What winning ACC Tournament did for Notre Dame NCAA Tournament seeding

Notre Dame did all it could to improve its NCAA Tournament résumé by going to Greensboro, N.C., last week and leaving as the last team standing. The Fighting Irish knocked off a trio of ranked teams to win the program’s sixth ACC Tournament.

And they were most certainly rewarded for that in the eyes of ESPN bracketology expert Charlie Creme.

Per Creme’s latest NCAA Tournament projections released at 1:25 a.m. ET Monday morning, Notre Dame (26-6) is predicted to be a No. 3 seed when the bracket comes out on St. Patrick’s Day this coming Sunday. Just a couple weeks ago, before the Irish truly hit their stride with an eight-game winning streak they’ll take into the tourney, Creme had Notre Dame slotted as a No. 5 seed.

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The top four seeds in each region get to host first- and second-round games at their home arenas. Purcell Pavilion played host to big dance action last spring when Notre Dame was a No. 3 seed. It might be déjà vu for head coach Niele Ivey and her team in her fourth season leading the program.

The Irish have positioned themselves nicely much in the same fashion as they did a year ago. Numerous players are unavailable because of season-ending injuries for the second year in a row. And yet, the Irish are going into do-or-die time as champions once again. Last year, they won the ACC’s regular season title. This year, they took home the conference tournament crown.

Senior center Kylee Watson is getting an MRI on the knee she injured in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Saturday. If she cannot give it a go when the tournament begins next week, Ivey might have to lean on the six-player rotation she employed in a 55-51 championship Sunday victory over NC State yesterday for the long haul in a quest to make it to the Final Four in Cleveland.

Half of that six-player lineup is as good as any trio in the country. Freshman point guard Hannah Hidalgo, junior guard Sonia Citron and senior forward Maddy Westbeld are averaging 54.1 combined points. That’s the most of any Notre Dame trio in the last 25 years, and the Irish have won two national championships in that span. If they’re going to make it three next month, those three have to keep playing like they have been.

Here is a look at Creme’s top 16 seeds as of Monday.

No. 1 seeds
South Carolina (32-0)
Iowa (29-4)
Stanford (28-5)
USC (26-5)

No. 2 seeds
Ohio State (25-5)
UCLA (25-6)
LSU (28-5)
Texas (28-4)

No. 3 seeds
Oregon State (24-7)
UConn (28-5)
Notre Dame (26-6)
NC State (27-6)

No. 4 seeds
Virginia Tech (24-7)
Oklahoma (22-8)
Indiana (24-5)
Gonzaga (29-2)

Notable…
• Of the four seeds behind Notre Dame that could jump the Irish, Oklahoma and Gonzaga are still playing in their respective conference tournaments. If the Sooners win the Big 12 and Gonzaga wins the West Coast, things could get complicated for the Irish trying to hang onto a top-three spot. Oklahoma plays Iowa State (19-10) in the semifinals at 2:30 p.m. ET today (ESPN2). Gonzaga faces Pacific (18-13) in the semis at 3 p.m. ET (ESPN+).

• Notre Dame has the edge in the NET rankings over Oklahoma and Gonzaga. The Irish woke up Monday in prime position for a top-three seed. They might even have a case to be a two; they’re ranked No. 7 in the NET. Oklahoma comes in at No. 25. Gonzaga is No. 10.

• Virginia Tech won the ACC regular season title, but the Irish beat the Hokies twice including an 82-53 romp in the conference tournament semifinals. ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley was not available for that game, but the Irish shut her down in a convincing 71-58 victory on Feb. 29. The Hokies are No. 19 in the NET.

• Indiana is No. 14 in the NET. The Hoosiers finished tied for second in the Big Ten regular season standings. They lost to Michigan, 69-56, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals. That’s a defeat that probably cost them any chance of bumping up a seed line to No. 3. They’ve been holding steady at No. 4 for a while.