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Grad senior Liatu King (20) will make her NCAA Tournament debut later this week for Notre Dame after being a spectator for her previous four postseason on Pitt teams with losing records.
John Mersits, Associated Press
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The more pertinent reveal regarding the 30th and latest NCAA Tourney journey for the Notre Dame women’s basketball program won’t actually take place until after it’s already started.
Specifically, whether the eighth-ranked Irish (26-5) were able to refocus, recharge and recalibrate during their long layoff since a semifinal thud in the ACC Tournament on March 8 and realign with the version of themselves that topped the nation’s polls for a week in February and still are in the top five nationally in some key offensive categories.
Despite looking like a team in dire need of an offensive makeover in its third loss in five games, scoring a season-low 56 points in a 61-56 loss to eventual ACC Tourney champ Duke eight days ago.
What the Selection Sunday reveal provided Notre Dame and its followers is the path the Irish will take in trying to reach Tampa the first weekend in April for the Final Four, a level of the NCAA Tournament the Irish haven’t reached since their 2019 NCAA runner-up finish.
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Sitting in Club Namoli atop Purcell Pavilion on Sunday night, the Irish and fifth-year coach Niele Ivey took in the ESPN bracket show together and found out they’ll play the 101st NCAA Tournament game in program history on Friday at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend with a first-round matchup against 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin (29-5).
Notre Dame was designated a No. 3 seed for a body of work that included wins over two No. 1 seeds (USC and Texas) during the regular season and a 19-game win streak before a 2-3 pre-NCAA Tourney dip.
The Irish enter this NCAA run 73-27 all-time, 25-4 in first round-games, 26-2 at home and 2-1 all-time as a No. 3 seed
Should the Irish push past the heavy underdogs on Friday, they’ll be back at Purcell on Sunday for a second-round matchup with the winner of Friday’s matchup between 6 seed Michigan and an 11 seed First Four winner between Iowa State and Princeton.
Sunday’s survivor heads to Birmingham for Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games. The Final Four, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, is April 4 and 6. Notre Dame’s run has reached and stalled in the Sweet 16 each of the past three tourneys.
Notre Dame enters this rendition of the NCAA Tournament ranked in the top 10 nationally in four notable statistical categories — No. 1 in 3-point-shooting (.395), No. 5 in scoring (84.7) and field-goal percentage (.487) and No. 10 in 3-point shooting defense (.266).
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