{"id":1644,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/1644","headline":"Notre Dame rallies past Villanova to open season in Rome","dek":"The Fighting Irish and Wildcats kicked off the 2026-27 college basketball season at the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome.","body":"Notre Dame opened its season with a comeback win over Villanova at the Eternal City Tip-Off, played at the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. The doubleheader marked the start of both the men's and women's 2026-27 campaigns for the two programs, staged halfway around the world from either campus.\n\nBoth teams arrived with plenty to prove after rough finishes last season. Villanova's year ended with an 86-76 first-round NCAA Tournament loss to Utah State, while Notre Dame closed out with a 77-69 loss at Boston College and a 16th-place finish in the ACC. Tyler Perkins returns for the Wildcats as their lone holdover from last year's top five scorers, having led the team at 13.7 points per game. Notre Dame, meanwhile, carries the burden of having posted the worst defensive rating in the ACC a season ago at 112.9.\n\nNone of that history mattered much once the ball went up in Rome, where Notre Dame found a way to rally and spoil Villanova's opener. It is an early measuring stick for two programs looking to rebuild momentum in a long season ahead.","published_at":"2026-11-01T22:18:13.284490+00:00","source_count":5,"written_from":[{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Notre Dame rallies to upset Villanova in Eternal City Tip-Off in a glorious college basketball season opener","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/notre-dame-villanova-eternal-city-tip-off-season-opening-game-vatican-pope/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"WOMEN’S CBB GAME THREAD: Notre Dame VS Villanova in the Eternal City Tip-Off","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/women-cbb-game-thread-notre-160000295.html"},{"outlet":"Fox Sports","publisher":"Fox Sports","title":"How to Watch Villanova vs. Notre Dame: Eternal City Tip-Off TV Channel & Live Stream","url":"https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mens-college-basketball/how-watch-villanova-vs-notre-dame-eternal-city-tip-off-tv-channel-live-stream-november-1-2026"},{"outlet":"New York Post","publisher":"New York Post","title":"College basketball tips off with Notre Dame vs. Villanova in Rome—How to watch","url":"https://nypost.com/2026/11/01/sports/college-basketball-tips-off-with-notre-dame-vs-villanova-in-rome-how-to-watch/"},{"outlet":"The Athletic","publisher":"The Athletic","title":"Notre Dame vs. Villanova college basketball: How to watch Eternal City Tip-Off doubleheader","url":"https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7737493/2026/11/01/notre-dame-villanova-rome-doubleheader-how-to-watch/"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Villanova vs. Notre Dame betting: Odds, preview, picks, start time for Sunday college basketball from Rome","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/villanova-vs-notre-dame-betting-odds-preview-picks-start-time-for-sunday-college-basketball-from-rome/"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Villanova vs. Notre Dame prediction, pick, odds, spread: Why Irish, Wildcats are opening season in Rome","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/villanova-vs-notre-dame-prediction-pick-odds-spread-why-irish-wildcats-are-opening-season-in-rome/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Where to watch Notre Dame vs. Villanova today: Times, channels, live streams for men's and women's games in Rome","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/where-watch-notre-dame-vs-045001816.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Notre Dame vs. Villanova college basketball: How to watch Eternal City Tip-Off doubleheader","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/notre-dame-vs-villanova-college-101609874.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"MEN’S CBB GAME THREAD: Notre Dame VS Villanova in the Eternal City Tip-Off","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/men-cbb-game-thread-notre-124500874.html"},{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Villanova vs. Notre Dame odds, prediction, time: 2026 Rome college basketball opener picks from top expert","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/villanova-notre-dame-odds-prediction-date-time-2026-rome-college-basketball-opener-picks-best-bets/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"How to watch Villanova vs Notre Dame: Live stream NCAA Men’s, College Basketball, TV channel","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/watch-villanova-vs-notre-dame-133000154.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Villanova Wildcats vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Game Chat","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/villanova-wildcats-vs-notre-dame-140000961.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Notre Dame vs. Villanova: Live updates of 2026-2027 season opener","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/notre-dame-vs-villanova-live-152715745.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://statics.foxsports.com/www.foxsports.com/content/uploads/2026/10/2026-11-01-vill-vs-nd-centerline-1920x1080-1.png","credit":"Fox Sports","width":1920},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. 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