WATCH: Notre Dame-Rutgers play-in game ends on insane last-second shot
What a game between Notre Dame and Rutgers in the First Four on Wednesday night. It took two overtimes, but Paul Atkinson hit an insane put-back last-second shot to give the Fighting Irish the win — and send them to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Rutgers had the lead at halftime thanks to a late surge in the first half, but Notre Dame stormed back to eventually force overtime despite having a late lead. The two teams continued to trade blows in the extra period before the Fighting Irish capitalized on some Scarlet Knights miscues to force double overtime.
Once again, it went back and forth, but Atkinson’s shot won it for Notre Dame.
That shot capped off a monster night for Atkinson, who finished with 26 points on 13-for-15 shooting to lead all scorers. Nate Laszewski had a huge night off the bench, as well, scoring 18 points to help lead the Fighting Irish to the win.
Caleb McConnell had a massive night for Rutgers, leading the Scarlet Knights with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Ron Harper Jr. had 22 points, including a late three to tie it with 23 seconds left. Geo Baker also hit some big-time shots down the stretch to help force overtime. He finished with 19 points.
No. 11 seed Notre Dame and No. 6 seed Alabama face off Friday at 4:15 p.m. ET on TNT in the first round of the tournament.
More on Alabama, Notre Dame
Alabama, the No. 6 seed in this year’s tournament, had a rollercoaster regular season. The Crimson Tide got wins over Gonzaga and Baylor, but lost to Georgia and suffered an SEC Tournament loss to Vanderbilt. Alabama still made the tournament with a 19-13 overall record, including 9-9 in SEC action.
Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly have been two big pieces this year for Alabama, leading the way with 16.7 and 14.3 points per game, respectively. They’re going to be two of the X-factors for the Crimson Tide, who lost four of their last six games to end the regular season.
Notre Dame arrived in Dayton for the First Four after finishing second in the ACC regular season. The Fighting Irish, however, got bounced by Virginia Tech in the conference tournament, which sent them to Dayton instead of earning a bye to the Round of 64. They entered the game with a 22-10 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in ACC action.
Three Fighting Irish average double-digit points per game, led by 14.6 points per contest from Blake Wesley. Dane Goodwin and Atkinson are also major contributors, averaging 13.9 points and 12.3 points per contest, respectively.