Notre Dame Beats Villanova 74-72 in Rome to Open the College Basketball Season

Notre Dame beat Villanova 74-72 on Sunday at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, winning the Eternal City Tip-Off and opening the 2026-27 college basketball season with a comeback that held up in the last seconds.

Villanova controlled most of the game. The Wildcats led 35-31 at halftime and pushed the margin to 10 points early in the second half. Notre Dame shot 35.4 percent from the floor and still stayed in range, because Villanova kept handing the ball back. The Wildcats committed 20 turnovers, 15 of them in the first half. The Irish collected 14 steals and grabbed nine more offensive rebounds, and those extra possessions kept a poor shooting day from ending the game early.

The last four minutes

Notre Dame trailed by six with 3:35 left. Brady Koehler cut the lead to one at 68-67 with a dunk with 1:35 to play. Logan Duncomb then hit a three pointer that capped a 15-6 run and put the Irish ahead 70-68 with 1:08 left, their first lead since the opening minutes. Koehler blocked a shot on the next Villanova possession, and the Irish took the ball back with 48.7 seconds left.

Villanova had one more chance. Elijah Crawford's pullup jumper went around the rim and out in the final seconds, and Koehler made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to close out the win.

Jake Fiegen scored 11 points and took five rebounds for Villanova. Tyler Perkins fouled out. Devin Royal, who scored more than 20 points in each of Villanova's three exhibition games, did not make a field goal.

A season opener built around the pope

The doubleheader was staged to honor Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope and a Villanova graduate who earned a mathematics degree there in 1977. On Saturday, the pope received the men's and women's teams from both schools at the Vatican, before an audience of about 7,000 players, coaches, fans and relatives. He told them a pope stays neutral in matters of sport, and then joked that his former self might hold a different opinion.

The NCAA granted a waiver so the season could start on Sunday, November 1, All Saints Day, one day before the official opening date of November 2. The men's game aired on Fox, and the women's game between No. 13 Notre Dame and Villanova followed at the same arena on FS1. The Palazzo dello Sport, built for the 1960 Olympics, holds about 11,000 people for basketball and sits in Rome's EUR district, about a half hour from the Vatican.

Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry, now in his fourth season, starts 1-0 with a hard run of early games ahead, including No. 1 Florida and No. 8 Houston before Christmas. The Irish return home late Monday and host Mercyhurst on Thursday. Villanova coach Kevin Willard starts 0-1, and his team gets its next chance on Friday against Holy Cross.

Timeline

Oct 31, 2026: Pope Leo XIV receives the Notre Dame and Villanova teams at the Vatican. Nov 1, 2026: Villanova leads Notre Dame 35-31 at halftime at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. Nov 1, 2026: Notre Dame rallies in the final minutes and beats Villanova 74-72 in the Eternal City Tip-Off.