Three things Notre Dame women's basketball must do to beat UMass in NCAA Tournament

At long last, it’s time for Notre Dame to dance.

It’s been three years since the Fighting Irish played in an NCAA Tournament game. Their last taste of March Madness was a bitter defeat in the 2019 national title game against Baylor. It had been all downhill for the storied program since then — until this year.

No. 5 seed Notre Dame (22-8) is back in the big dance, and head coach Niele Ivey and company can notch a much-needed win Saturday night against No. 12 seed UMass (26-6) at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) in Norman, Okla., as part of the Bridgeport Regional.

“I bleed blue and gold, so every moment, every second I’m just trying to work in order to lead this group and help this group get better,” Ivey said. “Getting off that plane, feeling the feels of being in the tournament, it’s just so exciting for me.”

Here are three things Notre Dame needs to do to advance to the Round of 32.

Exert dominance in the paint

Notre Dame has a clear size advantage. It’s been acknowledged by both sides. UMass players and coaches said it won’t affect their mindset much, but Notre Dame has it front and center in its head.

“They’re undersized, so I’m excited about that,” Ivey said. “We have an incredible matchup with Maya [Dodson] inside.”

The Irish have one of the best two-way post players in the ACC and possibly even the NCAA in graduate senior center Maya Dodson. The Minutewomen have a pair of forwards who are 6-2, just one inch shorter than Dodson, but Dodson’s length and athleticism is something they don’t see on a nightly basis in the Atlantic 10.

This should be a patented double-double kind of game for Dodson. She has seven of those in the last 15 games. It should also be a block party for the player who ranks eighth in the country in that statistic with 83 on the year. If it isn’t going Dodson’s way in those departments, Notre Dame likely isn’t playing the way it wants to. And the scoreboard could reflect that.

More Notre Dame women’s basketball coverage

• Notre Dame women’s basketball: Three things to know about UMass for NCAA Tournament

– Notre Dame women’s basketball: Breaking down the NCAA Tournament Bridgeport Region

• How two Notre Dame women’s basketball players overcame injuries in time for NCAA Tournament

Don’t get loose with zone defense

UMass head coach Tory Verdi said he’s expecting Notre Dame to play zone defense 85% of the time. In actuality, that number might be even higher. Ivey does not stray away from the zone much unless the opponent is raining threes. The Minutewomen rank No. 105 nationally in three-pointers made.

Still, UMass has four players who have connected on at least 33 threes this season led by junior guard Sydney Taylor‘s 79. Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sam Breen has made 36. Verdi doesn’t like his team to rely on the long ball, but the Minutewomen aren’t afraid to fire away if they’re given space.

It’s Notre Dame’s job to not allow that to happen. If the Minutewomen are content with competing inside the arc, the Irish should let them try. The mismatches are well documented. Notre Dame can get intro trouble if it allows a team with capable shooters get hot.

“We’ve really locked in on the basics,” Ivey said. “Closeouts, our rotation. A lot of the things you normally do early in training camp, we had a chance the last two weeks to really work on those and fine-tune the little details of our defense.”

Don’t let the moment be too big

Notre Dame only has two players on the roster with NCAA Tournament experience — Dodson and senior guard Abby Prohaska. The Irish are up against an opponent whose program has not gone dancing in 24 years, but the Minutewomen are playing with house money. Notre Dame is supposed to be here, and the Irish are supposed to win. That’s a lot of pressure on a team that starts two freshmen and a sophomore.

Ivey saying her players lost composure emerged as a common theme after losses this season. If there was ever a place for an inexperienced roster to lose composure, it’d be under the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament. This isn’t Ivey’s first rodeo, of course. She won a national championship with Notre Dame as a player and another with the Irish as an assistant coach. But this is different even for her. She’s never had to do this as a head coach.

“Being here for the first time as a head coach, it feels really special,” Ivey said.

She knows it’s even more special when you win. There are a lot of folks relying on the Irish to do so.