March 13, 2000
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Matt Doherty allows his team only one night to dwell on their wins.
He gave his team very little time to dwell on the disappointing news.
The Selection Committee omitted the Irish from the top 64 teams, to the disappointment of many. Doherty told his team that he would not allow them to dwell on the fact that they were not invited. He reminded them that the season is not over.
Notre Dame earned an invitation for postseason play in the NIT.
“We’ll go out there and play hard,” Irish head coach Matt Doherty said. “If you would have told us in the preseason, ‘Hey, you’re going to be in the NIT,’ that would have been something a lot of people would have jumped at.”
Notre Dame will face Michigan in the opening round.
The invitation marks the team’s seventh appearance in the NIT. It is the team’s first appearance since 1997 when the team was one away from making it into the NIT’s Final Four.
Notre Dame lost to Michigan in the third round last year at the Joyce Center. In the contest, the Irish fell just short to the Wolverines, 67-66.
The NCAA selection committee cited the losses to Pittsburgh and Providence as reason for not extending the Irish a bid. Those losses compiled with the numerous upsets in conference tournaments hurt Notre Dame’s chances.
Notre Dame will host Michigan on Wednesday night at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN. The winner will face the winner of the Marquette-Xavier contest.