What to know about Notre Dame vs. NC State in ACC Tournament championship game
NC State has won the ACC Tournament three times since Notre Dame last claimed it. It’s on the Irish to make sure that number doesn’t bump up to four.
The No. 2 seed Wolfpack and No. 4 seed Notre Dame clash in the tournament title game at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Here’s everything you need to know about the matchup.
No. 14 Notre Dame women’s basketball vs. No. 10 NC State
- Teams: No. 14 Notre Dame (25-6, 13-5 ACC) and No. 11 Virginia Tech (25-8, 14-4)
- Head coaches: Niele Ivey (86-31, fourth year at Notre Dame); Wes Moore (268-86, 11th year at NC State; 827-255 overall, 35th year)
- Date: March 10, 2024
- Location: Greensboro Coliseum (Greensboro, N.C.)
- Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPN
- TV broadcasters: TBA
- Radio: 99.9 WQLQ-FM in South Bend
- Radio broadcaster: Sean Stires and Karen Keyes
Matchup notables
• Notre Dame beat No. 5 seed Louisville, 77-68, and No. 1 seed Virginia Tech, 82-53, to reach the championship game for the first time since 2019.
• NC State beat No. 7 seed Duke, 54-51, and No. 6 seed Florida State, 69-43, to reach the title game for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
• The Wolfpack lean on a rotation of six players. Only half a dozen logged playing time in the semifinals against the Seminoles until late in the fourth quarter when the game was in hand.
• The Wolfpack are guard-driven and play a harassing brand of basketball, one that limited Notre Dame to a season-low 43 points in a 16-point Irish loss in South Bend in mid-February. Guards Aziaha James, Saniya Rivers and Madison Hayes are NC State’s top three scorers. Forward Mimi Collins and center River Baldwin also average in double figures. James led the Pack with 23 points against the Noles. Collins had 17.
• Notre Dame could be playing without senior center Kylee Watson, who went down with what looked to be a nasty knee injury in the third quarter Saturday. That could force Ivey to also employ a six-player rotation. The Irish have been in a groove of giving seven regular minutes for most of the season. If needed, Pepperdine transfer Becky Obinma can give Ivey some minutes. She’s played sparingly in her lone season in South Bend, though.
• Seniors Maddy Westbeld and Nat Marshall will be key players for the Irish in trying to contain Collins and Baldwin in the post. Collins didn’t play against the Irish last month, and the Wolfpack still had more points in the paint than the Irish.
• Notre Dame is seeking its 12 conference tournament title and sixth in the ACC.
