Notre Dame wins thrilling double OT game vs. Rutgers, advances to Round of 64
Notre Dame may have won the game of the tournament in Dayton on Wednesday night.
The Fighting Irish survived phenomenal effort from Rutgers in the First Four, winning 89-87 in double over time. It was Paul Atkinson Jr. who made the game-winning layup in the final seconds of double overtime.
Here’s that play:
ATKINSON COMES UP CLUTCH!!! đ
Notre Dame wins a 2OT thriller to advance!@NDmbb | #ACCMBB pic.twitter.com/bYzzkffpxT
— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) March 17, 2022
Atkinson finished with a team-high 26 points in the win. Blake Wesley scored just 8 points on the night, but he made multiple big plays in crunch time.
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said this was the best game he’s ever been involved in.
"This is the best game I've ever been in" – Mike Brey pic.twitter.com/bSRir2MoHs
— Saturday Road (@SaturdayRoad) March 17, 2022
The win is Notre Dame’s first NCAA Tournament victory since beating Princeton in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Irish were eliminated in the second round by West Virginia.
Notre Dame will now travel to San Diego, Calif., to face Alabama in the Round of 64 on Friday. Tipoff is at 3:15 CT on Friday.
