Villanova Basketball 2016-17 Schedule Released

Your reigning National Champion Villanova Wildcats have released their 2016-17 schedule, so mark up those calendars.

Eighteen BIG EAST games, the Big Five, and out-of-conference matchups with the Virginia Cavaliers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish highlight the schedule. Additionally ‘Nova will be traveling to South Carolina to participate in the Charleston Classic and to Indiana to take on Purdue in the Gavitt Games in November.

In 2016, the Wildcats set a program record with 35 victories, a third consecutive BIG EAST Regular Season Championship, and the school’s second National Championship.

Villanova open up the defense of that championship on Friday November 11th against Lafayette on Fox Sports 2.

The Wildcats will also participate in the Gavitt Games this season matching up against the Purdue Boilermakers from the Big Ten in a very-early season matchup against a probable Top 25 squad.

Western Michigan will be the ‘Cats first opponent in the Charleston Classic. Boise State, Central Florida, College of Charleston, Mississippi State, UTEP, and Wake Forest round out the field.

Villanova will also play non-conference home games at The Pavilion against Lafayette, American, and the College of Charleston.

Big Five play will start on November 29th at the Palestra against Penn and will be wrapped up in two weeks as ‘Nova will host St. Joseph’s (PA) on December 3rd, travel back to the Palestra to face LaSalle on the 6th and wrap up the City Series against Temple on December 13th.

Jay Wright’s squad, who has claimed the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship three consecutive season will look for the four-peat when they open up conference play against DePaul on December 28th. The BIG EAST has done away with the NYE marathon for this season, instead hosting their marathon on Martin Luther King Day. Villanova hosts Seton Hall as part of that lineup.

Villanova will play 5 games at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly including the exhibition game against IUP and non-conference matchup with Virginia. The big news? A top-heavy Pavilion schedule that will feature Xavier, Seton Hall, and Georgetown.

2016-17 Villanova Wildcats Men's Basketball Schedule

Editor's Note: Villanova's exhibition will be against the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), not Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) as previously reported from the Villanova Media release.