Villanova and Notre Dame's men's and women's teams are set to play a doubleheader in Rome on November 1, marking the start of the college basketball season ROME -- An hour after Robert Prevost was elected as the first American pope, Villanova's athletic director texted sports travel expert John Anthony with the idea. Basketball game in Vatican City?’” Anthony said, recounting how he then responded to Eric Roedl a moment later “with all caps, ‘YES. WE’RE GOING TO DO THIS.’” Now, 1 ½ years later, the idea is about to become reality: the Villanova and Notre Dame men’s and women’s teams will meet in a doubleheader in Rome — not quite Vatican City, but close enough — on Nov. 1 that will mark the start of the college basketball season.
The Catholic universities are promoting the games as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage. The event has been dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off and there will be a Vatican component: Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV is scheduled — health permitting — to hold a private audience Oct. 31 with all four teams and their traveling fans. A total of about 7,000 people are expected in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican.
He’s a true, blue Villanovan," said the Rev. Rob Hagan, Villanova’s longtime team chaplain, adding that Leo used to attend Wildcats games at the Palestra, the Philadelphia arena known as “The Cathedral of College Basketball." “And of course he’s not unfamiliar with Notre Dame and their history and legacy,” Hagan added. "I think he’ll be very dialed in and excited to be part of it.” The plans involving the pope were made before the 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed last week and was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Hagan said: "We’re rooting for him.” 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. Asked about the upcoming games on the papal plane during a recent trip to France, Leo said, “They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side.” It turns out Leo may have received some inflated numbers.
"Yes, the turnout among the fans has been phenomenal. It’s safe to say there will be more Villanova fans than Notre Dame, but no, it won’t be anywhere near nine to one,” Anthony said. The games will be played at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, where Cassius Clay — before he became Muhammad Ali — boxed to a gold medal during the 1960 Rome Olympics.
While the arena is only about a half-hour drive from the Vatican, the pope is not expected to attend the games. Popes regularly go to sports stadiums when they are travelling internationally, but in those cases the pope is presiding over a papal event: A Mass, a youth vigil or some other event tied to his mission as Christ’s vicar on Earth. He doesn’t go as a spectator, but rather as the chief celebrant.
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