Villanova to play Notre Dame in Never Forget Tribute Classic in Newark

Per CBS' Jon Rothstein, your Villanova Wildcats will face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as part of a doubleheader in Newark, N.J. on December 10th next season. The game has been rumored since Irish head coach Mike Brey talked about how the game was in the works in back in December.

This is a positive development for the out-of-conference schedule. Notre Dame has been successful program since joining the ACC and has been to the last two Elite Eights in the NCAA Tournament. Adding them to a non-conference schedule that already features Virginia and Purdue is a coup and should provide another strong test for a Wildcats squad that will be integrating several new players to the rotation.

The Irish lose star players Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste, but return some major contributors in Steve Vasturia, Bonzie Colson and V.J. Beachem. They're adding in a strong freshman guard in Temple Gibbs and should be a solid team again.

The game will be played on December 10th and tip at 12pm ET at the Prudential Center and will air on CBS. The Saturday date and location should mean a big turnout for both programs which feature a strong alumni base in the tri-state area. Following the game, the Pittsburgh Panthers and Penn State Nittany Lions will play the second half of the 9/11 tribute series.

Tickets are available for sale now!