Vatican Pope US Universities
From left, Notre Dame's guards Braeden Smith and Logan Imes, and from right, guards Hanna Hidalgo and Kelly Ratigan present Pope Leo XIV with a personalized Notre Dame's jersey and basketball as they meet in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, during an audience with some 7,000 university representatives ahead of the Eternal City Tip-Off, a men’s and women’s college basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1.
As featured on
Villanova had the pope’s support and many more traveling fans. Notre Dame scored the most when it counted. The Fighting Irish produced a late comeback for a 74-72 win in the men’s game that opened the college basketball season in Rome on Sunday. Up next is a women’s game between the two Catholic universities. The Eternal City Tip-Off was created to honor the first American pope, who wasn't in attendance for the games. But Chicago-born Pope Leo XIV received all four teams in an audience at the Vatican on Saturday. Leo graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Villanova.
