{
  "id": 18096505,
  "title": "Everything you need know as Notre Dame basketball hosts Mercyhurst",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/04/everything-you-need-know-as-notre-dame-basketball-hosts-mercyhurst",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-04T09:01:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/everything-know-notre-dame-basketball-090135179.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Notre Dame basketball returned from Italy and practiced before facing Mercyhurst in their opening game of the 2026-27 season. The teams have never met before. Notre Dame aims to build on their impressive victory over Villanova (74-72). Mercyhurst, a new Division I team, lost their first game 78-43 to Marquette and will compete against typically stronger opponents like Western Carolina, The Citadel, and Elon. Mercyhurst's Jake Lemelman, their only returning starter from the previous season, increased his minutes, games started, points scored, and scoring average. He's a first-team all-league preseason pick and is expected to compete despite the challenges posed by the new Division I level. The Irish led by Braeden Smith, a fifth-year player who played a key role in their victory over Villanova. The next five games for Notre Dame include matches against Eastern Illinois, South Carolina State, Florida, and potentially Houston/Rutgers.",
  "summary": "Notre Dame basketball opened the 2026-27 regular season with an impressive win over Villanova in Rome. The Irish now work on being better at home.",
  "key_points": [
    "Notre Dame returns from Italy to face Mercyhurst for first game of 2026-27 season",
    "Mercyhurst, new Division I team, lost first game 78-43 to Marquette",
    "Notre Dame's Braeden Smith key player in victory over Villanova"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}