For the fourth straight season, Niele Ivey has the chance to take the Notre Dame women’s basketball team past the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since the 2018-2019 season. With her next game away from Purcell Pavillion, things get a little bit harder but the Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach will hope that four is the magic number.
The Blue and Gold get a chance to make it to the Elite Eight thanks to a dominant win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against an old rival in the Michigan Wolverines. In the process, Ivey’s squad looks like it’s playing much as it did when it very briefly was the No. 1 team in the country. In fact, the Irish coach said as much after their first round, 50-point victory over Stephen F. Austin.
The Notre Dame women’s basketball team dominated the Michigan Wolverines from start to finish on Sunday afternoon, taking a 32-12 lead after the first quarter. While UM was able to battle to the point where the game wasn’t a total blowout, they never got the score closer than the final 21-point deficit.
Notre Dame women’s basketball team ready for fourth straight Sweet 16 tilt
Among the notable pieces of news for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday, in addition to the win, was that Olivia Miles was able to play the entire game. While he ankle was heavily taped, it’s clear that she will also be able to go against whoever they play next week.
Just who the Notre Dame women’s basketball team will take on is still not known. That will be determined when 7th-seeded Louisville takes on 2nd-seeded TCU later on Sunday. That game will feature Horned Frogs’ superstar Hailey Van Lith against her former school.