Skip to content
1 min left · finish 3:52 AM
Email
I
Springfield Current
Illini CurrentSpringfield: Illinois capital, Lincoln's hometown
Good evening, Columbus☀️52°F · Clear

Advertisement · Why this ad?

  1. Home
  2. /Sports
  3. /How Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIV
Sports

How Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIV

Maria Gonzalez
Maria Gonzalez
Maria Gonzalez
Sports Reporter · Bloomington, IL

Born and raised in Bloomington, Maria is a passionate sports journalist with a degree from Northern Illinois University. She has covered the local high school sports scene for over 8 years and previously wrote for the Peoria Journal Star, bringing a fresh energy to sports reporting in the area.

More from Maria →
Sports Reporter · Saturday, October 31, 2026 at 1:15 AM · 1 min read
Text size
Typeface
Line spacing
Theme
Focus mode
Email
How Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIV — Springfield Sports news

When Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey first heard the idea, she was thrilled. With the election of Pope Leo XIV as inspiration, college sports event organizers wanted to host a pair of men’s and women’s basketball games in…

Up nextHow Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIVSports · 1 min read
#high-school-sports#local-election

More Sports stories

How Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIV — Herald & Review (Decatur)
Sports

How Notre Dame basketball’s trip came about to play Villanova in Rome — and potentially meet Pope Leo XIV

By Charlie Lee

Photos: Manteno vs. Coal City in Class 1A Sectional championship, boys soccer — Shaw Local News Network
Sports

Photos: Manteno vs. Coal City in Class 1A Sectional championship, boys soccer

By Mark Chen

Photos: Lincoln-Way Central, Batavia football meet in IHSA playoffs — Shaw Local News Network
Sports

Photos: Lincoln-Way Central, Batavia football meet in IHSA playoffs

By Anita Patel

Photos: Kaneland, St. Francis football meet in round of 32 playoff matchup — Shaw Local News Network
Sports

Photos: Kaneland, St. Francis football meet in round of 32 playoff matchup

By Anita Patel

Also covering Illinois

PeoriaChampaignRockfordDecaturAurora
I

Springfield Current

Part of the Illini Current Network

Springfield: Illinois capital, Lincoln's hometown. Hyper-local community news covering 40 Illinois cities.

Sections

GovernmentCommunityArtsSchoolsBusinessSports

Latest Stories

Crowley Pumpkins displays 500 jack-o'-lanterns in MahometUrbana High School student accused of making threatening social media postUrbana inventor creates device to make wheelchair users more visibleChampaign Police seeking tips on missing womanAs daylight saving time ends soon, here are some tips to prepare you for the day

About

Illini Current publishes independent community news across Illinois. Local reporters. Non-partisan. Community-first.

RSS FeedNetwork Directory

© 2026 Illini Current — illinicurrent.com

PrivacyTerms

A product of Edina Automation LLC

You're offline — showing the last loaded page
HomeSearchSaved