Teams Open Season in Rome

Villanova and Notre Dame opened the college basketball season with a doubleheader in Rome on Sunday. The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, was designed to honor the first American pope. Both the men's and women's teams from the two schools competed in the matchup.

Pope Leo XIV, who was born Robert Prevost, met with the four teams at the Vatican on Saturday. The audience took place before the games. Approximately 7,000 people attended the Vatican gathering, including players, coaches, fans, and family members. Leo noted that he remains neutral in matters of sport. He added that his former self, Robert Prevost, might disagree with that stance. The pope said, "Prevost has another opinion, but we won't do that now." The remark drew laughter from the crowd.

The games were held at the Palazzo dello Sport, an arena with 11,000 seats. The venue is located about a 30-minute drive from the Vatican. Pope Leo, who underwent lung cancer surgery last month, was not expected to attend the games. A group of cardinals and other Vatican officials was expected to be present at the arena. The schools also brought their team chaplains to Rome for the event.

The men's game began at 3:30 p.m. local time, which is 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The broadcast aired on Fox with Bill Raftery serving as the analyst. The women's game started at 6:00 p.m. local time, or noon Eastern Time. Notre Dame entered the contest as the only ranked team, holding the No. 13 spot. The women's match aired on FS1.