WBK Preview: NCAA Tournament vs Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – For the first time since 2018, Mississippi State and Notre Dame will meet on the hardwood in the NCAA Tournament. The 11th-seeded Bulldogs and the 3rd-seeded Fighting Irish will match up in the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. Tip-off for the contest is set for 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

GAME INFORMATION
Mississippi State (22-10, 9-7 SEC) vs. Notre Dame (26-5, 15-3 ACC)
Date: Sunday, March 19, 2023 // Time: 2:30 p.m. CT
Location: South Bend, Ind. (Purcell Pavilion)
Watch: ESPN (Talent: Jenn Hildreth & Mike Thibault)
Listen: MSU Radio Network (Play-By-Play: Jason Crowder)

Numbers To Know
12 • Mississippi State is making its 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs own a 24-11 record in the tournament.
3 • Mississippi State has three players averaging double-digit points in the NCAA Tournament. Leading the way has been Jessika Carter (18.0 points and 9.5 rebounds), JerKaila Jordan (15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds) and Anastasia Hayes (11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists).
75.5 • The Bulldogs have found their rhythm offensively in the NCAA Tournament. State is averaging 75.5 points per game, up from their 71.8 average during the season. MSU is shooting 45% from three in tournament play, up from their season percentage of 36%.
11 • The Bulldogs knocked down 11 three-pointers in Friday's win over Creighton. State's 11 threes tied a season-high that was set against Old Dominion back on Dec. 19
1 • Mississippi State became the first team to play in the First Four and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
11 • Since 2010, only eight 11-seeds have reached the sweet 16. 2019 was the last time an 11-seed advanced to the Sweet 16 (Missouri State def. Iowa State, 69-60).

Series History
• This will be the second meeting between Mississippi State and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish lead the series 1-0.
• The lone meeting between the two programs came on April 1, 2018, at the National Championship in Columbus, Ohio. Notre Dame won that game 58-61 on a buzzer-beating three.

Get-To-Know Notre Dame
• Notre Dame won the ACC Regular Season Championship and is ranked 11th in both the AP and Coaches poll.
• The Fighting Irish are 26-5 on the year and coached by Niele Ivey. Ivey is in her 3rd season at Notre Dame with a record of 60-24.
• Notre Dame is led by Olivia Miles, who leads the team in rebounds (7.3), assists (6.9), and steals (2.1). Unfortunately, Miles suffered a knee injury in the final regular season game and will miss the remainder of the season.
• ND advanced to the second round with an 82-56 victory over Southern Utah.
• Notre Dame has been a force when playing inside the Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish are 14.2 at home this season and averaging 79.3 ppg. They've outscored their opponents by 22.6 ppg at home.
• Notre Dame has won five straight home games. Their last home loss came on Feb. 5 against Duke (57-52).
• Sonia Citron has been electric at home. She leads the team shooting 50% from the floor and 45% from three at home.
• Through 31 games, the Irish are averaging 43 rebounds per game with a rebounding margin of +10.5.

NCAA Tournament History
• Mississippi State is 24-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
• Mississippi State has made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, two of which were national finals.
• The Bulldogs have won at least one NCAA Tournament game in all but one tournament appearance. The only time State didn't win at least one game was in their first appearance in 1999.
•The Bulldogs have been a No. 1 seed twice in program history.
• State is 3-0 in NCAA Tournament overtime games.
• Mississippi State is 15-3 in the NCAA Tournament since the 2016-17 season.
• This is MSU's second time being an 11 seed, the first since 2008-09. The Bulldogs are 3-1 when seeded 11th.

Mississippi State Noteables
• First time State has won 2 games as an 11 seed in the NCAA tournament
• MSU is now 2-1 against BIG EAST teams in the NCAA Tournament
• 18th-time MSU has won a game scoring 70+ points in the NCAAT
• In the last 10 games, MSU has been shooting 75% from the foul line. During the year, they are shooting 67%
• MSU and Notre Dame have met only once. Their only meeting was in the National Championship game in 2018. Notre Dame won their second national title after defeating MSU 58-61 on a last-second three.

SEC Postseason Honors
• Jessika Carter, a preseason All-SEC pick, earned Second Team All-SEC honors. Carter was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team. This is Carter's second career All-SEC honor. She earned Second Team honors back in 2020.
• Debreasha Powe earned SEC All-Freshmen Team honors. This is the 4th straight season MSU has had someone named to the All-Freshman team.
• Mississippi State, who finished the regular season tied for 5th in the SEC Standings, was predicted to finish tied for 5th by the League's head coaches in the preseason poll and was predicted to finish 8th by the SEC media in the preseason media poll.

Up Next
The Mississippi State vs. Notre Dame winner will advance to the Sweet 16 and play the winner of No. 7 seed Arizona & No. 2 seed Maryland. The game will be played in Greenville, S.C. March 19 or 20.

For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."

– HailState.com –

WBK Preview: NCAA Tournament vs Notre Dame

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jessika Carter

Anastasia Hayes

Jerkaila Jordan

Debreasha Powe

Mississippi State University Athletics