Villanova’s schedule includes trips to Rome, Kansas, and games in Philly vs. Michigan, Wisconsin
Wildcats coach Kevin Willard wanted his team to face better non-Big East tests. "I think teams should get rewarded by scheduling hard," he said of a potential NCAA Tournament selection.
Nearly all of the opponents for Villanova’s 12 nonconference men’s basketball games were already known prior to the school officially releasing its out-of-conference schedule Wednesday morning, but a few new foes were revealed, as were all of the dates.
The 2026-27 season starts with a trip to Rome, where the men’s and women’s teams will face Notre Dame. Other marquee contests include games vs. defending national champion Michigan and Wisconsin at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, and road games at Kansas and Pittsburgh.
The Wildcats, who went 24-9 last season and have a roster that could get some preseason top 25 votes, play their two Big 5 pool games Nov. 10 at home vs. La Salle and Dec. 1 at Temple before the Dec. 5 Big 5 Classic at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Villanova’s game vs. Notre Dame in Rome on Nov. 1 kicks off the college basketball season and will be nationally televised on FOX.
The Wildcats play five power-conference opponents in the nonconference schedule. Coach Kevin Willard explained last month why he wanted to schedule a little tougher this season.
“I went back and looked at the last 10 national champions and looked at how they schedule and where their rank of schedule was,” Willard said. “I think it’s really important to test yourself on the road, most importantly. ... Especially with the tournament going to 76 teams, I think teams should get rewarded by scheduling hard.”
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The entire 2026-27 schedule will be revealed in September when the Big East announces its schedule.
The NCAA Division I Council last year approved an increase from 31 regular-season games to 32 games. Villanova plays 20 Big East games and has typically had 11 nonconference games. The increase to 32 means one extra non-Big East game on the calendar.
Villanova’s full nonconference schedule is below (times will be announced at a later date, the school said):
Nov. 1 vs. Notre Dame (Rome)
Nov. 6 vs. Holy Cross
Nov. 10 vs. La Salle
Nov. 14 vs. Rider
Nov. 17 at Pittsburgh
Nov. 21 vs. Michigan (Xfinity Mobile Arena)
Nov. 24 vs. Coppin State
Nov. 27 at Kansas
Dec. 1 at Temple
Dec. 5 Big 5 Classic
Dec. 9 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
Dec. 12 vs. Wisconsin (Xfinity Mobile Arena)
The Wildcats also will play three exhibition games: Oct. 11 at Rutgers; Oct. 17 vs. George Mason; and Oct. 22 vs. Virginia.
