Villanova Men and Women and Penn Are Going to the Big Dance – And Other Locals
March 15, 2026 –
Selection Sunday Arrived. The Villanova Men’s and Women’s teams earned an At-Large bid, Meanwhile the Penn Men’s team knew they were going and learned their matchup. Other locals; Lehigh Men and Princeton Women also heard their names called.
Let’s look at the details,
Villanova Men’s Basketball
The Wildcats are the #8 seed in the West Regional. Their first round game will be on Friday, March 20 against #9 Utah State in San Diego. The tip is scheduled for 4:10 PM Eastern time. Should Villanova win and Arizona prevails, they will meet in the second round.
The Wildcats posted a 24 – 8 record and return to the NCAA Tournament after a three season absence. An at-large berth is indicative of a good season.
“When you get an at large bid, you had to be really good all year,” said Coach Kevin Willard.
“It’s a blessing,” said Tyler Perkins. “I’ve been waiting for this moment. We all deserve this moment too. We’re glad to be part if it. And now we got work to do.”
Penn Men’ Basketball
The University of Pennsylvania earned an automatic bid after their thrilling win over Yale to become Ivy Champs. The Quakers were given the #14 seed in the South Region. Their first game will be against 3rd seeded Illinois in Grenville, SC. Tip is scheduled for Thursday, March 19 at 9:25 PM. It is their first NCAA Tournament game since 2018.
Two Big Five teams are in the tournament this season.
“It’s really good to have another school in Philly dancing,” Willard said.
“It’s huge. That’s one thing Fran (McCaffery) and I talked about when we first got here, making sure that we are getting Big Five schools back in the NCAA Tournament. To make sure that when we play Big Five games, they’re big. They’re bigger games.”
Villanova guard Tyler Perkins started his career at Penn. He was happy to see the Quakers make the Big Dance.
“That was good,” Perkins said. “I called some of my friends there. Congratulated them. Hopefully we’ll see them whether it’s the Final Four or whatever. I’m happy for them and to see two Philly teams in the NCAA Tournament.”
Lehigh an AQ
Also making the field in the men’s tournament is the Lehigh Mountain Hawks. They will appear in the First Four game for the 16th seed in the Midwest against Prairie View. The game is in Dayton, OH on Wednesday, March 18 with tip at 6:40 PM. Should Lehigh advance #1 seed Florida awaits.
Villanova Women’s Basketball
For the first time in two seasons the Villanova Women’s team heard their name called. The Wildcats are the #10 seed in the Sacramento Region 2 Their first game will be on Friday, March 20 against the #7 seeded Red Raiders of Texas Tech. That game will be played in Baton Rouge, LA, tip is scheduled for 8:30 PM.
The Wildcats posted a 25 – 7 record. Three of the losses came to undefeated UConn. Two other losses were against NCAA participants Princeton and Fairfield. Nova won against tournament teams JMU and West Virginia. The projections had Villanova in the 7 – 10 seed range. And they got the number 10.
“You put that aside, you prepare for what’s ahead,” said Coach Denise Dillon. “You have a game there, you want to battle, you want to prove yourself. That’s our position right now, that we belong there and we want to go.”
The team enjoys each other and playing together, The objective is to keep it going.
“We just have a lot of fun,” said Jasmine Bascoe. “We truly do have a lot of fun competing and playing a gritty game. This year has gotten more aggressive, which has been a lot more fun. It’s going to be fun. Little like a dog fight to move on.”
Again Princeton Is In
Princeton is going to the tournament as an automatic qualifier winning the Ivy League. The Tigers are also in the Sacrament Region 2 getting the #9 seed, Their first round game is on Saturday, March 21 against Oklahoma State at 7:30 in Los Angeles.
The conjecture is over. Now the teams look to survive and advance.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: glenn@phillycollegesports.com
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