Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Alumni Hall

Alumni Gym (1920-31) - The Wildcats played their first ever intercollegiate basketball game here on Dec. 21, 1920, defeating Catholic University 43-40. The court inside Alumni Hall - refurbished in 1920 - would serve as the team's primary home court until the opening of the Jake Nevin Field House in the spring of 1932. As part of the aftermath of a January 1928 fire that did $2 million damage to College (Tolentine) Hall, the gym was turned into a temporary student laboratory, forcing the Wildcats to play games and practice off-campus for much of the next two seasons. In that span, Villanova hosted games at West Catholic High School and Penn's Palestra.

The John "Jake" Nevin Field House

Officially opened on April 1, 1932 as the Villanova Field House, the venue was renamed to honor long-time Wildcats' athletic trainer John "Jake" Nevin on Nov. 22, 1985. The building served as a Wildcats' home court from 1932-86. Among the great teams to have called the Field House home were the 1939 NCAA Final Four, 1971 NCAA Finals and 1985 NCAA championship squads. It continued to serve as an occasional practice facility for both the men's and women's programs prior to the opening of the Davis Center in 2007. Originally built at a cost of $350,000, the venue hosted its first regular season men's game in 31 years and its first ever Philadelphia Big Five game on Nov. 29, 2017, when the Wildcats downed Penn 90-62. Today the building serves as home to administrative offices and as the home court of Villanova Volleyball. Its current official listed capacity for basketball is 2,100. Its original listed capacity was 3,200.

The Pavilion

Coming off the 1985 National Championship, Villanova Basketball opened the doors of The Pavilion on February 1, 1986 against Maryland. Villanova won the game, 64-62, in front of a crowd of 6,401 fans. Harold Pressley made the first basket of that game on a driving hook shot with 18:57 left in the first half. The Pavilion is recognizable from the outside for its signature hyperbolic paraboloid roofline. Villanova has an all-time record of 293-62 (.825) at the Pavilion. From 2007-11 it won 46 consecutive games on campus and from 2013-17 it posted 48 straight wins there. The Wildcats' record at the Pavilion includes going 136-43 (.760) against BIG EAST opponents, 157-19 (.892) against non-conference opponents and 36-9 (.800) versus Big 5 foes. The all-time attendance at the Pavilion is 2,270,190. Villanova drew its one millionth fan in the building during the game against Rutgers on February 20, 2000. The team reached two million in all-time attendance on December 15, 2013 against La Salle. On February 28, 1995 against Boston College, Kerry Kittles set the floor record for points in a single game when he scored 44 points. He is the only men’s player – including both Villanova and visiting teams – to have a 40-point game in the building. Brooks Sales (1998-02) holds the career record for most games played in the Pavilion with 55. The only other players who have played at least 50 games in the building are Gary Buchanan and Ricky Wright, who each played in 51 Pavilion games from 1999-03. Villanova made a building record 17 three-pointers in an 84-47 win over Lehigh on November 27, 2005. Since the three-point rule was instituted for the 1986-87 season, the Wildcats have made at least one triple in 344 of the 347 games they have played in the building. Of the 355 games that Villanova played at the Pavilion, 327 (92 percent) have been sellouts. Villanova has currently sold out 182 consecutive regular season games in the building, a streak which began on January 2, 2001 against Rutgers. Every regular season game in the Pavilion during the Jay Wright era was a sellout. The Wildcats closed out the Pavilion with a 79-63 victory over No. 23 Creighton on Feb. 25, 2017. It marked the final home game for seniors Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds, who played on teams that went 46-1 at the Pavilion from 2013-17.

Spectrum

*Later known as CoreStates Spectrum, First Union Spectrum and Wachovia Spectrum.

Villanova has played 59 games in the Spectrum and owns a 31-28 all-time mark in the venue, including a 16-16 record in regular season BIG EAST games. The Wildcats' last game in the building was a 67-57 win over Pittsburgh in January 28, 2009. This was the final collegiate sporting event to be held in the building. Villanova got their first glimpse of the Spectrum in December 1967 in the Quaker City Tournament in December, 1967 and then again in December, 1969. On December 27, 1967, the Wildcats were defeated 78-59 by Duquesne in their first-ever game at the Spectrum. Villanova rebounded to knock off Arizona (75-59) and Penn (45-44) on December 29 and 30. Over the years, the Wildcats registered six sellouts at the Spectrum and have averaged better than 13,000 fans per game in 47 games as the home team. In a game against No. 6 Georgetown on February 5, 1989, Villanova drew 18,497 fans to set a record for the largest crowd to ever see a college basketball game in the state. Nearly seven years later, on January 20, 1996, the No. 7 Wildcats routed No. 10 North Carolina by a 76-56 count in front of 18,524 fans. At the time, that crowd was the largest to see any basketball game in Pennsylvania at the college or professional level.

Wells Fargo Center

The Wells Fargo Center is a home away from home for the Villanova Men's Basketball Team, and the building has been the site of some of the Wildcats' most exciting victories in recent years. Villanova hosted the majority of its men's basketball home games at the Wells Fargo Center in 2017-18 as a result of the ongoing renovations to the Pavilion on campus.

Villanova is 50-34 (.595) all-time at the Wells Fargo Center, including 17 wins over ranked teams. Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the Wildcats have won 40 of their last 59 contests in the building. The site has also served as a venue for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 2001, 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2016. Villanova is 4-0 in NCAA Tournament games at Wells Fargo Center, winning two games there in both 2006 and 2009. The Wells Fargo Center also set a record for the highest attendances for a college basketball game in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania on January 29, 2017, when Villanova played and defeated Virginia before a crowd of 20,907.

Known prior to 2010 as the Wachovia Center - and before that as the Core States Center - the arena first opened for the 1996-97 season.

Finneran Pavilion

A new era at Villanova began on Oct. 5, 2018 when the re-imagined Finneran Pavilion opened its doors to the public. The $65M project – begun in May 2017 - was entirely donor funded. The lead gift was presented by William "Bill" Finneran, a 1963 Villanova School of Business graduate with a degree in Economics. Villanova Athletics partnered with EwingCole, an award-winning architecture and engineering firm based in Philadelphia, to transform the Pavilion from a multi-purpose and recreational facility into a world-class basketball-centric arena. The renovation celebrates the uniqueness of the old arena, which opened in 1986, while creating an unmatched Division I basketball experience for Villanova players and fans. The Finneran Pavilion is the home to Villanova Men’s and Women’s Basketball. It lists a basketball capacity of 6,501. Among its enhanced features are McMahon Way, an outdoor plaza for pre-game and post-game activities; a relocated main entrance that will serve as a gathering place for fans; a Hall of Fame, with graphics and memorabilia celebrating the rich history of Villanova Athletics; a 360-degree concourse hosting a variety of concessions, merchandise stands and other fan amenities. The official opening night of the Finneran Pavilion was on November 6, 2018 vs. Morgan State, a 100-77 victory. Sophomore Collin Gillespie recorded the first basket in the Finneran Pavilion, a 3-pointer at the 19:11 mark in the first half. "This was a great start for our building," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Coming in here, you didn't know what the atmosphere would be like. You wondered whether it would be better or worse than the old building, which we loved. It was loud and jumping all night. The crowd was great. There is a different vibe in here – it's louder."