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Notre Dame, Villanova to Tip-Off 2026–27 College Basketball Season in Rome
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Notre Dame and Villanova are finalizing plans for their men’s and women’s basketball teams to compete against one another in Rome to tip-off the 2026–27 college basketball season, according to a report from Matt Norlander of CBS Sports.
Per Norlander, the schools’ men’s and women’s basketball programs received special clearance from the NCAA to begin the season one day early, on Nov. 1, 2026. The season is set to tip-off for all programs on Nov. 2.
Both games will take place at the Palazzetto dello Sport, which is more commonly referred to locally as the PalaTiziano. The venue seats 3,500 people and was built in the 1950s leading up to Rome playing host to the 1960 Olympics. It was renovated significantly from 2018 to ‘23.
The motivation for the game overseas for the two programs is obvious. Pope Leo XIV is a Villanova alumnus, class of 1977. Both schools are historic private Catholic institutions, with Notre Dame ushering a significant global brand, which includes an outpost in Rome.
It’s unclear at this time whether the Pope will be in attendance or involved in the game in any way, but officials with both schools have been in contact with the Pope as talks have intensified around the games.
The two schools have been working together to arrange the historic contest for months, but talks escalated in the early fall. While the game has not been finalized, it is moving towards an agreement. Fox will televise both the men’s and women’s contests, which are slated for the afternoon in Rome. The current plan is to have the men’s game, which will take place Sunday morning on the East Coast of the U.S., to lead into Sunday NFL coverage on Fox. The women’s game is slated to air on Fox Sports 1 following the conclusion of the men’s game.
This is believed to be the first season-opener in men’s college basketball abroad, and the first regular season Division I contest in Italy. This will be the second-consecutive season that the women’s game has begun the season overseas, after Duke took on Baylor in Paris to open up the current basketball season.
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Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.
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