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Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Women's Basketball Faces Ohio State in Second Round of NCAA Tournament

A win over Ohio State on Monday would put Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 for the fifth consecutive season.
Jared Shlensky|
Mar 7, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) in action against the Duke Blue Devils in the fourth quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Mar 7, 2026; Duluth, GA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Hannah Hidalgo (3) in action against the Duke Blue Devils in the fourth quarter at Gas South Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Sixth-seeded Notre Dame took care of business against 11th-seeded Fairfield in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, but the Irish will have a much tougher task on their hands on Monday against Ohio State in the Round of 32. Not only are the Buckeyes the higher seed, but they're also playing in their home gym.

About Notre Dame

Notre Dame is back in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season after pummeling Fairfield, 79-60.

Notre Dame is 23-10 on the season and arguably playing its best basketball of the season. The Fighting Irish have won eight of their last nine games, seven of which have been by double digits.

Scouting Notre Dame

Notre Dame has relied on there things all year long. It's tenacious defense, sharp shooting from the free throw line, and Hannah Hidalgo. ND ranks ninth nationally in steals per game (9.9) and 11th in free-throw percentage (78.5%).

Meanwhile, Hidalgo continues to prove she's the best player in the nation game after game. Hidalgo nearly recorded the first quadruple-double in an NCAA Tournament game after finishing with a stat line of 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals, and six assists against Fairfield.

Entering Monday's game, Hidalgo leads in the nation in steals per game (5.5) and is third in scoring (25.2 PPG).

About Ohio State

Ohio State is 27-7 overall and 15-3 at home after crushing 14th-seeded Howard, 75-54, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. OSU outscored Howard, 23-4, in the second quarter, and four of the five Buckeyes starters finished in double figures.

Jake Diebler has turned the Ohio State program around in his second full season as the team's head coach after guiding OSU to a 17-15 record last season.

Scouting Ohio State

Ohio State ranks 13th in the nation in 81.5 points per game and is led by First Team All-Big Ten selection Jaloni Cambridge. Cambridge is eighth in the nation in scoring (22.7 PPG) and has scored 19 or more points in 14 of OSU's last 16 games.

Ohio State has one of the younger starting five in the nation, with three sophomores, a junior, who happens to be J. Cambridge's older sister, Kennedy, and a senior.

Fun Fact

These two teams have played each other five times, including one other time in the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 4-1, and four of the five games have been decided by seven or fewer points.

Game Time

Tip-off on Monday from Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio, between Notre Dame and Ohio State is at 4 p.m. (ET). Monday's second round matchup is scheduled be televised on ESPN, and if Notre Dame wins, they'll play the winner of Illinois vs. Vanderbilt.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster

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