Fansided

25 NCAA basketball bucket list items every fan must experience before they die

By Mike Phillips

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: The Duke Blue Devils mascot performs during the first half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
21 of 25
Next
NCAA basketball bucket list
(Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /

5. Check out Big 5 basketball at The Palestra

There are special rivalries in college basketball, but there may not be a tighter knit group of teams who don’t play in the same conference than the Big 5. For those who are unfamiliar with the Big 5, it is the unofficial league featuring the major college basketball programs in Philadelphia: Villanova, St. Joseph’s, Penn, La Salle, and Temple.

The series originated back in 1955, the year after La Salle won the national championship. Games between the programs would take place at The Palestra, Penn’s historic basketball venue, with the winner claiming bragging rights for the city that year.

The series took a hiatus between 1991-1999, but since its return, it has been played annually as a round-robin between the five schools. Most teams host games on their own campus, but any game that takes place at The Palestra is worth seeing above all others.

The Palestra is a gorgeous venue and is often considered as one of the cathedrals of college basketball. Plenty of great players have appeared in games at the gym, so there is a bit of a historic value going on as well.

Simply put, The Palestra gives you a historic atmosphere and some intense basketball rivalries with some Philly flavor. The Big 5 is fittingly inside the top 5 of the college basketball bucket list.