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

Philadelphia's representatives of the Atlantic-10 are cold as ice, and La Salle may be next to the sacrifice. 2025-26's cellar-dwelling Explorers are about to resist a potential six-game losing streak in a game against Duquesne, a tough rival that's won four consecutive contests to rise to a tie for fourth in the A10.

St. Joseph's is on shaky hardwood as well, having compounded the Hawks' road struggles with a loss at home last Tuesday. With double-digit defeats on their record, the Hawks may not earn so much as a favorable NIT seed this March unless they win the championship of 2026's conference tourney.

Temple's prospects in the American Athletic Conference seem better, although the Owls' two-game losing streak makes USF into an overwhelming favorite to win the AAC's regular-season conference crown. Temple can secure the AAC postseason's No. 2 seed with one more streak down the stretch. 

The La Salle Explorers will be trying for only their second road win of the season this Wednesday night, when the 15-10 Duquesne Dukes host the 7-18 Blue & Gold inside Palumbo Center at 7 p.m. EST. 

La Salle's big men could have problems guarding Duquesne's frontcourt, led by the massive senior John Hugley IV and fellow upperclassman David Dixon. The Explorers see one bright spot in the reports that forward Jerome Brewer Jr. could return from injury Wednesday. But he's far from the only injured cog.

La Salle's season is a strange case in the realm of losing NCAA teams. It's not a year of one outstanding scorer leading a squad that doesn't have a strong supporting cast, but rather a worthy batch of blue-collar cagers without a marksman who can move a scoreboard. Leading scorer Jaeden Marshall has produced fewer than 10 points in four of his last five outings. 99.1 The Sports Animal reported prior to the SLU contest on Feb. 11th that "11 (La Salle) players (had) missed 68 games with injuries" already.

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Note: The above data was collected on Feb. 18, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

The 15-10 Temple Owls were on a five-game streak without a regulation loss when defeats to Tulane and UNT muted the momentum. They'll try to get back on track when UAB visits Wednesday at 7 p.m. EST.

Temple's brand of small-ball has four guards averaging in double figures on a team that's ranked fourth in the AAC in field-goal percentage and fifth out of 13 schools in trey shooting. Derrian Ford paces the lineup with an 18.1 point-scoring average. Ford's fellow senior Masiah Gilyard came off the bench to score 16 points in Temple's 65-62 loss to North Texas on Sunday. UAB's three-point defense is better than its overall mark for opposing FG shooting, but Temple's shot-selection has been efficient this winter.

Wednesday's tipoff is Temple and UAB's only regular-season meeting of 2025-26. The Owls are 0-3 against the Blazers since the University of Alabama-Birmingham joined the American in 2023-24.

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Note: The above data was collected on Feb. 18, 2026, and may have changed since writing.

St. Joseph's has also seen its momentum ebb with two straight defeats after winning seven out of the prior eight games. The 15-10 Hawks visit a vengeful St. Bonaventure Bonnies team Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST. 

St. Bonaventure basketball has come a long way since serving as Notre Dame's late-night cupcake on WGN. The Bonnies have been No. 9 seeds in March Madness as recently as 2021, although this season's squad will have to race to get any kind of postseason invite, even from the College Basketball Invitational, due to a 3-9 conference mark that contrasts 14 overall wins and a solid 4-4 road record. St. Joe's guard play looks sensational with Austin Williford added to the starting lineup, putting pressure on a St. Bonaventure battalion that ranks just 12th out of 14 Atlantic-10 schools on defense. 

St. Bonaventure will be out for revenge against St. Joseph on the Bonnies' home court. Jan. 14's first tilt between the pair ended in a 68-64 Hawks victory thanks to a 23-point outing from sophomore guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano. St. Bonaventure is on a rare three-game losing skid inside Reilly Center. 

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Note: The above data was collected on Feb. 18, 2026, and may have changed since writing.