Tickets for men's Toyota Big 5 Classic in Philadelphia now on sale
Fans of Philadelphia's famed city basketball series, Big 5, can now buy tickets to the 2024 men's Toyota Big 5 Classic. The college basketball tripleheader is scheduled for Dec. 7 at Wells Fargo Center.
Here's how the Classic works.
The six Philadelphia basketball teams will be divided into two three-team pods: Drexel, La Salle, and Temple will be in one pod, and the University of Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph's, and Villanova will be in the second pod.
Each school will face each other at its on-campus arena before Dec. 7. All six teams will play at the Wells Fargo Center on Dec. 7, with the first seed in each pod tipping off for the Big 5 championship. The second-place teams will play for third place, and then the third-seeded teams will play for fifth place.
St. Joe's won the Big 5 title last year, beating Temple 74-65.
"Toyota has always been committed to supporting community-driven events that bring people together, and we see college sports as a key part of that vision," Paul Muller, president of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association Paul Muller, said in a statement. "By sponsoring both the Men's and Women's Classics, we're not only celebrating the spirit of competition but also helping elevate these incredible athletes and institutions on a national stage."
The Big 5 — a name coined by Philadelphia Inquirer sports writer Herb Good — was officially formed in 1954, and the schools started round-robin play for "City Series" bragging rights in 1955. The first game was 69 years ago, when Saint Joseph's beat Villanova 83-70 on Dec. 14, 1955, in front of 2,636 fans at the Palestra.
