VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova will kick off its Thanksgiving holiday week with a Tuesday night non-conference clash against Old Dominion at Finneran Pavilion. Tipoff is set for just after 7 p.m.
 
A limited number of tickets remain available for purchase for this contest. Click the "Tickets" link at the top of this page for details.
 
The Wildcats (4-1 overall) return to action for the first time since a 70-55 victory Wednesday night in their Philadelphia Big Five opener against La Salle. Villanova limited the Explorers to 3-of-13 shooting (.231) from beyond the 3-point arc, its best effort in that department of the young season.
 
Villanova also welcomed back senior forward Tafara Gapare after he missed the previous two games due to a right foot injury. Guard Zion Stanford logged eight minutes as a reserve in his second game of the season after missing six weeks with a sprained left ankle.
 
"Having those guys back helps a few ways, but especially in practice," said head coach Kevin Willard. "We've had so many injuries that it's limited some of what we were hoping to do there."
 
ODU (3-4 overall, 0-0 Sun Belt) will play the second part of a two-game road trip to Pennsylvania. A late rally by Drexel allowed the Dragons to slip past the Monarchs 75-71 on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. Jordan Battle led ODU with 21 points.
 
This is the first meeting between the programs in 30 years, and longtime followers of Villanova won't be hard-pressed to recall the last matchup. No. 13 ODU upset the BIG EAST champion No. 4 seed Wildcats 89-81 in triple overtime in an NCAA Tournament opening round matchup in Albany, N.Y. Current Monarchs' head coach Mike Jones scored 19 points in that clash. Villanova won the first meeting between the squads in the 1977 NIT, 71-68.
 
Odell Hodge, who starred at Old Dominion alongside Jones in the 1990s and is the father of Wildcats' forward Matt Hodge, is a Special Assistant to the Monarchs' Head Coach.
 
Matt Hodge is coming off the best statistical outing of his young career at La Salle. The native of Limburg, Belgium – where the family settled during Odell Hodge's post NBA career in Europe – connected on 7-of-9 field goal attempts, including 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, on his way to a game high 17 points.
 
On Monday, Hodge was named Big Five Rookie of the Week.
 
"Matt's been as solid as anybody," said Willard. "I think he's starting to get a little bit more comfortable with how we play. It's also being back (in games). It's very different than practice. He's worked hard to put himself in this position."
 
"It's been amazing," said Villanova guard Tyler Perkins who was alongside Hodge last season as a Villanova teammate while Hodge sat out games in 2024-25 after an NCAA initial eligibility ruling. "I wish he was playing last season. It's amazing to see him doing what he does."
 
This game will be streamed live via ESPN+. Matt Martucci and Phil Martelli will be courtside at Finneran Pavilion to describe the action. Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby have the Nova Nation audio call on the Villanova Sports Radio Network on IHeart (Sirius XM channel 390).
 
After a short break for the Thanksgiving holiday, the Wildcats will then turn their focus next Monday night's clash with Temple at Finneran Pavilion (6:30 p.m./FS1). The winner of that contest will advance to the title game of the Big Five Classic to face Penn on Sat., Dec. 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.