A Catholic Connection
Villanova - Wildcats lead the series 19-17. The last matchup was on Dec. 10, 2016, at a neutral site in Newark, New Jersey. Villanova produced a 24-9 record last season and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, losing to Utah State in the first round.
Players 8 in Las Vegas
The Players Era has now been divided into two separate brackets, with Notre Dame sorted into the Players Era 8, taking place Nov. 17-19 at the Michelob Ultra Arena. Up first, the Irish will look to topple the Florida Gators. Notre Dame’s next matchup will either be Houston or Rutgers. The other side of the bracket features Kansas, UNLV, West Virginia and Auburn.
Florida - First-ever meeting. The Gators tallied a 27-8 record last season, losing to Iowa in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Florida is ranked No. 1 in ESPN’s Way-To-Early poll.
SEC/ACC Challenge
Vanderbilt - Commodores lead the series 5-4. The last meeting was on March 15, 2006, an NIT 79-69 victory inside Purcell. Last season, Vandy recorded a stellar 27-9 season, finishing in a tie for fourth in the SEC standings. Vanderbilt advanced in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 after defeating McNeese State.
Notre Dame owns a 1-2 record in the SEC/ACC Challenge, picking up its first win last season after defeating Missouri.
Last season rematches
Eastern Illinois - Met for the first time last season, where the Irish won 78-58. Braeden Shrewsberry recorded 18 points on 6-8 shooting from three. The Panthers finished the year with a 13-20 record.
TCU - Irish are an undefeated 6-0 against the Horned Frogs, which includes a dramatic 87-85 overtime victory in Fort Worth last December. Notre Dame recorded 27 assists on 33 made field goals in the win. This will mark the TCU’s first game in Purcell since March 18, 1997.
Last year, TCU finished with a 23-12 overall record, placing sixth in the Big 12 with an 11-7 mark. TCU qualified for the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Duke in the second round.
Ohio St - Buckeyes lead the series 10-5. Last season in Columbus, the Irish suffered a 63-64 heartbreaker. Notre Dame led by as much as 11 in the first half and later led 63-62 with two minutes left in the game. This will mark OSU’s first contest in Purcell since Dec. 8, 2020.
Ohio State finished the year with a 21-13 record with a 12-8 mark in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes lost to TCU, 66-64, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Four teams from the Northeast Conference
LIU - Irish are an undefeated 4-0 against the Sharks. Also a last-season rematch, LIU and Notre Dame tipped off the 2025-26 campaign, resulting in an 89-67 ND victory. LIU bounced back after the loss to post a 24-11 record, finished atop the NEC standings at 15-3, then won the NEC Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
Mercyhurst - First-ever matchup. Mercyhurst finished 17-17 overall and third in the NEC standings at 10-8. The Lakers won two straight in the NEC Tournament to qualify for the league championship game in their first season since reclassifying to Division I.
Stonehill - Irish lead the series 3-0. Notre Dame opened the 2024-25 season with Stonehill at home and recorded an 89-60 victory. Last season, the Pilots went 12-21 overall.
Le Moyne - Irish lead the series 1-0 after meeting for the first time on Dec. 22, 2024. ND took that one, 91-62. Logan Imes recorded his first career game in double digits with an 11-point performance. Le Moyne finished 15-17 overall last season, tying for third in the NEC with a 10-8 mark.
Rounding out the non-con
SC State - First-ever matchup. South Carolina State finished with a 10-22 record last season with a 7-7 mark in the MEAC.
Central Michigan - Irish lead the series 2-1, with the last meeting taking place on Dec. 6, 2003, in South Bend. Central Michigan recorded a 10-21 record last season with a 6-12 mark in the MAC.
ACC schedule
Notre Dame will play four of its first six ACC matchups at home, lending the Irish an opportunity to jump out to a great start. On the flip side of that, the Blue & Gold will have to tough it out with five of its last eight on the road.
Also, for the second straight year, Notre Dame will start the ACC schedule with Stanford and end with Boston College.
In addition, for the first time in two decades, Notre Dame and Louisville will not play during the 2026-27 campaign. This year’s home and home is with Boston College and Wake Forest.
The 2027 ACC Tournament will take place in Greensboro, North Carolina, March 9-13, at the First Horizon Coliseum.
Home
Stanford
Virginia Tech
Cal
Pitt
SMU
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Syracuse
Boston College
Away
Georgia Tech
Wake Forest
Duke
Florida St
Boston College
Virginia
Miami
NC State
Clemson
-- ND --
