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:
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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