Notre Dame women’s basketball unveils 2023-24 nonconference schedule
It’s football time in South Bend. The Fighting Irish kick off the 2023 college football season Saturday versus Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Soon, though, basketball season will be upon us as well. Wednesday morning was a reminder of that.
The 2023-24 Notre Dame women’s basketball nonconference schedule was released.
The Irish already knew they’d open the regular season versus South Carolina in Paris, France, on Nov. 6. In June, news of Notre Dame facing Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge broke. Tuesday, it became known Notre Dame and Purdue would renew their in-state rivalry in the regular season for the first time since 2012.
The UConn Huskies made it public on Aug. 15 they’d host the Irish on Jan. 27, too.
Six other opponents plus one to be named later were revealed Wednesday. The first two months of the upcoming season are taking shape for a program that went to the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year this past March. It’s a home-heavy slate for a squad that’s been great at Purcell Pavilion in the last two years of the Niele Ivey era.
Here’s a look at the full nonconference slate for Ivey’s team.
2023-24 Notre Dame women’s basketball nonconference schedule
- October 30: Purdue University Northwest (exhibition)
- Nov. 6: South Carolina (Paris, France)
- Nov. 12: New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Nov. 15: Northwestern
- Nov. 18: Opponent to be named later
- Nov. 21: Chicago State
- Nov. 25: at Ball State
- Nov. 29: at Tennessee
- Dec. 6: Lafayette
- Dec. 17: Purdue
- Dec. 21: Western Michigan
- Jan. 27: at UConn
Between South Carolina, Tennessee, Purdue and UConn there is plenty of intrigue involved in Notre Dame’s non-con schedule. The Irish will also stay in the state of Indiana and travel to Muncie for the only other true road game outside of the trek to Tennessee. That gives Notre Dame fans who live in Indianapolis a closer destination than South Bend to see the Irish, albeit it two days after Thanksgiving.
The Irish are meeting NJIT and Lafayette for the first time. They’ve played everyone else on the non-conference schedule at least twice. Chicago State is in the category of obscure opponents, though. Notre Dame has only played the Cougars twice. The last time was on Jan. 11, 1980.
The Purdue game is a chance for Notre Dame to even up the all-time record between the two Indiana programs. Purdue currently leads, 14-13. Notre Dame bested the Boilermakers in the last meeting, an 88-82 victory for the Irish in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
