After a strong first year at Villanova Basketball, Coach Kevin Willard had another quality group coming into the 2026-27 campaign. They were on center stage to open the season, taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Rome. Things were good for the Wildcats early on, leading throughout the first half and even up by as many as 10 with over 10 minutes to go.
However, the Wildcats effectively collapsed on both ends in the final minutes. They surrendered their late lead and ultimately lost 74-72 to move to 0-1 to start the season. There were some positives from the game but also plenty of negatives for Villanova Basketball.
Here are some key takeaways from the game.
1. Turnover and bad fouls
What makes this loss for Villanova so disappointing is that Notre Dame didn’t play overly well, shooting 35% from the field and no individual going off. The Wildcats arguably should’ve been up by around 15 in the first half but turnovers killed them, with 12 in the first 15 minutes alone.
Villanova turned the ball over 20 times total, with the Irish scoring 20 points off them. Plus, they scored a number of late free throws after the Wildcats bailed them out with bad fouls. For a veteran unit such as the Wildcats, the lack of poise for 40 minutes was the most troubling, setting them up for the loss.
2. Poor games from Evans and Royal
A big reason why Villanova was picked to finish 3rd in many preseason Big East polls was due to the transfer pickups of Kwame Evans and Devin Royal, two all-league caliber players from the Big Ten. While Evans was hurt, Royal was great during the preseason, averaging around 20 ppg in their games. Unfortunately, both struggled in this game, combining for just 12 points and eight turnovers.
It’s a reason to still be optimistic with the Wildcats, as Royal is likely not to have a game with no field goals made again in the season. But it’s clear that the team needs them both to play well, especially against even better opponents compared to Notre Dame.
3. Quality minutes from Oumiddoch early on
Villanova Basketball is going with a seven-man rotation, with freshman Adam Oumiddoch as the 8th man. He had a strong first half with seven points but was effectively benched in the second half after a turnover. For a Wildcat perimeter that doesn’t have a ton of depth to begin with, the hope is that Oumiddoch can be a consistent player for the program to work with for the rest of the season.
Otherwise, Tyler Perkins (18 points) may have to play 35-40 mpg going forward.
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