As Big 5 women’s basketball teams hit the court, we answer your burning questions

From North Philly to University City and the suburbs, Philly’s Division I colleges are set to start their basketball seasons this week.

With the 2025-26 season getting underway, here’s an overview of what to expect from the city’s women’s teams this season:

The 2025 NCAA Tournament was the first since 2019 without one of the city’s six Division I teams in the bracket. After the 2020 tournament was canceled, Drexel appeared in 2021 and 2024, while Villanova made tournament trips in 2022 and 2023.

The Wildcats and Dragons appear to have the best chance to return to the field in 2026. After a fourth-place finish last season, Drexel was picked to finish second in the Coastal Athletic Association preseason coaches’ poll.

Thanks to an NCAA eligibility waiver for star guard Amaris Baker and other key returners, Amy Mallon’s team is a top contender for a CAA tournament title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. An at-large bid would require an exceptional season, as the CAA has been a single-bid conference in recent tourneys.

» READ MORE: For Drexel’s men’s and women’s basketball, ‘continuity can be king’

To Mallon, the Dragons’ key to success this year will lie in limiting “lost possessions” on offense. Drexel will continue to be the sharp defensive team it’s been under Mallon, but she also wants her team to limit turnovers and take high-percentage shots.

“Consistency in all those things, those little things, is the reason why we’ve been able to sustain a certain standard,” Mallon said.

Villanova stands a chance at receiving an at-large bid but will face stiff competition in the Big East. The Wildcats were picked to finish fourth in the Big East’s preseason coaches’ poll, with defending national champion UConn picked to win the conference. Denise Dillon has high hopes for this year’s Wildcats to get back in the bracket for the first time since 2023. Villanova has made deep runs in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament the past two seasons.

A key for Villanova is to get out to a better start than it did last season. The Wildcats were 6-6 entering Big East play last season.

“Every game is valuable [to put] yourself in the best position,” Dillon said. “So when you’re waiting on Selection Sunday, your name’s called, as opposed to realizing that there were a couple games where we didn’t come out on the winning end that cost us the NCAA Tournament.”

» READ MORE: Big 5 women’s basketball names to know ahead of the 2025-26 season

Temple, Penn, and St. Joseph’s placed in the top half of their conferences’ preseason coaches’ polls. Temple was picked to finish fourth in the 13-team American Conference, while Penn was picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League. St. Joe’s was picked to finish sixth in the top-heavy Atlantic 10.

Temple finished last season 20-11, the second consecutive 20-win season for coach Diane Richardson. It was the last season for all-conference players Tarriyonna Gary and Tiarra East, whose absences will be felt. Richardson’s team has no seniors, but juniors Kaylah Turner, Jaleesa Molina, and Tristen Taylor have stepped in as the team’s leadership.

“They were great understudies for Tarriyonna Gary and Tiarra East,” Richardson said. “They learned a lot from those seniors and were ready to step right into the role this year.”

» READ MORE: Temple’s returning trio and deep bench bring ‘confidence and cohesiveness’

St. Joe’s also is dealing with the departure of a group of high-impact players in Laura Ziegler, Mackenzie Smith, and Talya Brugler. Smith and Brugler exhausted their eligibility during the Hawks’ 24-10 campaign last season, while Ziegler, a three-time all-conference selection, transferred to Louisville.

It may make for a difficult season for Cindy Griffin, as she returns just 30.5% of last season’s scoring output. The Hawks brought in four transfers and four freshmen to replace some of the lost production.

“They’re willing to learn,” Griffin said. “They listen. They’re trying to do what you’re asking them to do. But it’s just going to take some time. That challenge is you want to speed up time, and you want to speed up experience, but there really isn’t anything like it.”

» READ MORE: For the Jekot family, Big 5 women’s basketball is a tradition

Penn lost its best player from last season, Stina Almqvist, who was a two-time all-Ivy selection in four seasons with the Quakers. Outside of Almqvist, the Quakers avoided significant roster churn this offseason. Year-to-year consistency should be a boon to Mike McLaughlin’s team, which finished 15-13 overall and 6-8 in Ivy play last season. McLaughlin thinks the close losses in league play last season should give the Quakers more confidence against Ivy favorites Princeton, Columbia, and Harvard.

“Regardless of what team is in league play, anyone can beat you, and you can beat anyone, right?” McLaughlin said. “It’s easier when they’ve already seen that happen than trying to tell them that this could happen.”

At La Salle, Mountain MacGillivray has eight returning players from last year’s 10-23 campaign, more returners than he had in 2024-25 and 2023-24. MacGillivray hopes that getting his key players back can give the Explorers an edge in a competitive A-10.

“Four to 14 has a shot to finish in the top third of the conference,” MacGillivray said. “That’s going to make the conference play a lot more interesting. With us having returners, last year we had none, and the league was old. Well, the league’s a lot younger, or at least a lot greener, meaning new faces as opposed to returners, than it’s been.”

» READ MORE: La Salle coach Mountain MacGillivray sees the climb amid personal struggles as ‘a beautiful thing’

Two players have a claim to being the most important returners in the Big 5 this season. The first is Baker, who averaged 17 points for Drexel last season. An NCAA waiver offered an extra year of eligibility to the Cardinal O’Hara graduate, who spent her sophomore year at Harcum College.

“We talked about last year, only being in her second year in the Drexel program, that we wished we had one more year together,” Mallon said. “And then, it’s like that year was granted. We always talk about [it] like a gift. It’s like a gift to the program.”

The second is Jasmine Bascoe, who was named to the all-Big East first team after averaging 16.2 points for Villanova in her freshman season. The guard will be the focal point for Villanova’s offense this season as it tries to return to the NCAA Tournament.

“Her basketball IQ has always been high,” Dillon said. “I think her realization of what’s in store and how much harder or further she can push herself is coming into play.”

» READ MORE: In a season with a lot of promise, keep an eye on Villanova’s newcomers, too

Other key returners include Turner at Temple, Mataya Gayle at Penn, Joan Quinn at La Salle, and Aleah Snead at St. Joe’s.

Big 5 schools were active in the transfer portal, as well. Villanova brought in experienced post player Kylee Watson from Notre Dame. Temple signed all-Atlantic Sun forward Saniyah Craig from Jacksonville State to bolster its frontcourt.

“She’s added a lot more to our frontcourt with her ability, with her tenacious rebounding,” Richardson said. “She’s a welcome addition for us because we needed rebounding. We were looking for rebounding.”

Will the roster changes result in wins across the Big 5? Temple and Villanova open their seasons Monday night, while Drexel and St. Joe’s play Tuesday. La Salle plays Thursday, and Penn opens its season Friday.