Villanova now has four non-conference games locked in for the 2026-27 season.
On Tuesday morning, head coach Kevin Willard told Jon Rothstein on Inside College Basketball Now that the Wildcats will begin a home-and-home series against Notre Dame next year.
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Rothstein followed it up by asking if it was official, which Willard confirmed. He then asked where the series will begin but Willard did not have the answer.
“I actually don’t know,” Willard said. “I just know we’re playing them. There you go, Jon. Anything for you.”
The announcement came during a conversation about the future of scheduling. Willard shared that he attempts to schedule difficult competition and believes that this should be the goal moving forward. Willard was asked about the current state of the Big East as the conference is projected to get just three teams into the tournament — UConn, St. John’s, and Villanova.
“It’s either you play bye games or your play real games,” Willard said. “Next year, we’re playing Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan. And we still have 20 games. I think all of college basketball needs to go into a different scheduling mode and play less bye games and play more big games.”
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Villanova began series with Michigan and Wisconsin this year. Early in the season, the Wildcats ran into a red-hot Wolverine team and were handed an 89-61 loss. Since then, Villanova has gone 11-3. This includes a 76-66 overtime win against Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Villanova also opened the season against BYU with a hard-fought 71-66 loss.
The Wildcats now have four non-conference games scheduled next season with Notre Dame joining Michigan, Pitt, and Wisconsin.
