While it didn’t work out for Notre Dame men’s basketball on the court Tuesday night, a 89-81 loss to SMU, it did for its future schedule.
CBS Sports reported that the Irish are setting up a game in Rome, Italy as they’ll face off against the Villanova Wildcats to open up next season. The current members of the Big East recently won the NCAA tournament in 2016 and 2018, with their first championship in 1985.
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This season they’re 18-5 and just outside the top-25, but if they continue their solid season, they should make the tournament. As for Notre Dame, the loss to SMU puts them at 11-14 on the year, and not much hope for a postseason berth.
Not only that, it looks like the women’s team will play as well. It would be a double-header on Sunday, Nov. 1st, according to the report. While the game isn’t official, it says that both teams “have been given special clearance by the NCAA to open next season in Rome,” a day before the season is officially set to start.
In an interesting note, it was Pope Leo XIV who had some influence on this, as he is from Chicago-land and knows the Notre Dame has a big brand in the area. Villanova, along with the Irish, as both Catholic schools as well.
If this happen, which it looks like it will, it will be quite the season opener for Notre Dame basketball.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Report: The Pope is helping Notre Dame hoops open up in Rome next year
