Where Notre Dame women’s basketball stands in ESPN bracketology
It’s a little early for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team itself to concern itself with where it stands in the NCAA Tournament picture, but it’s about time for fans to ponder what could be in store for the Irish’s postseason run. Conference play is almost a month in already, and before long the stretch run before tournament time will be here.
And what a crucial stretch run it will be for the Fighting Irish.
It begins in earnest this week with a pair of games against ranked opponents. No. 15 Notre Dame (14-3, 5-2 ACC) hosts No. 22 Syracuse (16-2, 7-1) in a league game Thursday before turning around quickly to play No. 8 UConn (16-3, 8-0 Big East) in Storrs, Conn., on Saturday night. Two wins would completely change the odds of Notre Dame being a host site for the big dance in March.
As it stands, head coach Niele Ivey’s team would be on the road for the first two rounds of the tournament. ESPN’s Charlie Creme has the Irish as a No. 5 overall seed in Spokane, Wash., with No. 4 overall seed Gonzaga serving as a host.
There are four No. 4 seeds in the tournament field, and they all get to host first- and second-round games. The four No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds also host first- and-second round action for a total of 16 teams hosting games before getting into regional play for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
In Notre Dame’s heyday, the Irish became accustomed to hosting the tournament. But in Ivey’s tenure, which is currently in its fourth year, it’s only happened once. Notre Dame missed the NCAA Tournament altogether in 2020-21. In 2021-22, the Irish went on the road to Norman, Okla., as a No. 5 seed. They beat down the No. 4 Sooners in the round of 32. Last season, Notre Dame was a No. 3 seed and got through to the second weekend of the tournament with a win over No. 13 seed Mississippi State at Purcell Pavilion.
The ability to ascend to a No. 3 seed is right in front of the Irish. Seven of Notre Dame’s remaining 12 regular-season games are against teams currently ranked in the Associated Press poll. Ranked victories look great in the eyes Creme and ultimately the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
The Irish ride a four-game winning streak into Thursday’s game against the Orange. It’s also a revenge game for Ivey and company. Notre Dame began ACC play with an 86-81 loss at Syracuse on Dec. 31. Getting back at Syracuse, though, isn’t as important as the Irish getting their biggest conference win of the season.
“That game, that was a really tough loss,” Ivey said. “And I felt like we didn’t play well. As a coach, if you leave it out on the floor, you’re like, ‘OK.’ I thought they played really well, but I didn’t feel like we gave them a good game overall as far as the way we turned the ball over and our rebounding and execution. I want to feel like we’re coming back tomorrow playing a complete game. That’s the biggest thing for me.”
