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Notre Dame Women’s Basketball: Irish Begin Title Defense with Bethune-Cookman

By Jack Leniart

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Jackie Young #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a shot against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the fourth quarter in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs 61-58. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Jackie Young #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a shot against the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs during the fourth quarter in the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Women's Final Four at Nationwide Arena on April 1, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs 61-58. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame women’s basketball team has earned a 1 seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Irish will play Bethune-Cookman in the first round. That game will take place in South Bend on Saturday, March 23rd at 11:00am ET.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team will open up NCAA Tournament play in the friendly confines of Purcell Pavilion. Their first opponent: the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats.

The Wildcats finished third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference this year with an overall record of 21-10. They earned a spot in this year’s NCAA Tournament by winning their conference tournament.

After some early-season struggles, the Wildcats built some momentum and won 12 of their last 14 games. They had a double-digit margin of victory in both the semifinal and final rounds of the MEAC tournament.

The Wildcats are lead by senior guard Angel Golden. With a name like that, you know she is sure to have the game of her life at Notre Dame.

Golden is averaging 19.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season. She was the MEAC player of the year last season and was first team al-conference.

Now, Irish fans, do not let any of that scare you heading into this first round matchup. Notre Dame has a good chance of putting up 100 points and winning by 40 points. As always, though, no opponent should be overlooked in the NCAA Tournament.

Next. Notre Dame Women's Basketball Lands Number 1 Seed. dark

If the Irish win on Saturday, they will then play the winner of Central Michigan and Michigan State. The winner of that game will advance to the Sweet Sixteen, which will be held in Chicago for this region of the bracket.