The Season Opens in Rome: Notre Dame vs. Villanova

Villanova and Notre Dame play on November 1 in Rome as part of the Eternal City Tip-Off. The men’s game tips at 9:30 a.m. ET on FOX at the Palazzo dello Sport. Both teams reloaded in the portal. Notre Dame added the Big South Player of the Year. Villanova brought in multiple double-digit scorers after losing two of its top creators.

Notre Dame’s additions and losses

Logan Duncomb transferred from Winthrop. Last season he was the Big South Player of the Year. He averaged 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 60% from the field. He started 28 of 32 games and finished with 5.4 win shares. Winthrop ranked 124th in KenPom offense and 204th in KenPom defense. Duncomb is a 6-9 center who finished at the rim and protected the paint on a mid-major team that was better on offense than defense.

Notre Dame also added Braeden Smith (2024 Patriot League Player of the Year) and Ethan Roberts. The Irish lost Markus Burton and Jalen Haralson. Burton averaged 18.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in the 10 games he played before a season-ending ankle injury. He led the ACC in scoring as a sophomore (23.5 in league games) and was a two-time All-ACC selection. He transferred to Indiana. Haralson, a McDonald’s All-American as a freshman, averaged 16.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 27 games. He shot 51.5% from the field, earned All-ACC Honorable Mention, and transferred to Tennessee. Those two departures remove the primary scorers from last year’s roster.

Villanova’s reloaded roster

Villanova went 24-9 last season with a top-40 KenPom offense. Acaden Lewis transferred to Miami and Bryce Lindsay transferred to Indiana. Tyler Perkins returns. He was All-Big East and the Big East’s Most Improved Player. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.4 rebounds and led the team with 452 points.The new creators are Jake Fiegen (Cornell, 17.0 points, 54.6% FG, 41.4% from three), Elijah Crawford (UIC, 14.1 points, 4.9 assists, All-Missouri Valley second team), and Darryl Simmons II (St. Bonaventure, 16.4 points). Devin Royal (Ohio State) and Kwame Evans Jr. (Oregon, 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds) add size in the frontcourt. The portal class is built to replace the scoring and creation Lewis and Lindsay provided without a drop in volume.

The matchup

Notre Dame has a proven interior scorer in Duncomb and still has returning pieces such as Braeden Shrewsberry. Villanova has more new perimeter creators and a returning All-Big East guard in Perkins. Both teams open the season on the same floor in Rome. The first box score will show whether Duncomb’s production translates immediately and whether Villanova’s new guards can share the ball the way the previous group did.