Rome doubleheader opens season for VU, ND

Villanova and Notre Dame will open the college basketball season Sunday with a doubleheader in Rome. The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, is designed to honor the first American pope. The games take place at the Palazzo dello Sport, a 11,000-seat arena located about a 30-minute drive from the Vatican.

The four teams, comprising both the men’s and women’s squads from both universities, received a papal audience at the Vatican on Saturday. Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago-born former Villanova player, addressed the crowd of approximately 7,000 players, coaches, and families. He declared that in matters of sport, the pontiff remains neutral. However, he added that his former self, Robert Prevost, might hold a different opinion, a remark that drew laughter from the audience hall.

Although Pope Leo XIV is not expected to attend the games on Sunday, a group of cardinals and other Vatican officials is scheduled to be present at the arena. The schools also traveled with their team chaplains. Leo underwent lung cancer surgery last month, a factor in the decision regarding his attendance at the sporting event.

The men’s game is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. local time, or 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. It will air on Fox, with Bill Raftery serving as the analyst. The women’s game follows at 6 p.m. local time, or noon Eastern Time, on FS1. Notre Dame’s women’s team enters the matchup as the only ranked squad on the day, holding the No. 13 position in the polls.