Notre Dame’s Demetrius Jackson celebrates a turnover against the Butler Bulldogs in the second half during the third round of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. (Getty)
Notre Dame has continued its postseason success. After winning their first-ever ACC Tournament Championship, the Fighting Irish received the No. 3 seed in the Midwest region. In the round of 64, Notre Dame walked away with the 69-65 win over No. 14 Northeastern. Then in the next round, it was an overtime thriller that saw the Irish top in-state rival No. 6 Butler, 67-64. And with the victory, Notre Dame gets another week and advances to the Sweet 16.
The Irish will face No. 7 Wichita State, which is under the direction of head coach Gregg Marshall. Over the last couple of years the Shockers have lived up to their mascot name – making an unexpected Final Four run two years ago and going a perfect 34-0 heading into last year’s tournament. This season, Wichita State got a selection committee bid to join the dance floor. In the round of 64 WSU slipped by No. 10 Indiana, 81-76, to set the stage for the in-state rival matchup against Kansas – the first time since 1993. The Shockers routed the Jayhawks, 78-65, and live to play another week of hoops.
Here’s what you need to know about the game:
The Basics
Who:
No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Wichita State
What:
NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
When:
Thursday, March 26
Where:
Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio
Bracket Region:
Midwest
Time:
7:15 p.m. Eastern
Channel:
CBS
Line:
Keep up with OddsShark and its betting-focused matchup preview.
Scouting Notre Dame
Record: 31-5 overall, 14-4 ACC
Coach: Mike Brey, 15th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 78.8
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 65.6
Scoring Leader: Jerian Grant, 16.8
Rebounding Leader: Pat Connaughton, 7.4
Assists Leader: Jerian Grant, 6.6
Scouting Wichita State
Record: 30-4 overall, 17-1 MVC
Coach: Gregg Marshall, 8th season
Offensive Points Per Game: 69.7
Defensive Points Allowed Per Game: 55.8
Scoring Leaders: Ron Baker, 15.0 ppg, Fred VanVleet, 12.7 ppg
Rebounding Leader: Darius Carter, 5.3 rpg
Assists Leader: Fred VanVleet, 5.3 apg