With a disappointing end to their regular season and ACC Tournament, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team has been trending downwards in the national rankings. At one point only a few weeks ago, the Irish were ranked number one in the country, but having lost three of their last five games, the NCAA selection committee dropped them significantly. As the bracket was set late on Sunday night, the Irish were selected as a three seed in the Birmingham Region where they will face the fourteenth seeded Stephen F. Austin at Purcell Pavilion on Friday.
Although the Irish still get to host as a three seed, they have to be frustrated with how far they fell in the seeding of the bracket. The Irish have one of the best resumes in the country taking down top opponents like USC, Texas, UConn, North Carolina, and Duke. However, Notre Dame’s end of the season struggles while the rest of the “top dogs” propelled themselves even higher, made it difficult to find a spot for the struggling Irish, according to ESPN reporters. Despite the somewhat disappointing seed for the ladies, many believe that Coach Ivey’s squad will be even more fueled to make a run into the Final Four held in Tampa Bay.
The Irish were given a manageable pathway in the Birmingham Region, where they have already faced the top two seeds in the region. Texas, although still exceptional, look to be one of the weaker one seeds in the bracket and are a team the Irish have already beaten back in December in an overtime thriller at Purcell Pavilion. TCU, the two seed in the Birmingham Region, are coming into the tournament hot after securing the Big 12 Tournament Title over Baylor as they are led by national star Hailey Van Lith. The Irish fell to the Horned Frogs back in the Cayman Islands Classic in November, but both teams have progressed greatly since then.
With an experienced senior class that came back in search of winning a National Championship and the energetic superstar Hannah Hidalgo who never backs down, the Irish are primed for a Final Four run led by Coach Ivey. They have the talent, they have the leadership, they have the fight; now, they must put it all together in order to make it through the madness of march.
