Sept. 9, 2014 Schedule PDF
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Another BIG EAST Conference opener on New Year's Eve and appearances in the Legends Classic and Jimmy V Classic highlight the 2014-15 Villanova Men's Basketball schedule announced today.
A minimum of 30 Villanova games will be nationally televised with appearances slated for Fox, Fox Sports 1, CBS Sports Network, ESPN and ESPN2. The 2015 BIG EAST Tournament will be telecast nationally by Fox Sports 1.
The Wildcats, who secured their first outright BIG EAST regular season crown since 1982-83 in 2013-14, will open the defense of that title against Butler at the Pavilion on Dec. 31 (2:30 p.m. on Fox Sports 1). These two teams squared off to open the conference campaign last season, with the Wildcats grabbing a 76-73 overtime victory at a packed Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Villanova will play 18 conference contests, facing each of its nine rivals both at home and on the road for the second consecutive year. After its opener, VU visits Seton Hall on Jan. 2 and St. John's on Jan. 6. It wraps up the regular season on Saturday, March 7 when it hosts the Red Storm.
The 2014-15 schedule gets underway with a special exhibition game on Tuesday, Nov. 4 at the Pavilion. Villanova welcomes Northwood University, led by legendary former `Cats coach Rollie Massimino. The 1985 NCAA championship team, celebrating its 30th anniversary this season, will be honored as part of the evening's festivities and the contest will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.
The curtain on the regular season will be lifted on Friday, Nov. 14, when Villanova hosts Lehigh at the new PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. The opener will mark the first collegiate appearance of Wildcats' senior Darrun Hilliard in his native Lehigh Valley (Bethlehem, Pa.).
Villanova then returns to the Pavilion on Nov. 17 to host the first of two regional round games in the Legends Classic (UMES and Bucknell, Nov. 20). Next up is the championship round of that event, held on Nov. 24-25 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The `Cats meet VCU at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 24 (ESPN2) and face either Michigan or Oregon the following night.
The Wells Fargo Center will serve as Villanova's home court for five regular season games in 2014-15, including a date with former BIG EAST rival Syracuse on Saturday, Dec. 20 (1 p.m./Fox). Later, three BIG EAST opponents will visit the Center, including Marquette (Feb. 4), Georgetown (Feb. 7), and St. John's (Mar. 7).
Among the other non-conference contests on the schedule are a clash with Illinois on Dec. 9 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m./ESPN) and four Philadelphia Big Five games. The City Series begins at La Salle on Dec. 3 (8:30 p.m./CBS Sports Network) and then continues with Pavilion matchups against Saint Joseph's on Dec. 6 (1 p.m./Fox Sports 1) and Temple on Dec. 14 (2:00 p.m./Fox Sports 1). VU's Big Five slate concludes when it meets Penn at the Palestra on Jan. 17.
Villanova established a new regular season record for victories in 2013-14 (28) and completed the campaign with a 29-5 mark and its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 10 seasons. It returns four of its five starters, including Hilliard, JayVaughn Pinkston, Ryan Arcidiacono and Daniel Ochefu.
