For the fifth-straight season, Notre Dame women’s basketball is in the Sweet 16.
The 6-seeded Fighting Irish (24-10) knocked off 11-seed Fairfield in the first round, then upset 3-seed Ohio State, 83-73, in a second-round contest on Monday, March 23. Notre Dame went down 11-0 less than two minutes into the game before a furious rally led to the double-digit win.
Up next for Notre Dame? A game against 2-seed Vanderbilt (29-4) in the Fort Worth Regional 1 semifinal, a.k.a. the Sweet 16. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. ET Friday, March 27 inside the Dickies Arena and will be broadcast on ESPN. It should be a star-studded affair as Hannah Hidalgo leads the Irish against Commodores sophomore Mikayla Blakes. Both players were named their respective conference’s Player of the Year (ACC and SEC). The winner will face either top-seeded UConn or 4-seed North Carolina in an Elite 8 game Sunday, March 29.
Follow below for coverage of Notre Dame’s Sweet 16 appearance from The South Bend Tribune.
By Kyle Smedley, Notre Dame women’s basketball beat reporter for the South Bend Tribune
Vanderbilt 75, Notre Dame 67: After making the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth straight time in 15 straight tournament appearances, the Irish can’t advance to their first Elite Eight in seven years and fail to pull off consecutive upsets. Vanderbilt, powered by Blakes, proves to be too well-rounded for Notre Dame as the Commodores make their first Elite Eight since 2002.
The Irish will play the Commodores at 2:30 p.m. ET Friday, March 27 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN. Streaming is available with any subscription or cable package including DirectTV, YouTube TV, ESPN+, Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV, Fubo and more.
See the link below to purchase tickets for Notre Dame vs Vanderbilt in the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. Tickets were as low as $38 on Tuesday, March 24.
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