What exactly is going on with the Notre Dame women’s basketball team? One late loss in double overtime to North Carolina State was one thing. But a loss to the Florida State Seminoles, at home, when the Irish are staring an ACC title in the face is something else entirely.
And yet, Niele Ivey’s squad hit another bump in the road. And this bump could mean they aren’t getting a No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Notre Dame women’s basketball team started off strong enough on Thursday night. They started out with a 23-17 lead after the first quarter. The Seminoles, one of the best scoring teams in the country, was struggling.
Notre Dame women’s basketball team lays another egg
Notre Dame built a 15-point lead early in the second quarter. From there, Florida State played with more purpose and was the aggressor, on the road, in an 86-81 victory over the Fighting Irish.
The problem now is that with a second straight loss, what was a dream season is ending like a nightmare. Their final game on Sunday against another ranked opponent is now make or break.
Should they win, they’ll still win the ACC tournament thanks to a tiebreaker over the Wolfpack. Should they lose, there’s a very real chance they’ll have seen the regular season ACC title evaporate in the span of three games.
There’s also still a real question of where they’ll be in the NCAA Tournament. They entered Thursday still looking at a No.1 seed. But that was before another Notre Dame women’s basketball loss. Now it’s wait and see.