The Holy War – Villanova Vs. St. Joe’s Resumes On Saturday
In a series that has come to be known as “The Holy War,” Villanova and St.Joseph’s mens’ basketball teams will face off Monday night for the 78th time, with Villanova leading the series, 52-25.
This year’s game will be played at Villanova’s Finneran Pavillon, this Saturday afternoon, at noon.
The series began on January 15, 1921. On that date in 1921, the Villanova Wildcats bested the St. Joe’s Hawks, by a score of 31-22. The two schools played each other 11 more times through 1930, with Villanova winning all but 10 of the games. There was one more game in 1939, also won by Villanova.
The two teams didn’t face each other again until December of 1955, with the advent of the Big 5’s Round Robin City Series; which in addition to Villanova and St. Joe’s; included Temple, Penn and LaSalle.
The Hawks won the first game of the reconstituted rivalry, under the guidance of Jack (Dr. Jack) Ramsay. It was first of his 11 seasons coaching St. Joe’s. During Ramsay’s tenure, the Hawks posted a record of 234-72. Against Villanova, in the Ramsay era, St. Joe’s was 9-2, including a 6-0 run from 1955 through 1961.
Now the sneaker is on the other foot. With Coach Jay Wright at the helm, The Wildcats have a nine-game winning streak going against St. Joe’s, and have won 11 of the last 12 matchups.
Villanova is #6
AP has Villanova ranked 6th among all NCAA basketball teams. St. Joe’s, showing improvement over last season’s dismal 5-15 record, is now 4-3, having won their last two games against Georgetown and Binghamton.