Andrew Dampf
Associated Press
Published:
Updated:
Andrew Dampf
Associated Press
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Villanova fans wear team jerseys with the name of Pope Leo XIV before an NCAA college basketball game between Villanova Notre Dame in Rome, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
ROME – They’ve been blessed by the pope. And now it’s finally time for some hoops.
The Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams are meeting in a doubleheader in Rome on Sunday to open the college basketball season.
Recommended Videos
The event, dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off, was created to honor the first American pope.
Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV received all four teams in an audience at the Vatican on Saturday.
Leo told the teams from his alma mater Villanova and fellow Catholic university Notre Dame that in matters of sport, the pontiff is neutral.
Then the pope, who was born Robert Prevost, said his former self might disagree.
“Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” he said to laughs during a whooping, cheering audience of 7,000 people from both schools — players, coaches, fans and their families — in the Vatican audience hall.
Inside the basketball arena, many Villanova fans wore Wildcats jerseys featuring the name of “Pope Leo” and a “XIV” for the number.
Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova, the Augustinian school near Philadelphia. He was born in Chicago — not all that far from Notre Dame, which is located in South Bend, Indiana.
Villanova fans also held aloft a banner featuring Pope Leo depicted wearing a Villanova jersey reaching out to the university’s president, the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, in a playful scene reminiscent of Michelangelo’s fresco in the Sistine Chapel.
The games are being played at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, which is located about a half-hour drive from the Vatican.
While Leo, who underwent lung cancer surgery last month, was not expected to attend the games, a contingent of cardinals and other Vatican officials was expected at the arena.
The schools also brought their team chaplains to Rome.
The men’s game started at 3:30 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. EST) and is being shown on Fox with Bill Raftery as the analyst. The women’s game, which features the only ranked team of the day in No. 13 Notre Dame, is scheduled for 6 p.m. (noon EST) on FS1.
The games are being played on All Saints’ Day — a major Catholic holiday.
Before tipoff, there was a moment of prayer and the U.S. and Italian national anthems were sung.
___
Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here. See AP’s full men’s basketball coverage here and women’s college basketball coverage here
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines.
TV Listings
Email Newsletters
RSS Feeds
Contests and Rules
Contact Us
Careers at WJXT / WCWJ
Closed Captioning / Audio Description
WJXT Public File
WJXT EEO Report
WCWJ Public File
WCWJ EEO Report
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Do Not Sell My Info
FCC Applications
If you need help with the Public File, call (904) 393-9801
At WJXT, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.
Copyright © 2026 News4JAX.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.
Villanova and Notre Dame open the college basketball season in Rome following papal audience – News4JAX
Leave a Comment
