. EST, while the La Salle Explorers will do the same with the George Mason Patriots at the same time. Next up are the St. Joseph's Hawks, who have a road date with the St. Louis Billikens at 4 p.m. EST, followed by a matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and the DePaul Blue Demons at Villanova. Finally, the Drexel Dragons will play on the road against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks at 7 p.m. EST.

As one might expect, there is not much reason for optimism for the Highlanders. NJIT has a couple of wins over poor programs, but any time they encounter a higher-level opponent, a complete blowout is on the docket. The Quakers are not tremendously talented by any means, but they should be more than good enough to blow NJIT out of the water.

The Quakers have taken a couple of tough losses in a row. A one-point loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights showed that Penn can hang around with Power 4 teams, but a four-point defeat against George Mason slowed down any perception of the Quakers as a team that belongs at the top of the Ivy League. A date with NJIT is the definition of a perfectly timed get-right game.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

The Patriots are off to one of the best starts in program history. They are currently 12-1, with their only loss coming against a solid Virginia Tech team. While most of their wins are not anything to write home about, their most recent win over Penn shows that they are capable of taking on nearly every opponent remaining on their schedule.

The same cannot be said about La Salle. The Explorers are 4-9, with their best win coming against Drexel. That victory, however, is outshone by embarrassing defeats to Long Island University and Merrimack. Running into a red-hot Patriots team is an unfortunate development that is likely to push La Salle into the double-digit loss territory.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

Despite an 8-5 record, the Hawks appear to be an average team at best. Every time they play a team that represents a slight step up in competition, they fall short, but they manage to beat everyone they are supposed to. Despite being a small program, St. Louis is a real test for the Hawks on Wednesday.

To everyone's surprise, the Billikens have kicked off the year with a 12-1 record, with their only defeat coming by a single point to Stanford. This game could have major implications for the Atlantic 10 conference, making it the most important of St. Louis's young season.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

DePaul's 8-5 record is not overly impressive, but the Demons have played an exceedingly difficult schedule. Losses to St. John's and UConn are as understandable as their win against Georgia Tech is impressive. Beating the Wildcats would be the biggest feather in the cap so far, making this a quietly important contest.

A 10-2 record has the Wildcats looking like a real threat to the Big East. Their only two losses are to top-10 teams in BYU and Michigan, and wins over Wisconsin and Seton Hall highlight the list of victories. DePaul is not the toughest opponent Villanova has faced, but it will nonetheless present a good test on Wednesday.

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.

A date with UNCW will help determine how good the Dragons really are. A bad loss to the Charleston Cougars showed noticeable gaps in Drexel's play, notably on the defensive end. Now, a date with a 10-2 conference opponent looms large.

While they are 10-2, UNCW has yet to be truly tested. If they beat Drexel, it will be one of their best wins of the year, an indication of how soft their schedule has been so far. A victory would help keep what has been a shockingly good start for the Seahawks to continue to roll. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Dec. 31, 2025, and may have changed since writing.