Possible First Round Opponents

Even though the Irish are still a day away from playing their Quarterfinal matchup between the winner of Marquette-Seton Hall, I've sprung ahead to look at the possible matchups they could face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Depending on whether Notre Dame stays put a #4 seed or moves up a notch to a #2, here are the likely list of candidates the Irish might play next week.

Belmont (24-8, 14-2) Atlantic Sun Champs
78 (RPI)
Quality wins: @ Cincinnati and @ Alabama
Bad loses: @ Kennesaw St. (324 RPI) and @ Campbell (311 RPI)
Last 10: 10-0

George Mason (23-10, 12-6) Colonial Athletic Association Champs
62 (RPI)
Quality wins: Dayton and Kansas St.
Bad loses: Georgia State (281 RPI)
Last 10: 6-4

San Diego (20-13, 11-3) West Coast Champs
89 (RPI)
Quality wins: @ Kentucky, St. Mary's (twice), and Gonzaga
Bad loses: California St. Bakersfield (317 RPI)
Last 10: 8-2

Oral Roberts (23-8, 16-2) Summit League Champs
56 (RPI)
Quality wins: Oklahoma State
Bad loses: Texas A&M Corpus Christi (260 RPI) and N. Dakota St. (196 RPI)
Last 10: 7-3

Siena (22-10, 13-5) Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
72 (RPI)
Quality wins: Stanford
Bad loses: @ James Madison (220 RPI) and @ Manhattan (271 RPI)
Last 10: 8-2

Western Kentucky (25-6, 16-2) Sun Belt Conference Champs
43 (RPI)
Quality wins: Michigan and Nebraska
Bad loses: @ Northern Arizona (137 RPI)
Last 10: 9-1

Utah State (22-9, 12-4) Western Athletic Conference
71 (RPI)
Quality wins: Iowa and Oral Roberts
Bad loses: @ Cal Poly (197 RPI) and @ Hawaii (276 RPI)
Last 10: 7-3

Cornell (21-5, 14-0) Ivy League Champs
67 (RPI)
Quality wins: Siena
Bad loses: @ Bucknell (206 RPI)
Last 10: 10-0

Stephen F. Austin (21-4, 13-3) Southland Conference
59 (RPI)
Quality wins: @ Oklahoma and @ San Diego
Bad loses: @ Nicholls St. (247 RPI) and Texas-Arlington (177 RPI)
Last 10: 9-1

UC-Santa Barbara (22-7, 12-4) Big West
79 (RPI)
Quality wins: UNLV
Bad loses: UC-Irivine (twice, 182 RPI)
Last 10: 8-2

Since his arrival at Notre Dame, Mike Brey has good success getting out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Until last season's loss to Winthrop, the Irish were 3-0 in first round games. Overall the Irish are 4-4 during Brey's tenure at Notre Dame. Starting back when the field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Irish are 8-10 overall in the Tournament. Here's the round-by-round breakdown:

First Round: 6-4
Second Round: 2-4
Sweet 16: 0-2
Overall: 8-10

Under Mike Brey
First Round: 3-1
Second Round: 1-2
Sweet 16: 0-1
Overall: 4-4

So how did the potential first round opponents fair in the NCAA Tournaments since 1985?

Belmont
First Round: 0-2

George Mason
First Round: 1-3
Second Round: 1-0
Sweet 16: 1-0
Elite 8: 1-0
Final Four: 0-1
Overall: 4-4

San Diego
First Round: 0-2

Siena
Play-In Game: 1-0
First Round: 1-2
Second Round: 0-1
Overall: 1-3

Oral Roberts
First Round: 0-2

Western Kentucky
First Round: 4-4
Second Round: 1-3
Sweet 16: 0-1
Overall: 5-8

Utah State
First Round: 1-6
Second Round: 0-1
Overall: 1-7

Cornell
First Round: 0-1

UC-Santa Barbara
First Round: 1-2
Second Round: 0-1
Overall: 1-3

As each day inches closer to Selection Sunday both ND fans and the team can play the guessing game as to which team the Irish will face in the first round. Whatever team it will be, Notre Dame will be prepared and won't disappoint. They're in it to win it!