Notre Dame Lands No. 1 Seed In NIT, Will Face Hampton
After missing out on the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame will head to the NIT as a No. 1 seed.
The Irish will host Hampton (19-15, 12-4) in the first round on Tuesday at 9 p.m.
Notre Dame could potentially host three games at home if the team advances to the quarterfinals. Purcell Pavilion will host the first and second round the women’s tournament, but there won't be a conflict between the two tournaments per Notre Dame.
A date in New York at Madison Square Garden await the winners of each of the four sides of the bracket.
Hampton came up just short in the MEAC losing the tournament championship getting upset by North Carolina Central 71-65.
The Pirates averaged 79.3 points this season, which ranked No. 55 nationally, but allowed 75.2 points defensively (No. 249).
Sophomore guard Jermaine Marrow leads the way for Hampton averaging 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He is joined in the backcourt by senior guard Malique Trent-Street (14.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 3.5 APG) and junior guard Kalin Fisher (12.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG).
According to KenPom.com, the Pirates rank No. 240 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 257 in adjust defensive efficiency. Hampton ranks No. 76 in effective field goal percentage defense (49 percent) and No. 98 three-point percentage allowed (33.6 percent).
Hampton was 7-13 overall and 2-3 in the MEAC before reeling off a 12-1 mark leading into the conference championship game against NC Central.
The winner of the Irish and Pirates will face the winner of No. 4 seed Penn State (21-13, 9-9) and No. 5 seed Temple (17-15, 8-10).
Marquette (19-13, 9-9) is the No. 2 seed in Notre Dame’s quadrant of the tournament. The Golden Eagles take on No. 7 seed Harvard (18-13, 12-2) and the winner will move to face either No. 3 seed Oregon (22-12, 8-10) or No. 6 seed Rider (22-9, 15-3).
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