Villanova vs. Notre Dame prediction, pick, odds, spread: Why Irish, Wildcats are opening season in Rome

Notre Dame is playing Villanova in Rome to start the 2026-27 college basketball season The 2026-27 college basketball season begins Sunday when Villanova faces Notre Dame at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy. The season is starting a day earlier than usual after the NCAA granted special clearance for the teams to face each other in a monumental showdown. This matchup has been months in the making, with CBS Sports' Matt Norlander the first to report on it earlier this calendar year. The NCAA quietly approved a waiver in January to allow the teams a one-day head start, given the historic precedent of the matchup. Immediately following the men's game, Notre Dame's women's team will face Villanova.

Notre Dame and Villanova are both prominent private Catholic schools with connections to Pope Leo XIV. Robert Francis Prevost is a 1977 alumnus of Villanova, and Notre Dame is regarded as the world's most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning. Notre Dame even has an outpost in Rome. While this matchup is historic on the men's side, it isn't unprecedented on the women's side. Duke opened last season against Baylor in Paris. This season, No. 1 South Carolina will face No. 20 Maryland on Nov. 2 at Adidas Arena in Paris. In 2023, South Carolina opened the season against Notre Dame at Halle