Notre Dame has challenging draw in the 2026 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament

The regular season for women's basketball has officially come to a close, and conference tournaments are soon to commence. The ACC Women's Basketball Tournament bracket was released on Sunday, and Notre Dame won't have the easiest path to the championship.

The Fighting Irish received a first-round bye as the 5-seed in the tournament, but after that, they have a road of teams they have struggled against ahead of them. Hannah Hidalgo and her squad will have to work hard for a tournament title, something they hope to reclaim again since the last time they won it in 2024.

ACC Women's Basketball bracket revealed for Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish have not had quite the same season as they did in 2024-2025, but behind star Hannah Hidalgo, the Irish still have a great shot at an NCAA Tournament bid. The Irish missed a double-bye in the ACC Tournament by one seed, but at least they get a long break, not having to play on Friday.

Looking at Notre Dame's path, the Irish will play either Miami or Stanford in their first game, and both teams the Irish were able to handle this season. If Notre Dame were to win that game, they would face NC State, another team Hidalgo and her squad were able to take down in an upset win this season.

After the first couple of rounds for the Irish, things get a little dicey. Notre Dame is in the top half of the bracket, which means in their path is 1-seed Duke, a team the Irish struggled heavily against early in ACC play. If Duke were to be upset, Notre Dame would face either Virginia or Clemson, two other teams the Irish weren't able to take down.

While things look a little bleak after the first few rounds for Notre Dame, the Irish finished the season strong with a five-game win streak, which included a win over No. 10 Louisville, the 2-seed in the tournament. Notre Dame is on a roll, and they plan to take that momentum into the tournament.

How to watch ACC Women's Basketball Tournament: Full schedule and bracket

Wednesday, March 4

- No. 12 Miami vs. No. 13 Stanford, 11:00 a.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 10 Cal vs. No. 15 Wake Forest, 1:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. No. Florida State, 4:00 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)

Thursday, March 5

- No. 8 Virginia vs. No. 9 Clemson, 11:00 a.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 4 Notre Dame vs. Winner of Miami/Stanford, 1:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 7 Syracuse vs. Winner of Cal/Wake Forest, 5:00 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 6 Virginia Tech vs. Winner of Georgia Tech/Florida State, 7:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)

Friday, March 6

- No. 1 Duke vs. Winner of Virginia/Clemson, 11:00 a.m. EST on ESPN2 (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 4 NC State vs. Winner of Notre Dame/TBA, 1:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- No. 2 Louisville vs. Winner of Syracuse/TBA, 5:00 p.m. EST on ESPN2 (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
-No. 3 UNC vs. Winner of Virginia Tech/TBA, 7:30 p.m. EST on ACC Network (Watch using fuboTV free trial)

Saturday, March 7

- Semifinal Game 1, Noon EST on ESPN2 (Watch using fuboTV free trial)
- Semifinal Game 2, 2:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2 (Watch using fuboTV free trial)

Sunday, March 8

- Championship Game, 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN (Watch using fuboTV free trial)