March 12, 2018
2018 NCAA Bracket | Irish NCAA Tournament Central | Photo Gallery
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the 23rd straight year and 25th time overall, the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team is dancing in the NCAA Championship. The Irish were named a No. 1 seed in the Spokane Regional and will host First & Second Round action inside Purcell Pavilion starting on Friday, March 16, at 5 p.m. ET.
The Irish received a No. 1 seed for the seventh consecutive year and eighth time in program history. Notre Dame is 30-6 all-time as a top seed. In addition, Notre Dame received First & Second Round hosting duties for the 13th time, where they are 18-2 in NCAA play inside Purcell Pavilion, including the winners of 12 straight.
To continue the winning streak at home, the Irish will first battle CSUN at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. The Matadors went 19-15 overall and won the Big West Tournament after upsetting No. 1 seed UC Davis.
The nightcap of Friday’s First Round doubleheader will feature No. 8 seed South Dakota State clash with No. 9 seed Villanova at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2. The Jackrabbits of South Dakota State are making their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance after going 26-6 and winning the Summit League Championship. Meanwhile, Villanova is making its 11th NCAA appearance and first since 2013 after going 22-8 overall and 12-6 in the Big East.
Notre Dame’s tournament resume certainly spoke for itself: a 29-3 record on the nation’s No. 1 strength of schedule, the second most ranked wins (9) in the country, the most ranked wins away from home (7), the most RPI top-50 victories (15) and a fifth straight ACC regular season title in the nation’s toughest-rated RPI conference.
As a conference, eight ACC teams made the Big Dance, which tied the league record set in both 2014 and 2015. The eight teams were the most of any conference this year.
All-session and single-session tickets for this weekend’s NCAA Championship games are on sale now at UND.com/buytickets. Tickets are also available by phone (574-631-7356) or in person at the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (Gate 9 at Purcell Pavilion) beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Lastly, Notre Dame Women’s Basketball will host an autograph session and ticket pickup event in the main lobby of Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday from 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Fans can pick up their NCAA tickets, meet the team and enjoy FREE pizza!
First and Second Round Pricing
All-session
Adult: $32.00
Youth: $20.00
First Round Only
Adult: $17.00
Youth: $12.00
Second Round Only
Adult: $21.00
Youth: $15.00
Club Naimoli
All-Session: $62.00
First Round: $42.00
Second Round: $32.00
Notes
- Notre Dame is making its 25th appearance in the NCAA Championship and 23rd in a row.
- The 23 consecutive NCAA Championship berths is the fourth-longest active streak in the nation and fifth longest all-time.
- The Irish are 56-23 all-time in the NCAA Championship. The 56 wins are tied for the fifth most by any school, while Notre Dame’s .709 winning percentage stands tied for sixth.
- This was the eighth time that Notre Dame has claimed a No. 1 seed in the Tournament and the seventh year in a row.
- The Irish are 30-6 all-time when playing as a top seed, with four of the losses coming to fellow No. 1 seeds.
- Notre Dame will host First & Second Round NCAA action for the 13th time and fifth year in a row. The Irish are 18-2 in NCAA play inside Purcell Pavilion, including the winners of 12 straight.
- Eight ACC teams were selected to the Big Dance, matching a league record set in both 2014 and 2015. The eight teams are the most of any conference this year.
- The Irish have advanced to 15 Sweet 16s, eight Elite Eights, including six of the last seven. Notre Dame has reached seven Final Fours and five national title games.
- Notre Dame is one of four schools to make last eight Sweet 16s with UConn, Stanford and Baylor.
- Notre Dame, UConn and Baylor are the only teams to reach the Elite Eight six times in the last seven years. Once reaching the Elite Eight stage, the Irish have been more successful than any other regularly-appearing school in the country. Their .875 winning percentage (7-1 record) is the best of any school to play in at least five Elite Eights.
- The seven Final Fours are the fifth-most of any school.
- Notre Dame is one of only four schools in NCAA history to reach five National title games (Tennessee, UConn and Louisiana Tech).