How to watch Villanova Basketball vs. Columbia

At long last, the season is finally here. The 6th-ranked Villanova Wildcats will officially begin their 2017-2018 campaign at home against the Columbia Lions on Friday night.

The game will also be the first of a season-long venture at the Wells Fargo Center while the Pavilion gets its much needed facelift. It will be interesting to see the fan turnout for what amounts to a weekend game, albeit against a bad opponent.

The ‘Cats should have no problem handling Columbia (knock on wood), and it should give Jay Wright and his staff the opportunity to experiment with what looks to be a deep roster filled with talent.

Matchup: #6 Villanova Wildcats vs. Columbia Lions

Venue: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Game Time: 8:30pm ET

TV: Fox Sports 2

Live Stream: Fox Sports GO

Radio: 610 AM (Villanova)

Game Watches

Pregame Party at XFINITY Live!, 1100 Pattison Ave, Philadelphia, PA

6 p.m. - XFINITY Live! and Villanova will host a special pre-game party prior to the Wildcats’ matchup with Columbia. Activities include visits from Will D. Cat, Villanova Cheerleaders and the Villanova Dance Team, along with food and drink specials. Don't miss the Wildcat Walk at 6:30 p.m., when the team stops by on its way into the Wells Fargo Center.Admission is FREE and game ticket is not required for admittance to XFINITY Live!.

Any person under the age of 21 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian over the age of 25 to enter the venue.

Boston: Warehouse, 40 Broad St, Boston, MA 02109

Chicago: Derby, 1224 W Webster Avenue, Chicago, IL

Colorado: Skyline Pub, 2045 Sheridan Blvd, Edgewater, CO

Hilton Head/Low Country: Drydock, 840 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island, SC

New York City: Brazen Fox, 106 3rd Ave, New York, NY

Northern California: Irish Times, 500 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA

Drink That Guarantees The W: Lionshead Pilsner

Villanova is going to mount the Columbia Lions’ head on the Davis Center wall after this one’s over. And that’ll be the nicest thing they do. Revenge is on the line.

If it were widely available, I would have recommended Killer Lion from Oregon. Was lucky enough to have it on my travels there and was a big fan. But we’ll stick with the opponent theme as suggested by the commentariat and go with the more local Lionshead. Quantity over quality for the first game of the year, I say.