SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A number of firsts were knocked out on Sunday night, as No. 11 Notre Dame (25-5) found out it will host the first and second rounds of the 2023 NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. It is the first time the Irish will welcome teams to South Bend for the event since 2019 when the group was a No. 1 seed.
In addition to the aforementioned first, this is Karen and Kevin Keyes Family Head Coach Niele Ivey’s first time at the helm when the Irish are hosting. Finally, Notre Dame has never been a No. 3 seed. It is the group’s highest seed since 2019.
Notre Dame will face Southern Utah (23-9) on Friday, and should the Irish win, they would see Illinois, Mississippi State or Creighton on Sunday. All times remain TBD. If the group survives until the Sweet 16, they will head to Greenville. Greenville and Seattle are the only two regional destinations for this year’s tournament.
The Irish are coming off of an ACC Tournament semifinal loss to Louisville last weekend. They beat NC State to get there, and sophomore Sonia Citron ran the point and posted a season-high 28 points in that contest.
Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament by the Numbers
All-time record: 69-25 (.734)
First-round record: 23-4 (.852)
Home record: 22-2 (.917)
523: Notre Dame’s 523 points in the 2018 NCAA Tournament ranks fifth all-time
155: Arike Ogunbowale’s 155 points in the 2019 NCAA Tournament ranks fourth all-time
73.4: Notre Dame’s 73.4 winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament ranks fifth all-time
54.3: Notre Dame’s 54.3 FG% (102-188) in last year’s NCAA Tournament ranks sixth all-time
54: Sonia Citron is one of 54 players to go at least a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line in the NCAA Tournament (11-11 vs Oklahoma in 2022)
20: Niele Ivey’s 20 steals in the 2001 NCAA Tournament ranks sixth all-time
1: Olivia Miles is the only freshman to ever record a triple-double in the NCAA Tournament
Tickets to the first and second-round matchups can be purchased below.