The date was February 20, 1965. The Philadelphia Big 5 was celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the young association's two NCAA Tournament contenders, Villanova and Saint Joseph's, were set to clash at the Palestra.
The rivalry's intensity had already earned the title of the "Holy War" - so named for the universities' Roman-Catholic affiliations. This one proved to be no less intense. Not even a bomb threat - which turned out to be a false alarm - was enough to stop the electric play.
In the end, it was St. Joe's that came out with the win. It swept the City Series en route to reaching the NCAA Tournament.
The Hawks (13-9, 3-0 Big 5) have been on the losing side of the battle in recent years, but with the Big 5 title on the line at 7 p.m. tonight, it hasn't lost any of its signature intensity.
"There's always that tension between us and Villanova," St. Joe's forward Ahmad Nivins said. "There's a lot on the line here so it's going to be a great game for us."
Villanova (15-7, 3-0 Big 5) has won nine of the last 13 meetings and is fresh off of a win over Louisville.
The game is set to air on ESPN2 as part of the network's "Rivalry Week," but Nivins knows the dangers of getting caught up in the media hype.
"With this young group, we can't be dazzled by the big lights," Nivins said. "Villanova's a good team with a lot of experience. . We can't let those little things get to us, like the hostile environment and that it's on TV. I think we just really have to stay focused."
And there's plenty to focus on for St. Joe's.
Villanova freshman guard Scottie Reynolds has exploded onto the Philadelphia hoops scene, dropping 82 points in his last five games. That includes the game-high 26 points he netted in the Wildcats' nail-biter over Texas.
His production, bolstered by Mike Nardi's outside shooting and Curtis Sumpters's inside presence, will give the Hawks plenty of trouble - a fact that is certainly not lost on St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli.
"They do such a great job of finding each other with triple penetration; we are not going to be able to guard them unless we can guard the ball and keep the ball in front of us," he said.
The Wildcats have had the advantage recently, but with both teams coming into the contest undefeated in the Big 5, this game seems in perfect accord with the heated history that dates back to 1921.
At the very least, the expectations, talent and tension promises that the game could be more than just another chapter in Holy War's history.
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