Notre Dame women open ACC Tournament play as No. 5 seed, seek momentum for NCAA push

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The road to March Madness begins this week for Notre Dame.

The Irish enter the ACC Tournament in Duluth, Georgia, as the No. 5 seed after finishing the regular season 20-9 overall and 12-6 in conference play.

The seed earns Notre Dame a first-round bye and sets up a Thursday 1:30 p.m. Eastern second-round matchup against the winner of Miami and Stanford.

Following a signature 65-62 upset of No. 10 Louisville in their regular-season finale, the Irish head into the postseason with big momentum led by star guard Hannah Hidalgo.

Hidalgo has powered Notre Dame throughout the season, averaging 25.2 points per game while contributing across the stat sheet defensively and on the glass. Saturday, she delivered one of her most complete performances of the year, finishing with 30 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals.

Under head coach Niele Ivey, Notre Dame has navigated a season filled with both high-level wins and challenging stretches. Now, the focus shifts to capitalizing on late-season growth.

“This team has worked really hard to get to this point,” Ivey said. “We’ve taken some lumps but we’ve learned from them and we’ve just gotten better every game so I feel like anything is possible. I love that we are peaking at the right time but also our confidence is where it needs to be at this point of the season.”

A strong showing in the ACC Tournament could not only boost confidence but also improve Notre Dame’s positioning ahead of Selection Sunday. Thursday’s quarterfinal is about more than advancement — it is an opportunity for the Irish to solidify their standing in a deep and competitive conference and reinforce their case for a favorable NCAA Tournament seed.