The 2026-27 college basketball season officially kicked off in Rome, Italy, where Notre Dame Basketball took on the Villanova Wildcats. On paper, the Irish were the underdogs by around seven points and were down for most of the first half.
However, the ACC program made a run to make it a four-point deficit at the half. Notre Dame would eventually take the lead in the final 10 minutes of the game, allowing them to hole on to a 76-72 statement victory to open the season.
VENI, VIDI, VICI#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/08SgFN0mwd
— Notre Dame Men's Basketball (@NDmbb) November 1, 2026
Here are some takeaways from the game from the Irish side.
1. Breakout game from Brady Koehler
Koehler is a former four-star prospect who put up 5.6 ppg and 3.2 rpg as a freshman. He finished his freshman year strong and was a breakout candidate to watch. The sophomore forward had six points and six rebounds in the first half and once the foul trouble was done, Koehler scored 10 in the final 20 minutes to finish with 16 points and eight rebounds in the win.
The sophomore only had more than 16 points once last season. Based on the offensive potential of the Irish, they’re going to need more like this from Koehler. It’s a great start from him to help the team overachieve going forward.
2. Ups and downs with new backcourt
The one key returning guard for the Irish was Braeden Shrewsberry. As expected, he took the most shots for the team, finishing with 15 points on 6/14 FG shooting. As for the other two, Gonzaga transfer guard Braden Smith had 16 points, with his 10 made free throws making up for his 2/9 FG shooting. And Penn transfer Ethan Roberts chipped in with 11 points.
It’s good that both guards finished in double figures and made their shots late when the game mattered. But with little bench production, the Irish will need this group to be more efficient from the field in order to continue beating top-100 caliber opponents.
3. Logan Duncomb comes up clutch in the second half
The Winthrop transfer had a forgettable first half, going scoreless in 10 minutes. But Duncomb was much better in the final 20 minutes, producing nine points and a team-high four assists. He also made a key three-pointer during the Irish’s comeback, the first of his college career.
Frontcourt production on offense has been an issue for Notre Dame these last few years. On Sunday, they got 25 combined by Duncomb and Koehler. That balanced scoring proved to be key to the Irish pulling off the upset, getting them off to a great start to the season.
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