Villanova Wildcats Men's Basketball Tickets

Villanova Wildcats Men's Basketball History

Villanova University first fielded a men's basketball team in 1921, and eventually became a mainstay in Philadelphia-area college hoops. However, Nova Nation truly took off in 1980 after the Wildcats joined the basketball-centric Big East Conference. In 1985, the Wildcats, led by Ed Pinckney, Dwayne McClain and coach Rollie Massimino, made the Final Four and held off reigning champion Georgetown to win the national championship. Entering the 1985 tournament as an 8-seed, Villanova still holds the record for the lowest-seeded team to win the NCAA National Championship.

In 2013, the "new" Big East was born after a major conference realignment, though Villanova remained and dominated in its new format. Between 2014 and 2022, the Wildcats won five Big East tournaments and captured seven regular season conference titles. Meanwhile, Villanova captured two of its three national championships in 2016 and 2018 and made another Final Four run in 2022. The 2016 championship game notably featured a buzzer-beating, three-pointer by Kris Jenkins to give the Wildcats the 77-74 edge over North Carolina, while the 2018 title run found Villanova winning every tournament match by at least 12 points, capped by a 79-62 victory against Michigan in the final. 

Villanova Wildcats Team Info

Conference: Big East

Team Colors: Navy blue and white

Team Rivals: Georgetown, Providence, St. John’s, Syracuse, Seton Hall

Villanova Wildcats at William B. Finneran Pavilion and Xfinity Mobile Arena

The Villanova Wildcats play at the William B. Finneran Pavilion, which originally opened in 1986 but was completely renovated during the 2017-18 season. Finneran Pavilion currently seats 6,501. However, the 21,000-seat Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philadelphia, home of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, hosts several important Villanova home games each season. It was the full-time home for the Cats during the Pavilion renovation.