Pitt Officially Announces New Rivalry Game

The Panthers will play the Villanova at the Finneran Pavilion in Philadelphia on December 13. This will start a home-and-home series, with the Wildcats coming back to play against Pitt sometime in the 2026-27 season.

Villanova's new head coach, Kevin Willard, played for Pitt from 1995-1997. Willard was previously the head coach of Maryland, which he led to the Sweet Sixteen in 2025. He left Maryland in dramatic fashion to be the head coach of Villanova.

This game reignites a former rivalry from when both teams were in the Big East. The teams have played against each other 65 times before in the past. Pitt currently leads the all-time series 33-32. Villanova could tie the all-time series with a win this upcoming game.

Pitt has a 6-9 record at the Finneran Pavilion, but they have won the last two times they played there. The last time Pitt played in the Pavilion was a 58-43 win in January of 2013, which was also the last time the two teams matched up.

Pitt's history with Villanova extends past the regular season. In the 2009 Elite Eight, No. 3 ranked Villanova squeaked out with a 78-76 win over the No. 1 ranked Panthers.

Villanova joins a group of non-conference opponents for Pitt this season. This includes Ohio State, who will play at the Petersen Event Center on November 28, a game at West Virginia on November 13, and Pitt hosting Texas A&M on December 2.

Pitt and Villanova both look to improve from their most recent seasons. Villanova finished 6th in the Big East with a 21-15 record. They participated in the College Basketball Crown Tournament and lost in the semifinals to UCF.

Pitt finished their season with a 17-15 record, landing 13th in the ACC. They lost in the first round of the ACC tournament and ended their season.

As both teams are hoping for better results in their upcoming basketball seasons, non-conference games like these will be important matchups. No matter who wins, it's nice to see more rivalries be reignited.