No. 3 seed Notre Dame will take on No. 2 seed TCU in the NCAA Sweet 16 on Saturday, offering the Fighting Irish the chance at advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time this decade. Before the matchup, here's a look back at the last time Notre Dame won a championship, and their history in the NCAA tournament.
When Did Notre Dame Last Win the NCAA Tournament?
The Fighting Irish most recently won an NCAA championship in 2018 after defeating Mississippi State in the Finals 61-58. Arike Ogunbowale was the star for Notre Dame, hitting buzzer-beaters in consecutive games to win the school's second title and earn the Most Outstanding Player award. The team was coached by Hall of Famer Muffet McGraw, who also coached the Fighting Irish to their first championship in 2001.
Full List of Fighting Irish's NCAA Championships
Only five schools have won more NCAA women's basketball titles than Notre Dame. UConn has won 11 titles, Tennessee holds eight, and Baylor, South Carolina, and Stanford are tied with three titles. Notre Dame, USC, and Louisiana Tech have won two championships each.
Notre Dame has been to the Finals a total of seven times, but finished as the runner-up on five occasions during the 2010s.
How Notre Dame Has Performed Since Its Last Title
Notre Dame has remained a contender since their last championship in 2018. They nearly repeated and claimed back-to-back titles, but fell to Baylor in the Finals in 2019.
Notre Dame did not make the NCAA Tournament in 2021, but has qualified in every season since. They have made the NCAA Sweet 16 in four consecutive seasons, but have not advanced to the Elite Eight or further since 2019.
Historic Moments from Notre Dame’s Championships
There are few moments more iconic in NCAA Tournament history than when Arike Ogunbowale hit a buzzer-beater three-pointer against Mississippi State to win their second championship in 2018. The game was tied at 58-58, and the shot went in with only 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock.
ARIKE OGUNBOWALE JUST WON NOTRE DAME THE 2018 NATIONAL TITLE! pic.twitter.com/ZCNhyF1uIf
— ESPN (@espn) April 2, 2018
Before the Finals, Ogunbowale had just hit another incredible game-winner in the Final Four against UConn. Going up against the the team that had four of the previous five national championships, Ogunbowale helped Notre Dame reach overtime where she scored another buzzer-beater with just 1.0 second remaining.
During Notre Dame's first championship run in 2001, they set a record by overcoming a 16-point deficit to defeat UConn in the Final Four. The Irish would face Purdue in the Finals, and defeated them 66-64 with Ruth Riley scoring the game-winning free throws. Riley would go on to win the Most Outstanding Tournament award. Current Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey was also part of that 2001 championship-winning team, and was named to the All-Tournament team.
UConn and Baylor have served as two rivals for Notre Dame during the NCAA Tournament. UConn and Notre Dame have faced off eight times in March Madness, with six matchups in the Final Four and two in the championship game. UConn has defeated Notre Dame in both championship game matchups, but Notre Dame is 5-1 against UConn in the Final Four.
Baylor and Notre Dame have faced off twice in the NCAA championship game, and Baylor has won both of those matchups.
Can Notre Dame Win Another NCAA Championship Soon?
The current Fighting Irish team, led by star sophomore Hannah Hidalgo, can certainly contend for a national title. Notre Dame has a tough matchup this weekend against No. 2 TCU for a shot at making the Elite Eight this season.
It might not be easy for Notre Dame to contend in upcoming seasons with Olivia Miles and Sonia Citron in their senior seasons, but Notre Dame has a window to contend with Hidalgo for the next three seasons.
More March Madness on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Last Time Notre Dame Won Women's NCAA Tournament: Full List of Championships .
