December 17, 2024
Finneran Pavilion (Capacity: 6,501)
Villanova, PA
Villanova Wildcats vs Seton Hall Pirates
Final Score: 79 – 67
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Not many schools can match the pedigree of Villanova Basketball. In their century of existence, the Wildcats have made the NCAA Tournament 39 times (currently tied for 8th place) and they’ve made a whopping 7 appearances in the Final Four. Their 3 National Championships will forever be remembered as the ’85 squad led by Rollie Massimino featured a team that shot 79% in the championship game. Jay Wright coached the ’16 and ’18 wins and the former had the greatest ending to a final in history as Kris Jenkins won it at the buzzer. Wright recently retired and Villanova has taken a step back as it remains to be seen if they can return to the sport’s elite. The Wildcats have been long-time members of the Big East and they’ve won the conference crown plenty of times. As for the school, Villanova University is a well-regarded private, catholic institution made up of 10,000 students and it is located within the community that goes by the same name. This section of Radnor Township is about 30 minutes northwest of Philadelphia on what’s called the Main Line, an area made up of wealthy suburbs. Basketball is unique in that they split their games between Philadelphia’s pro arena and Villanova’s campus home. Most non-conference and a few Big East games are held here in the suburbs. The Pavilion opened in 1986 and an impressive renovation in 2017-2018 led to a rename honoring a significant benefactor. That produced a place that is now more of an arena as opposed to a multi-purpose gym.
Prestige Ranking: 4.5 out of 5
Location
Finneran Pavilion sits with other athletic facilities on one side of Ithan Ave, while across that street is Main Campus and the rest of the University. Frequent winter weeknight timings of games may not make a campus walkthrough a viable option, but if you get the opportunity during daylight, check it out. Be sure to see the beautiful, twin-spire St. Thomas of Villanova Church. Other directions from the arena feature a neighborhood setting. Plenty of commercialization exists when heading down Route 30 and the more varied dining options can be found in nearby Wayne or Rosemont.
Location Ranking: 5 out of 10
Accessibility / Parking
There is plenty of interstate access to the area. More specifically, the university is along Route 30, just off the Blue Route (I-476) and that makes for direct access to campus as it is right near Exit 13. Since most of the games at Finneran come on weeknights, rush hour traffic is a problem to contend with. Being the 7th most populated metro area in the country, you can expect slowdown frustration, so give yourself extra time. Since I came from the north (opposite rush hour), my travels weren’t as bad as I feared. There are multiple lots and garages that can be used for parking, with the “Preferred” ones offering the shortest walk. The couple “General” lots are 10-15 minutes away and I went with S4, the Spring Mill Parking Garage and it was fine. No attendants made me question whether I could park here. That answer is yes and it was empty in the lower-level making for a very efficient arrival and departure. You might want to check Villanova’s website for other options, plus how to walk to the arena as things are not marked well. On that site, they also talk about shuttle service from an off-campus location, which seemed odd because I think there’s enough parking? Anyway, getting out after the game and back to I-476 was a breeze. Note that Villanova is served by a SEPTA Regional Rail Line, so that mode of transportation is an option too.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Exterior
This is a really unique building as pointy protrusions and multiple Big-Top like looks at the white roof make for something that stands out in a good way. From the air, The Pavilion has this origami appearance and that is because of the hyperbolic paraboloid roofline. Walking around from the outside, there’s plenty of triangular shapes and even though some dull brick makes up the walls, there is a classy main entrance. That glass atrium includes a building name on it and is at the end of an entry plaza landscaped by logos and player pictures.
Exterior Ranking: 6.5 out of 10
Concourse
Past the entrance is quite spectacular and an unexpected, impressive introduction. The ’17-’18 renovation did wonders for this area as there is a split-level semicircle full of ‘Nova basketball history and displays. The look is enhanced by good lighting, clean floors, blue walls and a huge video screen at the end. These are where two grab-n-go concession stands are located. There is enough space to maneuver as well, plus the side rails make for good conversational hangouts. This is all on the second level as the first level below features the restricted Fitzgerald Club. Heading into the arena, they make really good use of the space available as well, with corners having standing rails to eat / drink. There is a seating chart on the back of a corner scoreboard and you can either cut through a middle walkway, or go behind the sideline seating which gives another set of bathrooms / concessions. I really thought I was in for a cramped concourse and came away super impressed with maneuverability, space and decorative features.
Concourse Ranking: 5 out of 5
Food
The item names looked like they could be good…”Blueprint Burger” with bacon jam, onions and sharp cheese. Or the Beef Brisket Sandwich. Then I saw the items under the warming lights as grab and go and had a different idea. My burger just tasted like any old cafeteria patty with some jam. Not bad, but not great. At least the chips were good. Other options included additional BBQ and a Chickie’s & Petes with Crabfires and boneless wings. Side concessions also were Grab-n-Go with larger snack selections and a warm/cold section that featured Hot Dogs, Cheesesteaks, Chicken Salad and Turkey Sandwiches. Out of the several beer options, seek out the light blue can that belongs to the Levante Brewing Company. There was not much in the way of sweet stuff, but props to Shake Shack for coming and handing out a good dose of custard as a free sample!
Food Ranking: 5.5 out of 8
Interior
All of the modernization is great, but when it comes to the inside viewing area of The Pavilion (or now, “The Finn”), any changes are like putting lipstick on a pig. Seating is cramped with a capital “C” and wherever I sat, I had a hard time getting comfortable as my legs were super squished. The design features four sides of seating and much of the look is dictated by the unique roof. The multi-saddle shape features lots of triangular shapes and these protrusions actually jut down lower into the arena, thus making any upper corner seating impossible. A disjointed look is needed and it is kind of interesting as seats fan upward across all four sides as the most seats occur in the middle sections. Blue, fold-down chairs are found on the sidelines and they are flimsy in the 200s and more comfy and sturdy in the 100s. Bleachers with plastic individual butt padding comprise the end seats. The aesthetic appeal of the roof is appreciated more from outside the arena rather than inside since the underside has that white insulation-like look. At least sightlines are pretty good as there were no heads in the way of the view and average height/distance from the court was decent (except the very distant top ends). Club seating is tucked away in a lower end.
Interior Ranking: 6.5 out of 14
Scoreboard
There are a lot and while it doesn’t feel overbearing, the sheer number is over the top. Each corner has a video screen and the size is good as I could make out replays and the numbers. Probably only need 1 in each corner. On the façade of each lower end is a ribbon display and this has useful in-game stats. The final piece that is certainly unnecessary is a circular board above center court. Space is an issue, so that’s why they went with this approach and it is just a bigger time/score display. Not needed because of the corner video screens.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3 out of 4
Displays
Part of what makes the opening entrance so great are all of the Villanova Basketball displays. These are modern and varied with each one having a look that you likely haven’t seen before at other arenas. I loved the showpiece with the championship trophies and rings, while the stand-alone displays of each NCAA Final Four run is great. Players are honored throughout as well and there are some special set-ups for the best of the best. This includes Paul Arizin, member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team and the only Wildcat who has their number retired. There’s plenty of other famous names (Pinckney, Kittles, Lowry, Brunson, etc.) with an honored jersey, Arizin is the only one with a retired number. The side concourses inside the arena have displays too, include stats, team philanthropy and even the court from the 2018 Final Four. Banners well above center court displays those Final Four appearances. The only thing that kept this from a perfect score was that the touch screen displays for the interactive experience in the lobby were not working.
Displays Ranking: 5.5 out of 6
Cost
The cost can be deceptively awful and probably a big reason it took me so long to get here despite living just 2 hours away. I understand high ticket prices when you have a Top 10 team in a small-ish arena. However, even as program quality has fallen back, the cost still remains very high. A lot of it has to do with limited to no single-game tickets as much of the building falls to season ticket holders and student seating. The secondary market will begin with get-in prices that are between $50 and $125. Thankfully, these will fall the closer you get to the game and it becomes a big game of chicken. Lower-tier non-conference opponents will rapidly become affordable. Big East games vary and I was appalled to see the game I attended (Seton Hall) start at $100. Less than a week before, prices started coming down and I got a seat for $49 (most were still $75+). It wasn’t until that day where a bunch of tickets lowered all the way to $27 – $40. Unless it’s a big game, hold out until the very last minute for buying. Concessions are quite expensive as a Burger cost $13. They try to justify that by including chips and giving a fancy name to a generic patty. A bottled soda was $7(!) and a beer was $12 – $14. At least parking was free.
Cost Ranking: 4 out of 8
Fan Support
Villanova has a fan base that feels very much like tight-knit alumni, especially when attending a game at The Pavilion. There’s a lot of warm greetings to familiar faces around sections that have belonged to season ticket holders for a very long time. Attendance is always listed as a sellout, but there are going to be empties and the game I attended was a good gauge of true fan support. About 75% of the seats were filled and sporadic bare spots could be seen, with the most occurring in the upper ends. More than I was expecting. Allegiances are certainly split around Philadelphia given that there are six DI programs. Given Villanova’s long-time stature, it is evident that you could deem the Cats as having the most “Fan Support”. When comparing within the Big East, they rate favorably as amongst Eastern schools, I’d only say that Providence has a better fan base.
Fan Support Ranking: 6 out of 8
Atmosphere
I had a wine-and-cheese perception of the crowd coming in (I know that’s not fair) and while there was some truth to that, the crowd had it’s moments to make this a solid basketball atmosphere. Applause for intros, cheerleading routines and other minor plays were meh and it was odd to see a DJ try to rile everyone up with loud music. It was not met with a lot of response and probably is the wrong vibe here. A slow arrival didn’t help matters. As play went on, the cheering got better and in particular there was a hustle play followed by an impressive layup that brought most out of their seat. Bigger plays and key moments gave the building energy and elicited some loud “yeah’s”. It’s a decent atmosphere and a few times, a loud arena. Just don’t expect collaborative chants (I heard “Let’s Go Nova” just one time) or anything organized from the student section.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9.5 out of 14
Other Stuff
Villanova is part of the Big 5, an unofficial conference featuring Division I schools from the Philadelphia area. It is a historical group of teams and the games against each other are passionate. La Salle, Pennsylvania, Saint Joseph’s, Temple and Villanova are the schools and recently Drexel finally has been let in to the club under a revamped format. As the saying goes, “They say there is no real prize for winning the Big Five. They must not be from Philly.”. Villanova has the most titles (29) and one of the most heated Big 5 battles each year is The Holy War between Villanova and Saint Joe’s…..Jay Wright is one of my favorite coaches of all-time. Classy guy, did things the right way and after 20 years at ‘Nova, smartly retired and got out of the game as the sport changed to the NIL era…..Doors open 90 minutes before tip-off if you want to explore the building more than usual (recommended)…..It feels like The Finn should be really warm, so I was relieved when the A/C kicked on and kept things comfortable…..I love the court design as it is crisp and clean…..Tip of the cap to the PA as his low/quiet delivery when the visiting team made a basket reminded me of the guy who did the Lakers games in the 80s/90s.
Game
The Big East opener featured both squads coming off an ‘eh’ non-conference section of their schedule. It quickly became clear after an initial spurt that Villanova was better and much improved after a shaky opening few games. Seton Hall became out of sync and disjointed offensively (finished 39% from the field). Meanwhile, the Wildcats had the hustle plays and they had Eric Dixon, who’s game is smooth and powerful. He finished with 25 points, maintaining his place as the nation’s leading scorer. ‘Nova built a comfortable first half lead and never were in danger as they cruised to a double-digit win. The end of the game needlessly took awhile as Shaheen Holloway irritated many by pressing and fouling when they were down 15 points in the final minute or two.
Stadium and Arena Visits 
