The Villanova Wildcats of the Big East will take on the ACC's Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Eternal City Tip-Off on Sunday, Nov. 1, in the holy city of Rome, Italy, to start the 2026-27 college basketball season. The teams obtained a waiver from the NCAA to start the season a day before the official start of Monday, Nov. 2. The event was set up in part to honor Pope Leo XIV, a 1977 graduate of Villanova, and will be played on All Saints' Day.
The Wildcats are 7.5-point favorites in the latest Villanova vs. Notre Dame odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the Over/Under for points scored in the Eternal City Tip-off is 147.5. Sunday's tip-off is set for 9:30 a.m.
ET at the Palazzo dello Sport. Bet on college basketball at DraftKings and get $200 in bonuses and three months of NBA League Pass when you spend $5+: We're breaking down the latest Villanova vs. Notre Dame odds from DraftKings Sportsbook and highlighting our best bet.
If you're interested in college basketball betting, check out the picks from our experts and the SportsLine Projection Model once the season begins. The Wildcats went 24-8 last season, going 15-5 in the Big East, and lost 86-76 to Utah State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in their first year under coach Kevin Willard. Villanova also lost to Georgetown 74-68 in the conference title game, but it was a promising performance under Willard after Jay Wright's surprise retirement.
There has been a ton of turnover as the coach tries to get his lineup set up for his style of play, and four of the top five scorers from 2025-26 are gone. That includes No. 2 Duke Brennan and No. 3 Bryce Lindsay. Guard Tyler Perkins, who led the team in averaging 13.7 points and added 5.4 rebounds per game and was named the Big East's Most Improved Player, will be back to lead the offense.
Willard will also be looking to 7-foot-3 Italian center Luigi Suigo to make a major impact. This could be his only season at Villanova, as he is projected to soon be an NBA lottery pick. The 19-year-old big man played in Serbia last season and averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18 minutes per game.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
