Notre Dame rallies to upset Villanova in Eternal City Tip-Off in a glorious college basketball season opener

What we learned about the Irish and Wildcats as the college basketball season opens in Rome

Nov 1, 2026 at 1:32 pm ET • 2 min read

The drama that has enveloped college basketball's trying offseason carried over onto the floor in Italy in the opening game of the 2026-27 season Sunday. Notre Dame erased a 10-point, second-half hole to stun Villanova 74-72 in the Eternal City Tip-Off at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome. 

The Fighting Irish trailed 60-50 with 10:24 to go after Villanova lefty guard Tyler Perkins drilled his fourth triple of the second half before Brady Koehler, point guard Braeden Smith and oft-injured big man Logan Duncomb rallied down the stretch with big plays on both ends of the floor.

Duncomb got off the mat after a scoreless first half to deliver nine points, including the go-ahead triple (the first 3-pointer of his career) with 68 ticks left.

Smith, who was overwhelmed by Villanova's length and athleticism in the first half, delivered with craftiness and grit in the second half. The diminutive Gonzaga transfer beat Villanova at its own game. He clearly went to the Jay Wright School of Shot Fakes. Smith finished with 16 points, including a 10-for-11 showing at the charity stripe. Notre Dame needed every single freebie it could muster down the stretch. 

Villanova vs. Notre Dame prediction, pick, odds, spread: Why Irish, Wildcats are opening season in Rome

Cameron Salerno

Koehler could be key for Irish in 2026-27  

But it's Koehler's performance that may change the calculus for the Fighting Irish this season. The 6-10 forward looks every bit the part of Notre Dame's best player and should get a sniff as a 2027 NBA Draft prospect. Koehler finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, all while battling some iffy foul trouble. Koehler has real size, length, athleticism and fluidity to be a five-tool player. 

He lunged to the corner to block Kwame Evans' potential go-ahead triple. He contested Elijah Crawford's potential game-tying jumper in the final seconds before corralling the defensive rebound and icing the victory with a pair of free throws with less than five seconds to go. The sophomore breakout has arrived, and Shrewsberry believes it's here to stay. 

Willard's Wildcats have work to do

For Villanova coach Kevin Willard, it's the type of showing that takes the sails out of the "Villanova is a no-doubt Top 25 team with top-15 upside" case. Thankfully, it's Nov. 1 (I know this only because the rent was due), so there's a long runway to improve, but this team has a lot of work to do. That would've been the case even if the Wildcats had found a way to win this one. Sniper Tyler Perkins (18 points) is a good player, and Villanova has real-deal size up front to keep its floor high. Notre Dame somehow won this basketball game despite converting just six shots at the rim. That's a miniscule number.

It was all the other stuff, though, that will make for a somber cross-the-globe flight home. The sloppy turnovers, the ill-advised fouls, the leaky transition defense. Willard's film session will not be pretty. Villanova's going to play teams with much more athleticism than Notre Dame. It's going to play teams that have the personnel to press the hot spots even more efficiently. If Villanova is going to turn it over 20 times against Notre Dame, it's terrifying to think what it could look like against Rick Pitino or Dan Hurley. 

Villanova alumnus Pope Leo XIV did not attend the game, but in a way, Sunday was a blessing anyway. We're actually able to talk basketball again. Not TROs, injunctions or stays. College basketball is back, and it featured a whole lot of the brilliant Bill Raftery and even more commercials for prayer and meditation apps.