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

Three of the Philadelphia area's Big 5 basketball teams will be in action on Wednesday evening. The La Salle Explorers will kick things off with a home matchup against the Dayton Flyers at 6:30 p.m. EST. Next, the Villanova Wildcats will host the Georgetown Hoyas at 7 p.m. EST, while the Temple Owls visit the similarly named Rice Owls for the nightcap at 8 p.m. EST. 

Dayton is a perennial contender when March rolls around, a status they seem likely to claim once again this year. Guards Javon Bennett and De'Shayne Montgomery have led the Flyers to a 14-4 record, with quality wins against Duquesne, Marquette, and Georgetown. The aforementioned guard duo leads an excellent offense, while Montgomery and forward Amael L'Etang highlight a defense that has come up big in key moments throughout the season. The Flyers figure to cruise through Wednesday night without any sort of key moment against an outgunned La Salle squad.

Despite playing in the same Atlantic 10 conference as Dayton, the gap between these teams could not be much bigger. The Explorers have lost to every single quality opponent they have faced, save St. Bonaventure, and now they are tasked with hosting a team that is by far the best they have faced. If La Salle keeps things close, it should be counted as a success for head coach Darris Nichols' team. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 21, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

The Hoyas might only be 9-9, but they have played a remarkably difficult schedule so far. Nine of their last 10 opponents have a winning record as of this writing, and the Wildcats will add to that number in this contest. Unfortunately for Georgetown fans, that does not bode well, as the Hoyas went only 2-7 through that stretch of competition, indicating that they are unable to hang with truly quality teams. 

Villanova has also lost some games to good competition, but that competition has been far better than any team that Georgetown has played. Of the Wildcats' three losses, two came against BYU and Michigan, two of the best teams in the nation. Head coach Kevin Willard's unit has proven over and over again that they can beat outfits of Georgetown's caliber and should continue to do so on Wednesday.

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Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 21, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

After an up-and-down start to the season, Temple went on a shocking seven-game win streak to push their record to 11-5. However, two straight defeats at the hands of Memphis and Florida Atlantic have the Owls back on a losing road as they prepare to face Rice. Luckily, the Owl team from Texas represents a good opportunity to get back into the win column, even though Temple will play this game on the road.

While Rice might not be an excellent team, they do have one excellent player. Guard Trae Broadnax has been the engine of just about everything the Owls do, leading the team in points, assists, rebounds, and steals per game. Somehow, Broadnax does not even lead the team in minutes per game, making his ridiculous numbers even more impressive. He will need a big showing in order for Rice to pull an upset in front of its home fans. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 21, 2026, and may have changed since writing.