Cindy Griffin (above) and the Hawks welcome several high-major opponents. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL)
Saint Joseph’s Hawks (2025: 24-10, 12-6 Atlantic 10)
The Hawks’ season gets off to an intriguing start with previously-mentioned West Chester coming to Hagan Arena November 4. Cincinnati (Nov. 11) and Penn State (Nov. 16) will also pay visits to St. Joe’s, providing the Hawks early opportunities for high-major wins after falling just short of an NCAA Tournament bid last season.
In total, St. Joe’s has a pretty high volume of “home cooking” in its non-conference slate. Out of 11 non-conference games, seven will be played at home, with two of the four others being played in the city of Philadelphia.
There’s potential for St. Joe’s to face a pair of Philly-area alums in late December; George School product Gianna Johnson and Westtown product Grace Sundback will both come to town for the Hawk Classic, playing opposite the Hawks in a four-team, two-day bracket. December 20, Delaware plays Akron while St. Joe’s takes on Le Moyne, with the winners and losers each facing off the next day.
Temple Owls (2025: 20-11, 13-5 American)
The Owls will be tested early and often, starting with a home opener against Lansdale Catholic alum Sanyiah Littlejohn and her George Mason (Nov. 3) team, which won more than 25 games last season and earned an NCAA Tournament bid.
Things don’t get any easier the following week, when Temple pays a Nov. 11 visit to West Virginia. The Owls go right back on the road Nov. 18, to take on a Richmond squad that went 17-1 in the Atlantic 10 last year.
Then, Temple gets a nice vacation to the Bahamas — one that will feature a challenging lineup of potential opponents at the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship; the Owls will open tournament play against Michigan State, which reached the NCAA Tournament Second Round in 2024-25.
The final step in Temple’s gauntlet non-conference comes on December 22, when the Owls visit a Princeton team that has reached four consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
Villanova Wildcats (2025: 21-15, 11-7 Big East)
The Wildcats, fresh off of a 20-win season and run to the WBIT Semifinals, play a non-conference schedule this season that features three of last year’s NCAA Tournament teams in total. Villanova will open the season Nov. 3 against Lafayette, playing host to the career-opening homecoming of Garnet Valley product Haylie Adamski, who led her alma mater to last year’s PIAA 6A semifinals.
Villanova’s Dec. 1 trip to West Virginia serves as the main test of the non-conference slate; the Mountaineers won 25 games last season, and reached the NCAA Tournament Second Round as a No. 6 seed.
Villanova’s only game outside of Philadelphia prior to the month of December is a trip to James Madison (Nov. 16). The Wildcats will also host a pair of 2025 NCAA Tournament teams — defending MAAC champion Fairfield, which earned a No. 12 seed last season, and Princeton, which earned an at-large bid out of the Ivy League. The Stags’ roster features Sydni Scott, a Cardinal O’Hara product playing in her senior season after starting her college career at Arkansas.