The No. 1 Fighting Irish were able to outlast the No. 2 Oregon Ducks 84-74 to advance to their program's eighth Final Four. It all came down to defense and rebounding as the Irish out-rebounded the Ducks 51-29 which lead to 26 second chance points for the Irish versus the Ducks with nine. Kathryn Westbeld was the leading scorer for the Irish with 20 points, Arike Ogunbowale added 19 and Jessica Shepard had 18.
[divider]COMPARE: Notre Dame vs. UConn | Arike Ogunbowale vs. Gabby Williams[divider]
Next up, the Irish will square off with long time foe Connecticut in the semifinals. The Huskies defeated South Carolina 94-65 to punch their ticket to back to the Final Four for their 11th-consecutive time. UConn and Notre Dame are the only teams to have both advanced to six of the last eight Final Fours. The rivalry is one of women's basketball's greats — the two teams have met 47 times with Connecticut holding a 36-11 advantage.
It's no secret that UConn is the best women's basketball program in the country. They are ranked No. 1 in numerous statistical categories including offensive efficiency and defense. In the tournament, they are currently beating their opponents by an average of 39 points. After last year's loss to Mississippi State in the Final Four, the Huskies are on a mission to add a 12th National Title to their program with an even more heightened sense of motivation.
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Notre Dame forward Kathryn Westbeld kisses the tournament trophy after defeating Oregon 84-74 in a regional final at the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Monday, March 26, 2018, Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Young Kwak)[/credit]
Notre Dame appears to be confident and clicking on all cylinders offensively as they are currently averaging 92.8 points per game in the tournament. Arike Ogunbowale is incredible, averaging 25 points herself in tournament play. Jessica Shepard has been as consistent as anyone in the tournament down low along with Kathryn Westbeld both playing at a high level right now.
They have the fifth-ranked offensively efficient team in the country, but have been plagued with injuries and a thin bench all season, will they have enough to beat UConn?
It's going to take a tremendous effort on both sides of the ball for them pull it off, but honestly, why not? This is a team who has reinvented themselves and risen to the occasion all season. They could arguably be the toughest team in the tournament from an adversity standpoint. They will need to rebound the ball like they did against Oregon and take care of it. They may need a little luck, but I believe it is very possible Notre Dame could pull off the upset. The last time Notre Dame beat Connecticut was in 2013.
The rivalry continues on Friday when the two teams face off at 9:30pm ET in Columbus, OH.
