{
  "id": 17573418,
  "title": "Villanova and Notre Dame open the college basketball season in Rome following papal audience",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/villanova-and-notre-dame-open-the-college-basketball-season-in-rome",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-01T09:16:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/villanova-notre-dame-open-college-091614096.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Villanova and Notre Dame men's and women's basketball teams are set to engage in a doubleheader in Rome on Sunday, kicking off the college basketball season. This event, called the Eternal City Tip-Off, honors Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope, who met with all four teams at the Vatican on Saturday. During a lively audience of 7,000 attendees, including players, coaches, fans, and families, Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Prevost, declared neutrality in matters of sport, stating that his former self might hold a different view. The games will take place at the 11,000-seat Palazzo dello Sport, located approximately half an hour's drive from the Vatican. Although Pope Leo XIV underwent lung cancer surgery last month and is unlikely to attend the games, a group of cardinals and Vatican officials is expected to be present. The men's game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET) and will be broadcast on Fox with Bill Raftery as the analyst. The women's game, featuring the top-ranked Notre Dame team, is set for 6 p.m. (noon ET) on FS1.",
  "summary": "ROME (AP) — They’ve been blessed by the pope. And now it’s finally time for some hoops.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "Villanova and Notre Dame open the college basketball season in Rome following papal audience",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/villanova-and-notre-dame-open-the-college-basketball-season-in-rome-17574827",
        "published": "2026-11-01T09:16:55.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}