Papal Blessing Precedes Season Opener for Villanova and Notre Dame in Rome

The Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s basketball teams will open the college season in Rome on Sunday.

The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, was organized to honor the first American pope. On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV received all four squads in an audience at the Vatican. Approximately 7,000 people, including players, coaches, and family members, attended the gathering in the audience hall.

Leo, born Robert Prevost and an alumnus of Villanova, told the crowd that he remained neutral on athletic matters. He noted that his former self might hold a different view, prompting laughter from the assembly. The pope recently underwent surgery for lung cancer in October.

The games will be held at the Palazzo dello Sport, an arena with 11,000 seats located about a thirty-minute drive from the Vatican. While Leo was not expected to attend the games, a group of cardinals and Vatican officials was scheduled to be present. Team chaplains from both universities also traveled to Italy for the event.

The men’s game is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. local time, corresponding to 9:30 a.m. ET. Fox will broadcast the matchup with Bill Raftery serving as the analyst. The women’s game follows at 6 p.m. local time, or noon ET, on FS1. Notre Dame enters the contest as the No. 13 ranked team, the only ranked squad participating in the doubleheader.