SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Top-seeded Notre Dame will tip off its 23rd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament when it hosts No. 16 seed Cal State Northridge on Friday evening at Purcell Pavilion.
The Fighting Irish (29-3) are a No. 1 seed for the seventh year in a row and the eighth time in school history. Under longtime head coach Muffet McGraw, Notre Dame has made seven appearances in the Final Four and won one championship (2001).
Notre Dame's streak is the fourth-longest and fifth-best all-time.
"I think all of us are just ready to start, ready to get into tournament play," Fighting Irish senior forward Kathryn Westbeld said to the South Bend Tribune.