Villanova vs. Notre Dame odds, prediction, time: 2026 Rome college basketball opener picks from top expert
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SportsLine's Eric Cohen has revealed his picks for 2026 Eternal City Tip-Off matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Villanova Wildcats in Rome, Italy
• 2 min read
The 2026-27 college basketball season has a unique start as Notre Dame and Villanova tip off the action in Rome, Italy in an early Sunday morning matchup stateside. There's no NFL international game on this week's schedule, giving this matchup a spotlight opportunity. Notre Dame is coming off a 13-18 campaign and has yet to make the NCAA Tournament under coach Micah Shrewsberry as he enters his fourth season. This will be the second year for coach Kevin Williard at Villanova as the Wildcats made the NCAA Tournament in 2026. Visit our Kalshi promo code review and get a $55 bonus after $25+ in trades with the Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55:
Tipoff from Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy is at 9:30 a.m. ET. Villanova is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest Villanova vs. Notre Dame odds, while the over/under is 147.5. The Wildcats are at -325 on the money line (risk $325 to win $100), with the Irish priced at +260 (risk $100 to win $260). Before making any Villanova vs. Notre Dame picks, check out the Notre Dame vs. Villanova predictions from SportsLine's Eric Cohen.
A former Phoenix sports radio host and TV analyst, Eric joined SportsLine in 2022 and quickly became a fixture on "Early Edge" programming. EC has hosted and appeared regularly on CFB, NFL and golf shows. Entering the 2026 season, EC delivered in college basketball, going 79-68 (+579) at betting sites. Anybody following saw strong returns on college basketball betting sites.
Now, Cohen has set his sights on Villanova vs. Notre Dame and just revealed his betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college basketball odds and betting lines for Notre Dame vs. Villanova:
Villanova vs. Notre Dame spread: | Villanova -7.5 |
Villanova vs. Notre Dame over/under: | 147.5 points |
Villanova vs. Notre Dame money line: | Villanova -325, Notre Dame +260 |
Villanova vs. Notre Dame picks: | See picks at SportsLine |
Villanova vs. Notre Dame streaming: | Fubo (Try for free) |
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Top Villanova vs. Notre Dame predictions
After evaluating Notre Dame vs. Villanova from every angle, Cohen is going Under on the total (148.5 points) on the best betting apps. Both teams are expected to be heavily impacted by transfers as Notre Dame welcomes Braeden Smith and Ethan Roberts as key contributors. Villanova brought in six transfers. The Wildcats gave up 71.2 points per game, the most the program has conceded since 2010-11, while Notre Dame gave up more than 75 per game last year.
"Both teams weren't exactly proficient on the defensive end last season, especially Notre Dame who gave up 75.3 points per game," Cohen told SportsLine. "But the travel to Rome and body clock issues from traveling to Europe might affect the teams so I'll lean Under." See the Notre Dame vs. Villanova spread pick at SportsLine.
How to make Notre Dame vs. Villanova picks
In addition to going Under on the total, Cohen has also found a critical x-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks.
So who wins Villanova vs. Notre Dame, and what critical x-factor do you need to know about? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Notre Dame vs. Villanova spread to back, all from the expert who returned nearly $600 last year, and find out.
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