US College Basketball Season Kicks Off in Rome with Villanova v Notre Dame Doubleheader

The men's and women's Villanova and Notre Dame basketball teams will get the 2026-27 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season underway in Rome on Sunday (1 November) with a FOX Sports-produced doubleheader of US college basketball action.

Taking place at the Palazzo dello Sport indoor arena in Rome, the event - dubbed the Eternal City Tip-Off - will pair two universities with athletic traditions and deep Catholic roots.

Our goal is to make this feel like much more than two basketball games, FOX Sports vice president, production, Geordie Wimmer told SVG Europe.

If we do our jobs right, this should look and feel unlike any college basketball game we've produced before

Rome is going to be a huge part of our storytelling. We're planning extensive beauty shots, features and cinematic elements highlighting the city, the Vatican and the connection between faith and sports.

We've also got some fun surprises planned, including a special open with Mark Wahlberg and contributions from some recognisable names. We want the audience to feel like they're experiencing Rome, not just watching a basketball game that happens to be played there.

In the US, the men's game will air live on FOX at 09:30 Eastern Time (15:30 in Rome), followed by the women's game on FS1 (FOX Sports 1) at 12:00 Eastern Time (18:00 in Rome).

Our goal is to give both games the same big-event treatment, said Wimmer. We'll maintain a consistent production look and feel across FOX and FS1, while allowing each game to have its own personality and storylines.

We are so lucky to have [lead game analyst for FOX Sports' college basketball coverage] Bill Raftery on the call for the men's game. He's the best in the business and has a connection to both schools as well as the Vatican. We're borrowing [play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports' National Football League (NFL) broadcasts] Kevin Kugler from his normal NFL duties to be the play-by-play for both games, and [sports broadcaster and basketball analyst] Kim Adams will be our sideline reporter for the men's game and then slide into the analyst role for the women's.

From a production standpoint, having two games back-to-back gives us a great opportunity to build momentum throughout the day.

Pitching up to a new venue presents potential challenges, not least ensuring there is scope for rigging, lighting, power and camera positions. To prepare, FOX Sports has worked with long-time collaborator and tech manager Bill Morris.

FOX Sports vice president, field operations, Sarita Meinking explained: Bill Morris worked very hard on several surveys getting our team ready on this one. We knew we were walking into a venue that didn't have any connectivity, preset camera positions, or power. We have had to build everything from the ground up. We have had a great relationship with our partners On Location and Players Era to work together to build out the venue, they even added additional lighting inside the venue as well.

In terms of the on-site footprint and production set-up at the Palazzo dello Sport, Meinking said there will be an international crew of 120 US, British and Italian personnel. The action will be covered by some 20 cameras - two of them super slow-motion - with 35 mics to capture the audio, plus four mobile units, a generator and an uplink truck. FOX Sports is also working with NEP, Fletcher, JP Film & TV Services and NEP Connect.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/11/02/us-college-basketball-season-ki...
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