Big 5: As Philly as the cheesesteak

PHILADELPHIA is already home to the iconic CHEESESTEAK SANDWICH. It's also home to one of the most storied, multi-school rivalries in COLLEGE BASKETBALL.
LA SALLE, PENN, SAINT JOSEPH'S, TEMPLE and VILLANOVA comprise the BIG 5, a set of schools who have been playing against each other as an organized, traditional rivalry since 1954.
The five schools met to determine the city's best basketball team, while the proceeds helped the University of Pennsylvania maintain its PALESTRA facilities. In his book, "PALESTRA PANDEMONIUM: A HISTORY OF THE BIG FIVE," sportswriter Robert S. Lyons described part of what makes the rivalry so special:
"Frequently these Big 5 battles, waged between institutions located within a radius of only 17 miles, were renewals of some of the intense rivalries that characterized many of the local Catholic and Public League high school games. Maybe it would be a couple of ex-high school teammates from South Philly facing each other in the Temple-La Salle game or kids from West Philly and the Northeast teaming up to beat their former CYO buddies in the Penn-St. Joe’s game. During the summer they would go at it again in pickup games at the Palestra, on the playgrounds, or down at the South Jersey shore."
Big 5 play opens tonight, with Temple traveling to The Palestra to take on Penn.
Here is the schedule of this year's remaining games:
Tue. Nov. 15: La Salle at Villanova (The Pavilion), 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 3: Penn at Villanova (The Pavilion), 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 10: Villanova at Temple (Liacouras Center), 5 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 17: Villanova at Saint Joseph's (Hagan Arena), 8 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 10: La Salle at Penn (The Palestra), 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 21: Saint Joseph's at Penn (The Palestra), 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 4: La Salle vs. Saint Joseph's (The Palestra), 2 p.m.
Wed. Feb. 22: Temple at La Salle (Tom Gola Arena), 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 25: Temple at Saint Joseph's (Hagan Arena), 7 p.m