April 17 (UPI) -- Villanova and Notre Dame will meet in a season-opening men's and women's basketball doubleheader Nov. 1 in Rome, the schools announced Friday.
The doubleheader, dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off, will start with a men's matchup at 9:30 a.m. on Fox. The Villanova Wildcats and Notre Dame Fighting Irish women will play at noon on FS1.
The Fighting Irish and Wildcats athletes will visit Rome and Vatican City, with a planned audience with Pope Leo XIV for before their games.
"Pope Leo has spoken in such inspiring ways about the value of sport, emphasizing that sport is a 'school of life' that integrates the body, mind, and spirit, a vision both Notre Dame and Villanova wholeheartedly embrace," Rev. Robert A. Dowd, the president of the University of Notre Dame, said in a news release.
Related
