The Villanova Wildcats face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. ET from Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. The game is part of the Eternal City Tip-Off and opens the season for both teams.

Villanova’s last game was an 86-76 loss to Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 20. Notre Dame closed last season with a 77-69 loss at Boston College on March 7 and finished 16th in the ACC.

Below, we’ll give you all the details you need to know about how to watch this game.

How to Watch Villanova vs. Notre Dame

Players To Watch

Tyler Perkins

Notre Dame had the worst defensive rating in the ACC last season at 112.9, and Tyler Perkins is the only Villanova player back from the Wildcats’ top five scorers. He led Villanova at 13.7 points per game in 2025-26 and averaged 15.6 points and 5.8 rebounds over his final 20 games.

The Fighting Irish allowed 75.3 points per game last season. Perkins scored 15 or more in 15 of those last 20 games. He made 63 threes at 36.6 percent and had 16 points and 10 rebounds at No. 2 UConn on Jan. 24.

Devin Royal

Villanova has to replace Duke Brennan’s 10.3 rebounds per game, and Devin Royal arrives from Ohio State after leading the Buckeyes with 5.7 rebounds a game last season. The 6-foot-6 forward started all 31 of his regular-season games in 2025-26 and averaged 13.7 points in 32.3 minutes.

He has already played Notre Dame. Royal had seven points and six rebounds in 32 minutes when Ohio State beat the Fighting Irish 64-63 in Columbus on Nov. 16, 2025. His last game as a Buckeye was a 14-point, five-rebound outing in a 66-64 NCAA Tournament loss to TCU.

Braeden Shrewsberry

Braeden Shrewsberry made 88 threes at 40.2 percent last season, the most on Notre Dame’s team, and he goes up against a Villanova defense that held opponents to 33.9 percent from 3-point range. He averaged 11.9 points and led the Fighting Irish at 32.7 minutes per game.

Villanova allowed 7.2 made threes per game in the regular season. Shrewsberry averaged 2.8 on his own. He scored in double figures in eight of his last 11 games. He started all 31 games, and no other returning Notre Dame player started more than 13.

Ethan Roberts

Villanova held Ethan Roberts scoreless last season, 0 for 4 in 16 minutes of Penn’s 90-63 loss on Dec. 6, 2025. It was one of two games all season in which he did not score. He averaged a career-high 16.9 points in 23 games for the Quakers.

He made 115 of 144 free throws, about five makes per game. Villanova committed 16.0 fouls per game last season, the third-fewest in the Big East. Roberts also made 40 threes at 40.4 percent.

Villanova vs. Notre Dame Odds

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