NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The road to defending the title has officially been laid out for the University of Notre Dame women’s basketball team. Karen & Kevin Keyes head coach Muffet McGraw, along with the Atlantic Coast Conference, released the full 2018-19 slate on Tuesday afternoon.
The Irish will challenge a total of 16 teams who qualified for the 2018 NCAA Championship, including five of whom reached the Sweet 16. In addition, 10 opponents are ranked within ESPN’s Too Early Top-25 from last spring.
Furthermore, the Irish will appear on national television at least 11 times this upcoming season, including at least seven appearances on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Non-Conference
Notre Dame will commence the 2018-19 season with back-to-back games at home vs. Ivy League opponents Harvard (Nov. 9) and Penn (Nov. 12) before visiting its neighbor in the Windy City at DePaul (Nov. 17).
The Irish will then once again compete in a Thanksgiving showcase tournament, this year in Vancouver (No. 22-24), where they’ll first square off against West Coast Conference champion Gonzaga. The showcase will be an eight-team tournament with three games in three days, which features a potential title game showdown with South Carolina.
The Irish will return home to host Iowa (Nov. 29) for the ACC/B1G Challenge followed by the women’s Jimmy V Classic game vs UConn (Dec. 2). The two games will air on ESPN2 and ESPN, respectively.
After matchups at Toledo (Dec. 8) and back home vs. Binghamton (Dec. 16), the Irish will play familiar foes in Western Kentucky (Dec. 19) and Marquette (Dec. 22), as the latter marks a return home for senior guard and Milwaukee native Arike Ogunbowale. Notre Dame then closes out the calendar year by hosting Lehigh at home (Dec. 30).
Lastly, Notre Dame and Tennessee will renew their rivalry, this year in Knoxville, airing either on ESPN/ESPN2 on Jan. 24.
Home: Harvard (Nov. 9) | Penn (Nov. 12) | Iowa (Nov. 29) | UConn (Dec. 2) | Binghamton (Dec. 16) | Western Kentucky (Dec. 19) | Lehigh (Dec. 30)
Away: DePaul (Nov. 17) | Vancouver Showcase (Nov. 22-24) | Toledo (Dec. 8) | Marquette (Dec. 22) | Tennessee (Jan. 24)
ACC
Last season, the ACC was the No. 1-ranked conference in both RPI and strength of schedule, and had a league-tying record eight teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame will begin its sixth year in the ACC and is coming off of collecting its fifth ACC regular-season title in 2018.
Once again, Notre Dame will play a home-and-away series with both Boston College and Georgia Tech. Beginning in the 2019-20 season, the ACC will move to an 18-game league schedule.
The ACC’s two Final Four teams from last season will square off inside Purcell Pavilion in a much-anticipated matchup against Louisville on Jan. 10 on ESPN.
Other notable matchups at home include Florida State (Feb. 10), Duke (Feb. 21) and Virginia (March 3). Notre Dame will be featured in two Big Monday matchups on ESPN2, starting with NC State in Raleigh on Feb. 18, followed by a trip to Syracuse on Feb. 25.
Lastly, the Greensboro Coliseum will play host to the 2019 ACC Championship from March 6-10, marking the 19th time in 20 years.
Home: Pitt (Jan. 3) | Louisville (Jan. 10) | Wake Forest (Jan. 13) | Boston College (Jan. 20) | Georgia Tech (Feb. 3) | Florida State (Feb. 10) | Duke (Feb. 21) | Virginia (March 3)
Away: Georgia Tech (Jan. 6) | Virginia Tech (Jan. 16) | UNC (Jan. 27) | Clemson (Jan. 31) | Miami (Feb. 7) | Boston College (Feb. 13) | NC State (Feb. 18) | Syracuse (Feb. 25)
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