The 2026-27 college basketball season begins in the region where Villanova’s most famous alumnus resides. Even though Pope Leo XIV was not expected to attend, Notre Dame vs. Villanova the opening game of the campaign live and direct from the Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy, ironically, on All Saints Day. There were hopes that the Pope would hold a special, private service Saturday for the teams and fans who made the trip, but recent health and treatment issues could derail those plans.
Our College Basketball Betting Guide is the best way to prepare for the season and will save you tons of time trying to research the transfer portal and all the coaching changes because we’ve already done that. I’ll be doing at least one daily team vs. team preview, to go along with my daily best bets starting Monday.
We also have Steve Makinen’s College Basketball Daily Matchup Ratings, and he has a big discrepancy between the market and his numbers in this game.
Notre Dame vs. Villanova (-7.5, 147.5)
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (FOX)
Based on the line, it will be difficult for the Fighting Irish to open the season with a victory, but add Pope Leo XIV and the support of a higher power and it could be a bigger struggle for Micah Shrewsberry’s team. This is his fourth year at the helm and we’ll see if it’s his last, as the Fighting Irish haven’t had a winning season on his watch and are 19-39 in ACC play.
After a three-year absence, Kevin Willard returned Villanova to the Big Dance in his first season at the helm. The Wildcats are a No. 8 seed and bounced right away by Utah State after a one-and-done in the Big East Tournament. So, this isn’t exactly the ending Willard was hoping for, but he has something to prove.
Tyler Perkins (13.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG) and Matt Hodge (9.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG) are the top returners. Hodge missed the final four games of last season, but was a reliable shooting option on 2s (61.1%) and 3s (36.8%) in his first Division I season. Ohio State transfer Devin Royal can score off the bounce and big man Kwame Evans should replace Duke Brennan’s remaining production down low. Brennan had 26 of Villanova’s 50 dunks and was a 66% shooter on 2-pointers, but transferred to Oklahoma after one season in Philly.
Last season, the Wildcats were 301st in the nation in FT% per Bart Torvik and 284th in FT Rate, so Willard’s team left some easy points on the floor and the chance to shoot more than uncontested 1-pointers. Brennan was the main culprit, shooting just 61.3% on a team-leading 173 attempts. Freshman Acaden Lewis is a very inefficient, high-usage player, shooting just 27% on 3s and an abysmal 58.3% at the stripe. He moved to Miami, which could be a plus by shedding, especially Darryl Simmons II, a 42.4% 3-point guy and an 89.9% free throw shooter from St. Bonaventure, in the mix.
Villanova’s roster certainly looked better than Notre Dame’s early on. Last season, Notre Dame started the season 10-4, including a 1-0 start in ACC play with a 47-40 win at Stanford. As the season wore on, the team was exposed defensively and failed to win back-to-back conference games. Not qualifying for the ACC Tournament was a huge blemish on the program.
It clearly didn’t work with what Shrewsberry had last season, especially on defense, as opponents shot nearly 62% at the rim and better than 42% in the mid-range. I’m not sure those issues have been addressed. He’s banking on 6-foot-10 Winthrop transfer Logan Duncomb to provide more rim resistance and also the development of 6-foot-10 returnee Brady Koehler, who will have a heavier workload after playing just 38.1% of the minutes last season.
Shrewsberry prioritized guards and wings in the portal, taking Ethan Roberts (38.3%) from Penn, Devin Brown (31%) from Davidson, and freshman point guard Braeden Smith from Gonzaga. His son, Braeden, shot 40.2% from 3 and just 36% from 2s while being a defensive liability, but he played more than 80% of the minutes last season and will have a similar or higher workload again.
Prediction of Notre Dame vs. Villanova
It’s obviously a strange game in Italy to open the season, but the Wildcats clearly look like the better team and Willard the better coach. It could be a big number for Villanova depending on the pace of the game, as Willard’s Wildcats are 302nd in adjusted tempo per Torvik and the Fighting Irish are 252nd after ranking 313th and 334th in Shrewsberry’s first two seasons. With all the emotion and excitement surrounding this game, I see a faster pace, which benefits Villanova.
Pick: Villanova -7.5