Notre Dame sweeps Villanova in Rome, Hurley signs through 2032, and JuJu Watkins returns after 588 days
Notre Dame's men and women both beat Villanova in Rome on the season's first day, Dan Hurley signs at UConn through 2032, JuJu Watkins returns after 588 days, and the last exhibitions and eligibility rulings set up Monday's opening slate.
Notre Dame won the first two games of the 2026-27 season, and the men needed a comeback to win the first one. The Irish trailed Villanova by 10 in the second half in Rome on Sunday, then closed with a 14-4 run over the last 3:37 to win 74-72 12.
Two hours later the Notre Dame women beat Villanova 99-75 in the same building behind 32 points from Hannah Hidalgo and 27 from Leah Macy 3. Those two games were the whole Division I schedule for Nov. 1 4.
This issue covers Oct. 26 through Nov. 1. The domestic schedule opens Monday night, and the two national boards in use are still the preseason ones.
The men's game: 14-4 in the last 3:37
Villanova led 35-31 at halftime and pushed the margin to 10 at the 16:23 mark of the second half 2. Notre Dame's first lead since 16-15 arrived at 70-68, with 1:08 left 25.
Brady Koehler's dunk with 1:36 left cut it to 68-67. Braeden Smith stole the next possession, and Logan Duncomb's first career three-pointer made it 70-68 12.
Koehler blocked a corner three on the other end, Smith made two free throws, and Koehler's own pair with four seconds left made it 74-70 before Villanova's buzzer shot finished the scoring at 74-72 12.
Smith and Koehler each scored 16. Smith went 10-for-11 at the line, Koehler shot 6-of-13 and led the Irish with eight rebounds, and Braeden Shrewsberry added 15 with six boards 2. Ethan Roberts had 11 and Duncomb nine with a team-high four assists, and the starting five scored all but 16 of the 74 points 2.
The defensive line is the one that travels: 20 Villanova turnovers turned into 20 points, 14 steals, an 18-10 edge on the offensive glass and 16 second-chance points 2. Villanova made one field goal over the final 3:37, the buzzer shot 2.
Villanova got 18 points from Tyler Perkins, who fouled out with 16.3 seconds left 1. Luigi Suigo, the 7-foot-3 Italian freshman, dunked twice and hit a three for seven points in his debut on home soil 1.
The result lands on two programs in different places. Villanova has gone four years without a win in the NCAA Tournament: a three-year absence after Jay Wright's retirement, then a first-round loss to Utah State last season 1. Notre Dame is carrying 10 new players under Micah Shrewsberry, and both programs sit outside the AP preseason poll 1.
Villanova had more fans inside an 11,000-seat arena about a half-hour drive from the Vatican, where both teams had met Pope Leo XIV the day before 15.
"We talked at the under-eight media; let's take a deep breath and settle, and I thought we played our best basketball down the final stretch." — Micah Shrewsberry 2
The women's game: a 19-point halftime lead and a debut
Notre Dame led 45-26 at halftime, with Hidalgo already on 18 points and Madison St. Rose on 11 3. The Irish pushed the lead to 70-53 after three quarters and finished with a 29-22 fourth 3.
Hidalgo finished with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals 3. She arrived as the reigning Naismith defensive player of the year and the NCAA's single-season steals record holder with 202 5.
Macy, a sophomore forward playing her first official college game, had 27 points on 11-of-14 and 14 rebounds, 15 of those points in the fourth quarter 3. She joins Brianna Turner as the only Notre Dame players with a 27-point, 14-rebound game since 1999 3.
St. Rose, a fifth-year transfer from Princeton, scored 17 in her debut, and freshmen Jenica Lewis (11) and Jacy Abii (10 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) gave the Irish five players in double figures 3.
Notre Dame opened 13th in the AP women's poll, and Villanova was among the teams receiving votes 5.
The last exhibitions
Five exhibition games in the window are worth carrying.
| Date | Matchup | Score | Site | What decided it | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 27 | No. 4 UConn vs. Purdue | 76-53 | PeoplesBank Arena, Hartford | Purdue shot 2-of-25 from three | UConn |
| Oct. 27 | North Carolina vs. Charlotte | 89-82 (OT) | Smith Center, Chapel Hill | UNC took overtime 11-4 | North Carolina |
| Oct. 28 | No. 12 Arkansas vs. Memphis | 93-81 | Bud Walton Arena, Fayetteville | Arkansas 54 paint points, 26-11 off turnovers | Arkansas |
| Oct. 28 | No. 11 Louisville vs. Mercyhurst | 71-39 | Louisville, Ky. | Mercyhurst shot 16-of-67 | Louisville |
| Oct. 29 | No. 6 Texas vs. Baylor (women) | 85-64 | Moody Center, Austin | Texas shot 14-of-18 from three | Texas |
UConn's send-off drew a sellout of 15,495, and Colben Landrew led four Huskies in double figures with 15 points in 18 minutes off the bench 6. The Huskies finished the preseason 3-0, outscoring opponents by 17 points a game and holding them to 34.4 percent from the floor and 14.1 percent from three across the three games 6.
North Carolina trailed by 15 in the first half and held the lead for 25 seconds before halftime in Michael Malone's first game in the Smith Center 7. Charlotte led 78-77 with 16.9 seconds left in regulation when it called a timeout with none left, a technical foul; Terrence Brown made one of two free throws to force overtime, and Carolina held the 49ers scoreless over the last 3:41 of the extra period 7. Brown finished with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting 7.
Arkansas dunked 13 times on 18 assists and got 10 points and 12 rebounds from Miikka Muurinen, with Billy Richmond III scoring 17 on 7-of-7 shooting and Jordan Smith Jr. adding 17 8. Memphis cut a 21-point deficit to 12 by making two threes inside the final 1:17 8.
Louisville outscored Mercyhurst 41-18 after halftime and outrebounded the Lakers 51-32, with Flory Bidunga scoring a game-high 19 to go with nine rebounds 9. Seth Trimble, Karter Knox and De'Shayne Montgomery scored 10 each 9.
Texas's women ended up playing Baylor because Eastern New Mexico, the scheduled opponent, could not bring enough available players to Austin; the Longhorns won 85-64 with Zya Vann scoring 18 on 6-of-6 from three 1011. Five Longhorns reached double figures and the newcomers scored 52 of the 85 11.
Notre Dame's women had closed their own exhibition schedule six days earlier with a 125-59 win over Truman State 12.
The NCAA's appeal is denied, and 38 players stay eligible
A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge denied the NCAA emergency relief on Friday, keeping 38 athletes eligible for the 2026-27 season while the case continues 13. The athletes belong to the graduating class of 2022, which the NCAA's five-for-five rule left without an extra season 13.
The group includes Louisville's Seth Trimble and LJ Wells, Missouri's Mark Mitchell Jr., LSU's Skyy Clark, Louisville football players Jabari Mack and Kalib Perry, Kentucky football player Alex Afari Jr. and Texas Tech quarterback Thomas Castellanos 13. A three-judge panel will still hear the NCAA's request, which leaves eligibility open to appeal during the season 13.
"It behooves no one for Respondents' eligibility status to flip-flop repeatedly as our courts work through the underlying issues." — Judge Sara Walter Combs 13
Hurley signs through 2032
UConn announced a two-year extension for Dan Hurley on Oct. 30, turning the six-year deal he signed in 2024 into a new six-year contract through 2032 on the same terms 14. Hurley is 199-75 at UConn and 126-28 since the 2022-23 season, with national titles in 2023 and 2024 and a third title-game appearance in 2026 14.
"Dan has proven to be the very best coach in men's college basketball," athletic director David Benedict said, "and we're thrilled to keep him home at UConn for the next six years" 14.
Hurley's ninth season in Storrs opens Monday night against Gardner-Webb 15.
A return and a lost season
JuJu Watkins plays her first official game in 588 days on Monday, when No. 3 USC opens against UNLV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas 16. The 2024-25 national player of the year tore her ACL in the second round of the 2025 NCAA tournament and sat out last season, which USC finished 18-14 16.
"I feel like her impact on us is probably more palpable than ever before," USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said 16. Watkins is projected as the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft if she declares, and she described the pressure in her own terms: "I pray that the pressure gets even higher because that's a privilege" 16.
Virginia Tech lost a guard for the season the same week. Lauren Hurst, a 6-foot-3 sophomore who transferred from Tennessee, will miss 2026-27 with a knee injury and has already had surgery, coach Megan Duffy announced Oct. 30 17. Hurst averaged 2.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in 24 games as a freshman and led the Lady Vols in three-point percentage at 41.4 17.
Opening night
Eight games on Monday are worth planning an evening around. Times are Eastern.
| Time | Game | TV | Why it matters | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noon | No. 20/17 Maryland vs. No. 1/1 South Carolina (women), Adidas Arena, Paris | ESPN | The Gamecocks open in Paris for the second time in four seasons | South Carolina |
| 4 p.m. | UNLV vs. No. 3 USC (women), T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas | CBS Sports Network | Watkins plays her first game since March 2025 | USC |
| 6 p.m. | No. 14 Miami vs. No. 1 Florida (men), Tampa | — | The preseason No. 1 opens against a ranked in-state rival | Florida |
| 6:30 p.m. | Army at No. 2 Duke (men), Cameron Indoor Stadium | ESPNU | Duke's earliest season opener ever | Duke |
| 7 p.m. | Western Carolina at North Carolina (men), Smith Center | — | Malone's first countable home game | North Carolina |
| 8 p.m. | Lehigh at Saint Louis (men), Chaifetz Arena | KPLR / ESPN+ | A 29-win Billikens team opens against the Patriot League champion | Saint Louis |
| 9 p.m. | Gardner-Webb at No. 4 UConn (men), PeoplesBank Arena | — | The first game after Hurley's extension | UConn |
| 9 p.m. | Chattanooga at No. 11 Louisville (men), KFC Yum! Center | ACC Network | Chattanooga's 50th Division I season opens against a ranked opponent | Chattanooga |
The week that follows is dense with the same kind of mismatch. Texas hosts FDU on Wednesday, Notre Dame's men host Mercyhurst on Thursday and Notre Dame's women host Stonehill on Friday, and Arkansas opens Tuesday against Arkansas–Pine Bluff 23811.
What the boards say now
The AP men's poll in use is still the preseason edition released Oct. 19, led by Florida, Duke and Illinois 18. The women's board is the Oct. 20 preseason poll, with South Carolina first, UConn second and USC third 5.
Two games are a thin basis for an efficiency table. The in-season ratings arrive with the games that start tonight.
Conference play sits weeks away, so the standings begin in December. Everything above is a nonconference result, and the boards and injury reports are what carry from one week to the next.
References
- 1
- 2Win In Rome.. Irish Defeat Wildcats 74-72
fightingirish.com
- 3Offensive Explosion Powers No. 13 Irish Past Villanova, 99-75
fightingirish.com
- 4College Basketball Games on Sunday, November 1, 2026
sports-reference.com
- 5
- 6Huskies Close Preseason With 76-53 Win Over Purdue
uconnhuskies.com
- 7
- 8#12/13 Arkansas Takes Down Memphis in Exhibition
arkansasrazorbacks.com
- 9
- 10
- 11No. 6 Women's Basketball defeats Baylor in exhibition game, 85-64
texaslonghorns.com
- 12No. 13 Irish Roll Past Truman State, 125-59, in Preseason Showcase
fightingirish.com
- 13
- 14Dan Hurley Agrees To Extension Through 2032
uconnhuskies.com
- 15Huskies Open 2026-27 On Monday Night In Hartford
uconnhuskies.com
- 16
- 17
- 18College Basketball Rankings 2026-27
cbssports.com
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