SOUTH BEND ― For the first time since Notre Dame women’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament path was laid out on Selection Sunday, head coach Niele Ivey spoke to the media Monday, March 16 about the No. 6 seed Irish’s Round of 64 game against No. 11 seed Fairfield at No. 3 seed Ohio State’s Columbus host site at 2 p.m. ET Saturday, March 21.
A sixth seed is the lowest the Irish have entered March Madness since 2009 when they lost in the Round of 64 as a No. 7 seed to No. 10 seed Minnesota.
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However, Notre Dame (22-10) is playing its best basketball heading into tournament play, going 9-2 since Feb. 1, including a win against No. 3 seed Louisville in the regular season finale and two Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship Tournament victories. The Irish lost their most recent game to eventual ACC Champion and No. 3 NCAA Tournament seed Duke 65-63 Saturday, March 7.
Ivey said she gave Notre Dame four days off following that game before getting back to its regular practice schedule in South Bend Thursday, March 12. The Irish never doubted that they were preparing for the NCAA Tournament, but now they know who they’re preparing for and what could be next should they advance.
The Stags are heading into their third straight NCAA Tournament, but they’ve never won a tournament game. However, Fairfield is 28-4 this season, including a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship and Quad 1 wins against No. 10 seed Villanova and No. 11 seed Richmond.
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“They play really well and very disciplined,” Ivey said. “Play hard. [They’re a] very tough, under-sized team. Very, very smart.”
Ivey described the Stags as “high octane,” averaging 11 3-pointers per game, the most in Division I women’s basketball. The Stags are tied for the second most 3-point attempts per game with 30.8 and have the third-most total 3-point attempts with 985.
Fairfield’s 3-point percentage is 36.95%, which is 10th-best in the country and the second-best Notre Dame has faced behind No. 1 seed UConn. The Stags have even slightly beat Notre Dame at its own game, forcing 20.12 turnovers per game while the Irish average an even 20.
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Notre Dame, however, averages the eighth-most steals per game with 13.4. Junior ACC Player and Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo averages the most steals per game of any player in Division I with 5.41.
Fairfield sits at 9.6 steals per game. Junior Kaety L’Amoreaux averages the most of any Stag with 2.12. She also averages the most points per game on the squad with 17.6.
“We have our hands full, but I’m excited,” Ivey said. “We have to do a great job of defending the 3-point line and putting a lot of pressure on them … You have to make sure you’re checking every box on all aspects. Finding out their weaknesses and trying to take away their strengths.”
Ivey feels confident in being able to defend shots from beyond the arc, citing ACC play as Notre Dame’s best teacher in that regard. Of the top 100 3-point shooting teams in Division I, five of them reside in the ACC, and the Irish went 3-3 against those foes.
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Notre Dame has played 10 of the top 100 3-point shooting teams overall, going 6-4 against such competition. The Irish hold all opponents to an average of just 5.5 3-pointers per game on 30.8% shooting.
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Ivey said the key for Notre Dame to advance to the Round of 32 and a presumptive contest against the host Buckeyes (26-7) is for the Irish to stay true to who they’ve collectively become throughout the season.
“Our grit; Our resilience,” Ivey said. “We’ve really grown in the last couple of months. We’re confident in that regard, because we’ve learned how to fight. We’ve learned how to trust each other.”
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Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Niele Ivey preview of Notre Dame women’s basketball’s NCAA Tourney opener
