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

Friday will see two of Philadelphia's Big 5 men's basketball teams take the floor. The Villanova Wildcats will host the Providence Friars at 7 p.m. EST in a good opportunity for Villanova to kick off another win streak. Meanwhile, the Penn Quakers will travel to play the Columbia Lions at the same time. Both games promise plenty of entertaining action, making for a fun Friday night.

In years past, this matchup featured two March Madness squads that had solid title aspirations. The Friars have fallen a long way since then, going 9-12 on the year, including a three-game losing streak that continues into this contest. There is some reason for optimism, as the three losses have all been hotly contested, including a shockingly close game against the second-ranked UConn Huskies. The unranked Wildcats are somehow a step down in competition, and the Friars already proved that they can hang around with them in an 88-82 defeat on January 13th. The defense will need to put together a significantly better effort to pull off an upset on Friday.

In the aforementioned game against Providence, Villanova's offense had a field day. The team shot 50% from the field while tallying more rebounds and assists than the Friars, allowing them to edge out a somewhat close victory. Five players scored double-digit points, led by guard Devin Askew with 20. Providence has consistently been involved in shootouts, and if their recent play is any indication, Askew will have his chance to put up another career scoring day. It helps that this game is on Villanova's home floor, giving it yet another advantage.

Spread

Money line

Totals

Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 30, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

Penn's season has been dominated by a series of streaks, and the one it is on right now is not positive. The Quakers have dropped two in a row, the first of which was a hotly contested matchup with Harvard, with the second being a decidedly less competitive game against Yale. The prospect of dealing with a 13-6 Columbia team at this juncture is, at best, unappealing. Penn's forward duo of Ethan Roberts and TJ Power will need big days to keep things close on Friday.

There is some reason for optimism for the Quakers. The Lions have played both Harvard and Yale, too, and performed significantly worse than Penn did in each matchup. College basketball math is not exactly a reliable way of predicting games, but in this instance, it does show that these teams are likely closer in talent than their records indicate. Additionally, the Lions have played an easier schedule than Penn has, another clue that this game will not be as lopsided as many expect.

Spread

Money line

Totals

Note: The above data was collected on Jan. 30, 2026, and may have changed since writing.