The Villanova Wildcats had an incredible opportunity in front of them on Sunday. They were in Rome, Italy, to play their first game of the college basketball season against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
With some talented new faces in the lineup — particularly preseason leading scorer Devin Royal, a transfer from Ohio State — things looked like they could get off to a bright start.
Villanova grabbed a big early lead over Notre Dame, too, but then it all fizzled away.
The Fighting Irish came back and stunned the Wildcats, 74-70. It was a Roman rally for Notre Dame, but a brutal beat for Villanova.
At the heart of the problem was Royal.
What Happened to Devin Royal?
It’d be fair to wonder if Royal got hurt or was in foul trouble, but nope — he played 32 minutes in the loss to Notre Dame.
But astoundingly, the dude who led Villanova in points in the preseason attempted one field goal the entire game. It’s shocking.
He finished with five points on 0-for-1 from the floor. Royal made 5-of-6 free throws.
He added eight rebounds and three turnovers.
It’s inexplicable that Royal was held so quiet, and that he didn’t even shoot to try to change that.
Devin Royal’s had a quiet day so far. He has just five points and doesn’t have a field goal. Royal was the Wildcats’ leading scorer in the preseason.
— Zak Wolf (@ZakWolf22) November 1, 2026
Devin Royal is still yet to attempt a shot. 5:34 left in the game btw. 😭
— Bynum Empire (@bynumempire1) November 1, 2026
It also took Royal 35 minutes to take that one shot, a contested layup that he didn’t finish.
Devin Royal just took a shot!
— Nathan Schulz (@RGSchulzy16) November 1, 2026
This is going to be a tough one to explain.
Brady Koehler did defend well against Royal, but that still makes it tough to figure why Royal didn’t attempt more shots. If he had assists it’d be one thing, but Royal didn’t have a single assist.
Brady Koehler has had an unreal game on both ends. He’s get Devin Royal in check and his ability to get out and block Kwame Evans three pointer right there. WOW. He’s a big time player
— Sean Paul (@SeanPaulCBB) November 1, 2026
Royal will want to forget this trip to Rome.
Devin Royal Career
Royal was Ohio Mr. Basketball in high school at Pickerington Central in the Columbus area.
He then went and played three seasons at Ohio State, going from a bench player as a freshman to a starter in his next two years. He actually averaged 13.7 points per game in both his sophomore and junior seasons.
Royal also averaged at least 5.7 rebounds in each of the past two years.
He came to Villanova to add some length, athleticism and skill to their frontcourt. It didn’t show up in Italy, though.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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