Villanova Wildcats Basketball Tickets

In 1985, the Villanova Wildcats authored one of the great Cinderella stories in college basketball history. And in the 2010s, they emerged as a national powerhouse.

Under head coach Rollie Massimino, the 1985 Wildcats entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed. They reeled off victories against Dayton, Michigan, Maryland and North Carolina to reach the Final Four.

After beating Memphis State in the semifinal, Villanova faced defending national champion Georgetown, their Big East conference rival who had beaten them twice during the regular season. The Wildcats played a near-flawless game, shooting 78.6 percent from the field on their way to a 66-64 victory. They were the lowest seeded team to ever win a national championship.

Coach Jay Wright has led the Wildcats to a new era of prominence, with numerous conference titles and Sweet Sixteen appearances, along with multiple national championships.

The Big East Conference has seen upheaval in recent seasons, but Villanova remains, along with longtime rivals Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s. Home games against those teams always offer excitement.

Additionally, Villanova competes in the Philadelphia Big 5, an annual round-robin series that also includes Penn, LaSalle, Saint Joseph’s and Temple. While the Big 5 isn’t a formally sanctioned tournament, it goes a long way toward Philly bragging rights.

For home games, the Wildcats split time between on-campus Finneran Pavilion (capacity 6,500) and the much-larger Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia. The energetic student section takes up at least one-third of the seats during games at Finneran.