Villanova Reaction: ‘Cats Suffer an Upset in the Eternal City

Villanova Men’s Basketball began their season with an upset loss to Notre Dame in Rome, Italy, blowing a ten point second half lead as turnovers and fouls kept the Irish in the game. The Wildcats (0-1) dealt with growing pains from Italian center Luigi Suigo, who picked up seven shots but committed three turnovers, and senior forward Kwame Evans Jr. didn’t quite look like himself in his first game back from a lower body injury that kept him out during the preseason.

For a team with hopes of making a deeper NCAA Tournament run in their second year under head coach Kevin Willard, the false start against a team picked to finish toward the bottom of the ACC provoked sharp reactions from plenty of Wildcats’ fans — one of the best bits of proof that college basketball is back. Villanova dropped five spots to No. 37 in the KenPom ratings after the loss; the NET rankings, which have an impact on who makes the NCAA Tournament, won’t debut until December.

Here’s the reaction to the Eternal City Tip-Off from fans and media.