Notre Dame Earns No. 1 Seed In Lexington Region
For the fifth consecutive year, head coach Muffet McGraw’s Fighting Irish, which finished 31-1 and No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, made it to the No. 1 seed line.
This time they will be in the Lexington Region and their quest begins for a sixth consecutive Final Four on Saturday evening, when they host No. 16 seed and 19-11 North Carolina A&T (6:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN2).
A win there would advance Notre Dame to the second round in Purcell Pavilion next Monday night against the winner of the contest between No. 8 seed Georgia (21-9) and No. 9 seed Indiana (20-11).
Notre Dame could join Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut dynasty as the only two programs in the women’s game to advance to six straight Final Fours (the Huskies are at eight, and counting). Not even the legendary Pat Summitt achieved that feat while at Tennessee.
“It is so difficult to do what we’ve been doing,” McGraw said on Monday night. “I know this team makes it look easy and they’re having a lot of fun doing it, but they put in an awful lot of work and so does my staff.”
The Irish appeared more vulnerable this season after surprisingly losing junior Jewell Loyd as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft. Starting junior forward/captain Taya Reimer then left the program in December and, in between, freshman point guard Ali Patberg tore her ACL in October and was sidelined her for the year.
Yet with the All-ACC nucleus of sophomore post Brianna Turner, fifth-year senior wing Madison Cable and junior point guard Lindsay Allen, augmented by a bench averaging 30 points per game, Notre Dame ran the table in the ACC — and is 104-1 the past three seasons against teams not named UConn. It is the Huskies who have ended each of the past three seasons for McGraw’s squad.
Regardless, the lack of one marquee figure has aided the Fighting Irish to play better in unison and with a poised demeanor.
“There’s no pressure on any one individual because we know somebody is going to step up,” McGraw said. “… We’ve got seven different people who can lead us in scoring. We’re playing a lot of people, so there is no pressure on any one person.
“I think they’re having fun, they’re enjoying the experience.”
Surprised that Notre Dame was placed in Lexington instead of Sioux Falls for the regional rounds (Sweet 16 and Elite Eight), McGraw spoke only about hosting the first two games. Nevertheless, there are expected to be bona fide threats in Lexington if the Irish advance there as expected.
• No. 2 seed Maryland (30-3) finished No. 5 in the AP poll and has played in each of the past two Final Fours, losing to Notre Dame in 2014.
• No. 3 seed Kentucky (23-7 and ranked No. 12 in the AP poll) will be on its home floor the first two rounds, just like Notre Dame — and would also host the Lexington Region. Even as the one seed, the Irish potentially could play on another team’s home floor.
• No. 4 seed Stanford (24-7 and ranked No. 13) is one of the rare programs that have made it to five straight Final Fours (2008-12). The Cardinal also returned there in 2014, and is the last team to defeat UConn. Stanford lost last year to Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, but could have a rematch this year.
This is the 21st straight season the Irish are in the NCAA Tournament. They are seeking their first national championship since 2001.